Anyone been to the Blue Mountain in AUS?

[ken4ord]

I am going to be heading to Sydney and also the Blue Mountains in the Katoomba area. Near the Three Sisters. :tup:

 

Anyone been? Got any suggestions? Looking mainly for easy cragging with the family. Hikes. Or just some stories. I can't wait to go.

[EastCoastBastard]

I've been! It's fu%king great. the rock is awesome, the climbs are excellent, access is generally very easy. I got taken around by a friend from Sydney - I think we stayed at Mt. Piddington (one of like 30 or 40 different crags) the whole time. The only thing a bit strange (and this goes for Australia in general) is that a lot of the bolted sport climbs are "bolted" with carriage bolts - with no hangers. You have to put your own hangers on as you climb - they are a special sort of hanger that fit over the hex nut of the carriage bolt, but can't come off once a biner is clipped through it. It's a little annoying, but not a deal-breaker. Any climbing shop will sell them ($4 each I think?) There's excellent trad there too.

I seem to remember that most of the climbs had little signs at the bottom identifying what climb it was. Useful.

 

Enjoy!

 

PS: there was an incident last year where some folks died in the blue mountains after some bolts pulled out of the rock. Apparently the wrong sort of bolts had been used even though the locals told the bolters (out of town-ers) not to. Be careful! Details of accident here: blue mountains accident details

[Hugh Conway]

Some sweet canyoning there if you are looking to cool off:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~dnoble/canyoning.html

 

"Canyons near Sydney" is the guidebook if I remember the title correctly

[ken4ord]

I think it may be cool enough when I am there 60's.

 

Thanks ECB, I read about Piddington, sounds like one of the larger areas/crags.

[GThomas]

I went there a year ago, back in November and it was a really cool area. I don't rock climb so I cant help you out there, but there are loads of really cool hikes. Some places can get kind of crowded and are a little touristy, but if you do some of the more demanding hikes you wont have that problem.

 

Watch out for snakes, funnel webs, and Bull ants (also called jack jumpers). On my hikes we ran into numerous brown snakes (2nd most venomous snake in the world). Sydney funnel webs (the most venomous spider in the world) are also all over that area.

There are a couple places where you will run into eastern gray kangaroos, which is always cool.

 

Its a beautiful place, you will definitely have fun.

[JosephH]

http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2225056;forum_view=recent_posts;page=unread#unread

[foraker]

If you get a chance, head out to Nowra.

[pazzo]

sport climbs are "bolted" with carriage bolts

 

Carrot bolts

[EastCoastBastard]

I know, but when you go to the hardware store in North America, I think they're called carriage bolts... Carrot bolts always seemed like such a strange name

[RobJames]

There is a spot called "Mount York". It is 10km drive on sealed road from the township of Mount Victoria. You can also access Mount Victoria on the train, such departs every hour from Sydney Central Station. It is a $10 AUD taxi fare from the Mount Victoria station to the Mount York crag.

 

Mount Victoria is 25 mins drive west from Katoomba in the Blue Mtns. It's a great visit with 5.4 to 5.10 difficulty. Easily over 80 individual routes. Plenty of juggy holds, some cool cracks, and chimneys. All of it can be safely top-roped (the top of the crag has a clean clear path. You access the base of the crags via the same path. Pitches from 15-35 metres vertical.

 

The crag overlooks the beautiful Hartley Vale. Throughout the day, you should find routes shaded by big gum trees.

 

Kangaroos and koalas are in the area. And there are a number of 1 hour-long bushwalks for enjoying such.

 

You can camp for free in a large grassy area at Mount York. There are male and female toilets. And drinkable water from a tap (you don't need to treat it).

 

The campging area is literally next to the parking spots. It's not crowded, and you don't need to book. On clear nights, the stars are stunning.

 

You'll need a 60 metre rope, about 10 metres of sling etc, some biners and harnesses. The place ain't particularly busy. The anchors are jumbo big trees and solid chains (you won't need bolt plates for the mentioned carrot/carriage bolts).

 

There is a Blue Mountains Climbing guide for $50 AUD. Simply drop by one of the climbing shops in Katoomba and have a look at it. The routes are quite obvious (I ain't a sandbagger).

 

Also consider Zig-Zag which is in the same guide book. When buying groceries, there is a large supermarket in Katoomba - such is the best place for groceries in the Blue Mtns.

 

And yes. The canyoning is some of the best! With wetsuits consider the water jumps and rapping down the lovely 30 metre Empress Falls (near Wentworth Falls), or a 10 metre rap and lulling swim through our Grand Canyon (near Blackheath).

 

Keep warm, but stay cool.

 

 

[Sherri]

A look around one of the Aussie climbing forums might also turn up some useful info/contacts:

 

This one's based in Victoria, but it'll get you started:

Chockstone