The Quarterdeck, Escalada esportiva

Mapa

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1 Entrance Gully South 2 Entrance Gully North 3 ABC Area 4 The Alcove 5 The Big Roof Area 6 The Top Deck 7 The Lower Deck

Direções em Google Maps

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Sazonalidade

Sumário

Arenito

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

Descrição

Sol pela manhã

A great crag that has everything from small grey walls in the rainforest to big expanses of orange rock overlooking the Ocean. It's a walk-in area that has great access along the base so no rap-ins or hanging belays here.

Questões de acesso herdado de Wollongong

Permitido

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.

Acesso

20-30 min

The Crag is located at (-34.245285, 150.962531).

30 mins on foot or 10 mins by bike

Park opposite the School at the big gate on the Old Princes Hwy (-34.247071, 150.944106) Pass the gate and take the 2nd major left after 750m. Follow this road for 1.2kms then take the right fork under the powerlines. Follow this road towards Powerlines lookout for 500m down the steep hill then take the right 50m past the big hairpin corner. Follow this overgrown coal road down the hill for until the end then follow a vague path left (north) for 100m until you hit the boulder filled walk-down gully.

Ética herdado de Wollongong

The modern climbing scene and all the access issues that go with it requires modern ethic and all climbers should familiarise themselves with general good crag etiquette to ensure access is maintained into the future.

The following is a short summary for the area:

The Wollongong area has a historical mix of sport, trad, and bouldering, with fully bolted sport routes emerging as the dominant form in the last decade
Do not bolt or rebolt existing trad or bouldering routes
No chipping of the rock to alter the difficulty of a route or create new routes. Loose or dangerous rock may be removed with careful discretion
Top rope and lower-off through your own gear. Fixed anchor protection to be used for final lower off only to minimise wear
Minimise excessive chalk usage and make brushing of holds a regular routine. Consider using alternative chalk colours to minimise visual impact
Do not bush-bash new access trails, stick to existing marked trails where possible
Do not remove vegetation, both from around cliff bases and on the cliff. Brushing down built-up lichen, dirt and chalk off existing routes is acceptable maintenance
Do not leave rubbish or gear at the crag. Gear left may be confiscated by NPWS
Respect any announced closures of tracks, cliffs and areas in the region
Don’t play loud music at the crag, consider the amenity of nearby climbs and non-climbers alike
Speak up against anti-social behaviour, unsafe behaviour, or other activities that threaten access – contact your local advocacy association - ACANSW
Rebolting shall only be carried out by suitably competent and trained persons. The minimum standard is 316 stainless U-bolt or ring eye-bolts with pure epoxy glue. Refer to http://www.safercliffs.org
Remember you are responsible for your own safety, and the safety of your friends!

Learn more at https://www.cliffcare.org.au/education

História

Gráfico cronológico das vias

Found in the distant past by unknown persons as evidenced by a lone carrot found near ABC. Rediscovered in 2018 by Chris Ash but development didn't start for a few years after this. The first climb (Keel Hauled) was bolted in 2020 and one week after this Rod Young found the crag independently and started putting up routes.