Nodes em The Quarterdeck

The Quarterdeck covers a large part of the Coalcliff amphitheatre south of the Powerlines lookout.

The area south of the entrance gully.

Follow the fixed hangers up past the big flake and onto the headwall.

Left hand bolted line

Many of the Wollongong crags are located in the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area (IESCA). This region has had a chequered history in recent times, with large swathes of popular crags having to be closed after it was missed that a new NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Plan of Management (PoM - 2018) had incidentally banned climbing along most of the escarpment. After a lobbying effort and a stroke of coincidental good luck an amended plan of management has been published (2023), modifying the plan to allow rock-climbing “… on the west- and south-facing cliffs of Mount Keira and on cliffs north of Bulli Pass."

Access comes with caveats and all climbers should be aware that that “… new bolts or anchors may only be installed with NPWS consent, and park infrastructure such as safety railing may not be used as anchor points as they have not been designed for this purpose. NPWS will not install, assess or guarantee bolts or other fixed protection points. Participants in these activities are solely responsible for their own safety.”

Given the pressures many rock-climbing areas have been under around Australia and the plethora of access issues that have followed it is imperative that climbers respect and heed the access requirements. Access granted can easily be access taken, noting from the PoM: “Locations where rock climbing and abseiling are allowed may be reviewed and altered to address safety issues, risks to visitors or impacts on cultural values or environmental values. Temporary closures of rock climbing and abseiling locations may be applied to limit impacts. Permanent closure of sites may also be necessary. NPWS will consult with representatives of the local climbing community before implementing any permanent closures.”

Please refer to the ‘Ethic” section for more notes on how to be a good steward for the climbing community.

Start in the corner head around the arete into the next corner and straight up to the cave then out over the roof onto the slabby headwall.

A series of cracks just north of the entrance gully

Just left (North) of the walk down gully is a hand crack just right of a short, thin finger crack. Climb this to wider crack above to jammed block, belay to left.

The next area along.

Up crack then wall.

The weakness up the left side of the left wall of Acquired Arete, through small roof up high. Stay off project until climbed.

The prominent left arete. Up slab to step left onto arete and follow to anchors.

The well protected practice trad route up the weakness right of Acquired Arete. Lower off anchors.

An easy climb up the middle of ABC Area stepping through bulges to anchors above in ledge.

The nice layback corner crack right of ABC start. Up corner and across right and up to anchors.

Start 2m right of corner of Sidearms. Up to bolt, move rightwards across the wall towards Nails, then up and step left for final move to anchors.

Starts about 3m left of the arete of the right wall of ABC area. Stick clip first bolt. Very thin start, then easier to last move left of bolt to anchors.

Straight up wall

Head out the left side of the cave and straight up the headwall.

Start at the right end of the cave, a bit of a grunt off the ground then head around the arete and straight up to anchors.

The big alcove

Up blank looking face then into corner then up headwall. Great rock and climbing.

Straight up the arete.

Up wall and then up slab to anchors.

Start 3m left of the chimney (Gates Out) at the fixed hangers. Straight up to a great dyno. Drift up and left to the arete to finish.

Up the chimney which has great climbing outside the chimney or grovel deep into the chasm like the first ascentionist did.

With a nod to araps, this glorified squeeze test was first conducted in the modern era during the dark depths of the covid pandemic lockdown. Work your way through the chasm behind Kegs on Legs and get rebirthed into the paradise of Coaltrain.

Horizontal cracks then layback to glory.

Up left side of wall

Righthand side of wall.

The area with the Big roof

Boulder out the roof of the cave and finish up nails slab.

Traverse right on the lip of the cave to the arete then straight up to anchors.

Powerful layback moves to start. Small cams in the roof corner and extend with slings. Traverse under roof where you could place a #5. Tricky moves to turn the lip and awesome crack climbing to the loweroffs. Can clean while being lowered or get someone to second.

Still awaiting a second ascent.

