Go back to Australia.
Peak Head, WA.
Moonarie, SA.
Sabbatical number three: delayed a year but finally a “go.” Way older and with more of mid-life’s normal baggage but still excited at the prospect of climbing in new places. After about a decade and a half of climbing outside the US, we’ve come to know our preferences pretty well; and so we planned this stretch of time to include the logistically easy Australia and the less easy
India, with a bit of
Indonesia sightseeing thrown into the mix.
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Old Man Of Torbay.
Gibraltar Rock.
We had two Australian destinations in mind for this trip: Moonarie in the outback of South Australia and some seaside cliffs in the southwest corner of Western Australia. We had learned about the existence of the former when I stumbled onto a then new guidebook to the area some five years earlier. Like most of Australian climbing venues, Moonarie routes were not long (4-5 pitches max) but the bright orange rock and the remote setting were the draw.
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Outside Chance.
Albatross.
Simon Carter’s coffee table book on Australian climbing included a few photos from Western Australia; specifically Peak Head and The Old Man of Torbay, a pseudo sea stack. Both of those featured some nice looking rock above a blue ocean – a pretty exotic mix for US climbers.
Details
Pagoda.
The Raven.
Videos
Old Man Of Torbay.
Moonarie.
Beta
Flying Buttress.
Peak Head.
For Moonarie climbing, we relied on the newish (2019) guidebook called
Moonarie – A Rock Climber’s Guide by Rob Baker and Joseph Goding. For Albany area climbs,
West Australian Rock – A Guide To The Best Rock Climbing In WA (2012) was pretty good. You should supplement that with information from
thecrag.com.
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Go to Moonarie Day One.
Go back to Australia.