News from Central Australia

Feel free to send in any info about your trip, photo's, events, whatever!

Topic

30-04-2005
All New Guidebook to Central Australia Released

24-08-2004
ASCF Bouldering Comp in Alice
01-06-2004
Climbing news wanted!
25-08-2002
Bouldering near Adelaide River, Darwin area.
15-01-2002
'Rock' magazine articles about climbing in Central Australia
25-12-2001
Top Ten Routes in Central Australia
17-11-2001
'Non Stop Action Groove' now NT's hardest climb

 

30-04-2005
New Guidebook & Newsletter!

Climbers from Alice Springs have got together to start a quarterly newsletter, the first edition of The RACK (Rock and Crag Knowledge) was put together this month and is being distributed locally. The idea of the newsletter is to start to consolidate the climbing activity that has been happening in recent years. It also coincides with the release of a new self published guide book, Rock Climbing in Central Australia. This 160 page A5 book has been written and updated over the last four years by local climbers and is packed with local knowledge and information, listing over 450 climbs. Copies are available through all good outdoor adventure retail stores, however if you have a problem finding it contact Krish Seewraj (kermit@octa4.net.au or phone: (08) 8952 6065).

24-08-2004
ASCF Boulding Comp in Alice!

Krish Seewraj has taken the first place in the NT Bouldering titles, held on Saturday 21st August @ the Alice Springs YMCA. The event saw several locals and even a interational visitor attend the competition.

OPEN
1st: Krish Seewraj (413 points)
2nd: Sean Martin (403 points)
3rd: Chad Wilson (257 points)
4th: James Tudor

JUNIOR
1st: Clancy Scollay (239 points)
2nd: Jackson Curtis (235 points)
3rd: Tristan Hali (230 points)

The event was held as part of the ASCF National Bouldering titles, although the winners have declined the invitation to enter the Finals in NSW in October.
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01-06-2004
Climbing news wanted!

If anyone out there has done any climbing in Central Australia that they want to share, then please contact me. It's not often I get a chance to get to Alice these days.

Even if you're not local, but have ANY info whatsoever on your experiences in Central Australia, then please don't hesitate to email it to me.

I'd love to hear from any and all.
Flames welcome - tell me how to improve this site!
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25-08-2002
Bouldering near Adelaide River, Darwin area.

Information kindly provided by Andrew Secomb, of Sydney.

Whilst working near Adelaide River township, some mates and myself came across a really cool limestone bouldering area. It is only a two hour drive from Darwin - a must visit bouldering area for Darwinians!

The bouldering is high quality and the rock superb with plenty of three star problems! The landings are excellent! We bouldered a few easy problems at around V0 as we didn't have our climbing shoes, however we did several starts to some harder problems and spied many excellent routes even harder again. Problems range from slab to steep, short to tall and committing (some problems will have to include getting off the top into the grade!).

Getting there: From Adelaide River (heading south) turn right onto National Highway 23 and travel along this for approx 36km (passing the Adelaide River Sport Society (ARSS), then turn right again onto National Highway 28 (heading towards Daly River township, and passing the bottom entrance "4wd only" into Litchfield N.P). Follow this for approx 16km. The black boulders should be very obvious on the left hand side, 150m from the road. There is rough 2wd access along a faint track.

Another 500m or so on there is a obvious track on the right - follow for another 500m to a soothing hot spring, which makes a great camp!
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15-01-2002
Articles printed in Rock Magazine
about climbing in Central Australia

Rock 1992 # 17 p.10 Pic of Simon Mentz on the first ascent of Tjilka.
Rock 1995 # 24 p14 Local news and pic from the 'Yerba' era.
Rock 1997 # 29 p.13 Nice full page pic of Ronnie Sammut at Ormiston Bluff, during the Victorian invasion.
Rock 2000 # 44 p.38-41 Article by Michael Hampton complete with pics.
"Michael Hampton and other 'characters' of Oz climbing suffer flies, discomfort and each other on a rocky outback road trip."
Rock 2002 # 49 p.17 Small pic and news item about Goshen's first ascent of Non Stop Action Groove.
       
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25-12-2001
Top Ten Routes in Central Australia

In no particular order of quality.

  •  Pre-nuptual Adventures, 23. Serpentine Gorge
  •  Non-Stop Action Groove, 28. Mt Benstead Creek
  •  Birds of Prey, 22. Mt Benstead Creek
  •  Old Favourite, 21. Ormiston Bluff
  •  Step Right Up, 20. Ormiston Bluff
  •  Hot Wet Canadian, 21. Glen Helen
  •  Tjilka, 26. Ormiston
  •  Superfreak, 20. The Unkown
  •  First Tempation, 22. The Quarry
  •  Downwind of Vomit, 20. Glen Helen
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17-11-2001
'Non Stop Action Groove' now NT's hardest climb
On a recent trip, Victorian climbers Goshen Watts & Richard Lodge put up some more quality climbs in the Alice Springs region. Non Stop Action Groove went at a tentative grade of 28, and is now the hardest climb in the NT. The new cliff, a 45m overhanging limestone cave was discovered a few years back and the climb was originally bolted by Damian Auton and Goshen, but has taken until now for the first routes to be completed. The Mt Benstead Creek cliff is on private property, and access is generally restricted by the landowners. Richard bolted a nice face at the same crag which went at 24, and a great route was put up on natural gear, blasting up through the cliff on some very interesting terrain.

Goshen leading up to the first crux (25) of Non Stop Action Groove (28).
More pics in the Gallery.

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