Stick clip bolt, then watch a Wide-boyz montage for inspiration. Pull funky moves (crux), to move up to roof. Make your way to the corner for a rest then make your way up lovely thin headwall crack (20) to lower-offs.

Bolted by the famous Rod Young. The Willson brother's battled it out for the first ascent.

Pull through the finger intensive crux boulder problem with technical heel hooks to rest. Easier but delicate climbing up the right side of the corner to the anchors.

Rod project 2

Big orange walls

Start at series of flakes and cracks, up and left to the ledge the up arete to top.

Start underneath small cave, traverse left 2m, big move straight up then trend right to the cave (good rest) and straight up to anchors to straight up.

Follow the thin crack system up to a knee bar and take in the view. Proceed to a delicate final crux before the anchor.

After multiple attempts on this, Hunter Cole had a crack and after a courtesy take at the first bolt proceeded to flash the route. I let him name the route as it was only fair.

The route is still awaiting a trad ascent.

Up the orange arete.

Start 2m right of Captain Nemo arete on the great orange rock. Technical and varied. Thin start, move right to closed corner . Up until easier to the anchors.

Up the seam to the anchors

Follow the corner crack up and then move left onto the face straight up to the lower offs.

Stuck clip bolt and traverse in from the right on edges. Make your way up the arete. Rest in cave and tickle your way up the finger crack to lower offs.

Up the seam to jugs and the cave then blast up the awesome headwall.

The narrow corner. Up corner, trend up right steeply to ledge then around the roof and head left to the anchors.

Head up the corner to the top of the block then up the vague arete to the anchors

Up the orange wall to the roof, out the roof and up headwall to anchors.

Straight up the crack to Lower-offs

Up the crack and up through the suprisingly solid honeycomb rock to anchors at the top of the wall. A great photo op route.

Bigger orange walls

Many of the Wollongong crags are located in the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area (IESCA). This region has had a chequered history in recent times, with large swathes of popular crags having to be closed after it was missed that a new NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Plan of Management (PoM - 2018) had incidentally banned climbing along most of the escarpment. After a lobbying effort and a stroke of coincidental good luck an amended plan of management has been published (2023), modifying the plan to allow rock-climbing “… on the west- and south-facing cliffs of Mount Keira and on cliffs north of Bulli Pass."

Access comes with caveats and all climbers should be aware that that “… new bolts or anchors may only be installed with NPWS consent, and park infrastructure such as safety railing may not be used as anchor points as they have not been designed for this purpose. NPWS will not install, assess or guarantee bolts or other fixed protection points. Participants in these activities are solely responsible for their own safety.”

Given the pressures many rock-climbing areas have been under around Australia and the plethora of access issues that have followed it is imperative that climbers respect and heed the access requirements. Access granted can easily be access taken, noting from the PoM: “Locations where rock climbing and abseiling are allowed may be reviewed and altered to address safety issues, risks to visitors or impacts on cultural values or environmental values. Temporary closures of rock climbing and abseiling locations may be applied to limit impacts. Permanent closure of sites may also be necessary. NPWS will consult with representatives of the local climbing community before implementing any permanent closures.”

Please refer to the ‘Ethic” section for more notes on how to be a good steward for the climbing community.

Start at the left hand end of the wall, up to the cave, traverse right at the overlap then straight up.

Up the corner then into the cave briefly until you can pull round onto the slab then up.

Many of the Wollongong crags are located in the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area (IESCA). This region has had a chequered history in recent times, with large swathes of popular crags having to be closed after it was missed that a new NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Plan of Management (PoM - 2018) had incidentally banned climbing along most of the escarpment. After a lobbying effort and a stroke of coincidental good luck an amended plan of management has been published (2023), modifying the plan to allow rock-climbing “… on the west- and south-facing cliffs of Mount Keira and on cliffs north of Bulli Pass."

