Okay, dear reader, this is not one of those „Oh my god, that experience back at that moment straightened the paths of my climbing career“ blogs. Or one of those „It was an enlightenment for me!“ posts. Bullshit! But, I still remember the first time I climbed solid rock. And I liked it. The reason why I write this blog in English is that it happened back at that time when I was backpacking Australia, which was in May or June 2009. Maybe someone is searching for information about climbing in Brisbane. Therefore this makes it much easier. And tzzee Germans would understand it anyway, deal with it.
Well, Brisbane, you know?
Kangaraoo Point Cliffs, Brisbane; Copyright: John@Flickr License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
I’m not sure after all this time when I went climbing in Brissy, but I think I did it when I made my way up the east coast. I stayed in Brisbane after my four weeks in New Zealand searching for work. Unfortunately I can’t remember the hostel’s name in Brisbane, but it was ok. At least we had a pool on the roof with a scenic view over the city. So what can you do in Brisbane? Well, there’s the botanical garden, or the south bank parklands are nice to visit, or the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (the visits at the Down Under bar we better keep secret, won’t we? 😉 ).
A more I don’t know what to do with myself activity was the „Go climb a rock“ offer. For a couple of bucks, you can climb a rock guided by a professional instructor. I told myself „Why not?“. My walkabout was anyway the best time to try something I hadn’t done before. Okay, booked!
As far as I can remember I got picked up at the hostel with a shuttle bus and brought to Kangaroo Point Cliffs in the late afternoon. Still quite hot at that time of the day.
Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Brisbane
The cliffs are situated on the east bank of the river north of the Maritime Museum and opposite the Queensland University of Technology. The area is a popular picnic and abseiling site. The Kangaroo Point Cliffs feature excellent rock climbing possibilities for all skill levels, being primarily a place for recreational climbing. The cliffs are mainly used as a training ground by South East Queensland’s rockclimbers. The cliff face is lit at night by numerous flood lights. (Source: Wikipedia)
Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Brisbane, Australia. Copyright: Brisbane City Council, CC BY 2.0
And the flood light create a very unique atmosphere, trust me. We got divided into groups of three, got instructions on how to use the safety equipment, climbing harness, helmet and so on. I remember I was the second of my team who tried to climb the toprope route. Don’t ask me how the route was graded! Back at that time I didn’t really care about those things. The only memorable moment which got stuck in my head was the crux of that route. A sloppy niche, very slippery and already damp from sweat or dew. Hard to hold on on the upper left from me at the end of my fingers reach. The only way to get over there was to trust your finger grip in that niche, pull over and grab the next hold. Ahahaaa, I guess I got stuck there for about 10 minutes or longer until I built up enough trust and pulled over. Gosh! Oh, and of course I had climbing shoes *cough* *cough* I mean I wore Chucks… yeah, pro. But it was fun, I made it to the top. (Remark: I just learned the term „Scheissegrippen“ for that, ROFL)
A beautiful climbing spot
So, if you finally made your way to the east coast of Australia or you are a resident there, and you think about to stop at Brisbane make sure you visit this climbing spot. It’s a gem! thecrag.com has a lot of details about this spot, check it out. The cliffs consist of volcanic rock or tuff and are quite compact and nice to climb. It’s a place to be I would say, try it!
How to get there
Check the Google maps below where the Kangaroo Cliffs are located
