Passchendaele State Forest, Bouldering

BLDV

VB VB+V0-V0 V0+V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13

Map

5 14 13 11 4 7 12 1 9 2 3 8 10 6

1 Middle Sector 2 Yuri's Place 3 Engineering Sector 4 The Lane 5 The Backyard 6 Grey Havens 7 The Battlefield 8 Super Sharp Bros. 9 The Highball Factory 10 Pikedale Roadside 11 Boss Hog 12 The Platter 13 The Barracks 14 New Normal

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Seasonality

Summary

Granite

Densely packed granite bouldering at all grades in the shade of the state forest. Many established lines, and opportunity for development of many more!

Access issues

Please refer to https://www.hqplantations.com.au/our-plantations/plantation-closures for any relevant temp-closures in the future of the area. "HQ Plantations" corporation act as a land manager for all the bouldering locations listed below. They operate as "Plantation Licensee" under the terms of the "Forestry Act 1959", and are thus obliged to permit, but not necessarily promote, recreational access. However, climbers should understand that the primary purpose of a State Forest is timber extraction rather than recreation, and HQ Plantations have legislative authority to restrict recreational access from time to time where timber harvesting operations presents a hazard to the public. Furthermore, HQ Plantations are required to recognize all roads within the licence area as public roads. However, they have authority to temporarily restrict access for the reasons already given. Please recognize the authority of any signage that restricts access. Please obey the instructions of the Plantation Officers who patrol the area. Should you feel that any restriction is unjust or unwarranted, contact ACAQ, president@climb.org.au, and we will take up the matter for you.

Approach

From Brisbane, head south to Stanthorpe on the New England Highway. 15 minutes before reaching Stanthorpe, turn right onto Amiens Rd. After 15km, turn right to stay on Amiens Rd. At the T intersection turn right onto Goldfields Rd. After 750m turn left onto Pine Forest Rd. To reach the Middle sector car park, turn left onto Boatfields Rd, then immediately right onto a forestry road. The middle sector car park will be on the right after 450m.

Where to stay

There is a private campground with facilities (toilets, showers, BBQs) at Foxbar Falls, 5 minutes drive from the main bouldering sectors. There is also some bouldering (Sow & Pigs Rock) and climbing on this property, the owners are friendly and encouraging of this. https://www.foxbarfalls.com.au/

Camping is not permitted within the state forest.

History

History timeline chart

Although the granite boulders of Passchendaele have existed for many millenia, the area has seen limited exploration and development until relatively recently. Land clearing efforts in 2013 brought Passchendaele to the attention of a number of climbers including Peter Crane and Madeleine Eppensteiner who established a number of initial problems. Peter's bouldering guides, which have been available free online (www.peter-crane.com) since late 2015 remain the best source of information on the area. The inaugural Passchendaele V1 bouldering festival held in October 2016 has brought the area to the attention of the broader climbing community.