Access comes with caveats and all climbers should be aware that that “… new bolts or anchors may only be installed with NPWS consent, and park infrastructure such as safety railing may not be used as anchor points as they have not been designed for this purpose. NPWS will not install, assess or guarantee bolts or other fixed protection points. Participants in these activities are solely responsible for their own safety.”

Given the pressures many rock-climbing areas have been under around Australia and the plethora of access issues that have followed it is imperative that climbers respect and heed the access requirements. Access granted can easily be access taken, noting from the PoM: “Locations where rock climbing and abseiling are allowed may be reviewed and altered to address safety issues, risks to visitors or impacts on cultural values or environmental values. Temporary closures of rock climbing and abseiling locations may be applied to limit impacts. Permanent closure of sites may also be necessary. NPWS will consult with representatives of the local climbing community before implementing any permanent closures.”

Please refer to the ‘Ethic” section for more notes on how to be a good steward for the climbing community.

The right hand route up the bulgy red buttress though unlikely territory to an exposed upper wall to anchors. Scramble up 5m through ferns to a ledge and belay off first bolt. Head up just left of corner and trend a bit left above through cavey bit.

Straight up the awesome looking red buttress.

Many of the Wollongong crags are located in the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area (IESCA). This region has had a chequered history in recent times, with large swathes of popular crags having to be closed after it was missed that a new NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Plan of Management (PoM - 2018) had incidentally banned climbing along most of the escarpment. After a lobbying effort and a stroke of coincidental good luck an amended plan of management has been published (2023), modifying the plan to allow rock-climbing “… on the west- and south-facing cliffs of Mount Keira and on cliffs north of Bulli Pass."

Access comes with caveats and all climbers should be aware that that “… new bolts or anchors may only be installed with NPWS consent, and park infrastructure such as safety railing may not be used as anchor points as they have not been designed for this purpose. NPWS will not install, assess or guarantee bolts or other fixed protection points. Participants in these activities are solely responsible for their own safety.”

Given the pressures many rock-climbing areas have been under around Australia and the plethora of access issues that have followed it is imperative that climbers respect and heed the access requirements. Access granted can easily be access taken, noting from the PoM: “Locations where rock climbing and abseiling are allowed may be reviewed and altered to address safety issues, risks to visitors or impacts on cultural values or environmental values. Temporary closures of rock climbing and abseiling locations may be applied to limit impacts. Permanent closure of sites may also be necessary. NPWS will consult with representatives of the local climbing community before implementing any permanent closures.”

Please refer to the ‘Ethic” section for more notes on how to be a good steward for the climbing community.

Traverse into arete and up.

Up through roof trend right then straight up to crack. Bolt at the base of the crack will be removed, there's good gear.

Many of the Wollongong crags are located in the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area (IESCA). This region has had a chequered history in recent times, with large swathes of popular crags having to be closed after it was missed that a new NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Plan of Management (PoM - 2018) had incidentally banned climbing along most of the escarpment. After a lobbying effort and a stroke of coincidental good luck an amended plan of management has been published (2023), modifying the plan to allow rock-climbing “… on the west- and south-facing cliffs of Mount Keira and on cliffs north of Bulli Pass."

Access comes with caveats and all climbers should be aware that that “… new bolts or anchors may only be installed with NPWS consent, and park infrastructure such as safety railing may not be used as anchor points as they have not been designed for this purpose. NPWS will not install, assess or guarantee bolts or other fixed protection points. Participants in these activities are solely responsible for their own safety.”

Given the pressures many rock-climbing areas have been under around Australia and the plethora of access issues that have followed it is imperative that climbers respect and heed the access requirements. Access granted can easily be access taken, noting from the PoM: “Locations where rock climbing and abseiling are allowed may be reviewed and altered to address safety issues, risks to visitors or impacts on cultural values or environmental values. Temporary closures of rock climbing and abseiling locations may be applied to limit impacts. Permanent closure of sites may also be necessary. NPWS will consult with representatives of the local climbing community before implementing any permanent closures.”

Please refer to the ‘Ethic” section for more notes on how to be a good steward for the climbing community.