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Little Italy

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Summary

Host to some very hard steep mountains routes in a unique canyon right near a great swimming hole.

Description

Mostly hard climbing through some steep territory. There are currently 15 projects - most dating from the development heyday of this area in the mid 2000s. There are some insitu quickdraws and fixed ropes dating from this period - treat with caution.

Access issues

The area is not only a popular swimming spot for tourists, it also has special significance for women in the local Aboriginal community. Avoid developing new routes anywhere near the waterfall itself for obvious reasons. Caves that could be old Aboriginal occupation sites should be treated with care (The Den for example).

Approach

Located at Mini Ha Ha Falls, Katoomba. Follow the walking track past lookout and down the ladders to the base of the cliffline. Instead of going left to the Falls, turn right and follow fainter trail downstream. For Sunny Side, head around the base of the cliff till you come to the routes, approx 5 mins from the track intersection. For The Den, follow track down to the creek, cross it and scramble up track just left of landslide to the cave and walls opposite.

Ethic inherited from Blue Mountains

Although sport climbing is well entrenched as the most popular form of Blueys climbing, mixed-climbing on gear and bolts has generally been the rule over the long term. Please try to use available natural gear where possible, and do not bolt cracks or potential trad climbs. If you do the bolts may be removed.

Because of the softness of Blue Mountains sandstone, bolting should only be done by those with a solid knowledge of glue-in equipping. A recent fatality serves as a reminder that this is not an area to experiment with bolting.

If you do need to top rope, please do it through your own gear as the wear on the anchors is both difficult and expensive to maintain.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

It would be appreciated if brushing of holds becomes part of your climbing routine - do it with a soft bristled brush and never a steel brush!

The removal of vegetation - both from the cliff bases and the climbs - is not seen as beneficial to aesthetics of the environment nor to our access to it.

Remember, to maintain access our best approach is to 'Respect Native Habitat, Tread Softly and Leave No Trace'. Do not cut flora and keep any tracks and infrastructure as minimal as possible or risk possible closures.

For the latest access related information, or to report something of concern, visit the Australian Climbing Association NSW Blue Mountains page at https://acansw.org.au/blue-mountains/

History

History timeline chart

(Copyright Breezy, Climb.org.au) Developed by a cast of thousands during 2004/05 with development no where near complete. There are some very old bolted routes (Carrigan era) at the actual falls, please do not climb these routes as the bolts are crap and locals swim at the falls quite regularly and unwanted attention may be gained. Also no new routes in this area either, please. Have some respect for the locals and bushwalkers if you do decide to climb here or bolt.

Tags

Areas

Add area(s) Add topo Reorder Bulk edit
Name
Style
Routes
Ticks
Height
Grades
The Den cliff
18
50
16m
6
Sunnyside cliff
19
26
19m
3

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Selected Guidebooks more Hide

Author(s): Simon Carter

Date: 2019

ISBN: 9780958079082

The latest comprehensive, latest and greatest Blue Mountains Climbing Guide is here and it has more routes than you can poke a clip stick at! 3421 to be exact. You are not going to get bored.

Author(s): Simon Carter

Date: 2019

ISBN: 9780958079075

Simon Carter's "Best of the Blue" is the latest selected climbing guide book for the Blue Mountains and covers 1000 routes and 19 different climbing areas. For all the sport climbers out there, the travellers, or just anyone who doesn't want to lug around the big guide that's more than 3 times the size - cut out the riff-raff and get to the good stuff! This will pretty much cover everything you need!

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