Rock Climbing in Melbourne

Being rock climbing enthusiasts, rock climbing gear was an essential for Brandon and I to bring on our travels. We have checked out a few indoor rock climbing gyms around Melbourne and found a favorite one. We also found an outdoor bouldering area under an overpass. We were hoping to meet some people and tag along on an outdoor rock climbing with them, but that hasn't evolved. A month probably just isn't enough time to establish such a connection. Oh well. We've still enjoyed the climbing we've done and will look forward to some real rock in Thailand. 

The first place we checked out was Hard Rock Climbing Gym. They have two climbing gyms, one in the city center and one in the far flung suburb of Nunawading (which is also a mouthful to say correctly). We checked out the city center gym, but it was busy as kids were on holiday from school and there was no bouldering. The gym was set up on the third story with full length windows all around, so at the top of the wall, you could look out over the city. I imagine you'd feel like you were climbing a building, so maybe we'll have to get back and try it.

The Nunawading location had boulder as well as top rope. We tried the bouldering, because it was cheaper; there were no specials on the top rope and it was pretty pricey. It was okay, but required a lot of power moves, which is not our favorite style of climbing. 

Pretty sweet boulder set up at Hard Rock Nunawading

Working through a bouldering problem

Trying a tough overhanging climb

Impressive ceiling moves

After getting some bikes, we were able to check out Cliffhanger Rock Climbing Gym. It's about 3.5 miles from where we're staying, but the train doesn't directly access the area. We'd have to take a train and then a bus that runs only every hour. Kind of a pain, so the bikes make it simpler. Turns out the gym was well worth the effort. It's definitely our favorite. The walls have a lot of features and the routes are well set to take advantage of these features for a more outdoor climbing-esque feel. There is a good mix of power and skill required to complete the routes and we are being challenged in new and good ways. The walls are also very, very high. The highest spots are probably three times higher than the walls in our gym, which is good for endurance training. Also, we were able to purchase a new member punch card for three climbs for only $30, which is by far the best climbing deal we've come across in Melbourne. Win!

Checking out the boulder area

The wall straight ahead is a negative incline. You get good practice uncliping quickdraws from the rope as you climb. There is also a ladder and rope in the center of this area that you can climb. 

This routes on this wall are my favorite.  In just one route you can go from straight to a corner to over the outcropping on the right to a slab to a negative incline to an arete. 

Another bouldering area and an extreme ceiling route on top rope

The blue wall is one of the tallest in the gym. The yellow wall to the right of it is a slippery slab. Further right you can see a wall of hexagons; the hexagons have features that simulate real rock. 

The only thing we don't like so much about the gym is their belay set up. It is very complicated with both a carabiner lock and figure eight for the climber and a floor anchor and grigri device for the belayer. These are good for safety for school groups or new climbers, but kind of bulky and annoying for experienced climbers and not a good practice for the reality of outdoor climbing. 

Carabiner lock and figure eight for the climber. In the background, you can also see some of the floor anchors for the belayer. 

Grigri for the belayer who is also anchored to the floor

Our housemate did a bike ride around Melbourne and discovered an outdoor bouldering area under an overpass for us. We checked it out with low expectations, but it was pretty sweet. The one downside was that being under an overpass and next to a walking/running trail there was a smell of old urine, hopefully dog not human. Thankfully, a nice breeze took the majority of the smell away. Also, the view of the Yarra River beyond the trail was entertaining with boat tours and crew teams. There were three climbing walls, one vertical, one negative, and one very negative. There were several traverse routes of varying difficulty, which were my favorite to attempt. The non-traverse routes were harder to find, but there were some rewarding ones. We talked to a couple people working the routes, but most seemed to just stay and climb for 10 minutes as part of their workout routine rather than do focused climbing for a few hours. Surprising, because there was a lot to take advantage of. 

Me traversing the vertical wall

Negative wall

Highly negative wall

Brandon conquering a traverse route

As you can see the walls are under an overpass next to a trail and the Yarra River

As you can tell Melbourne has satisfied our desire for indoor (and under an overpass) climbing. We're still anticipating some real rock to come.