Dear members,
The long-awaited Kalbarri trip is just around the corner: Friday, 1st to Monday, 4th June 2018.
Sheer sandstone walls carved out by the Murchison River provide trad, sport climbing, bouldering and deep water soloing opportunities. Roughly 6.5-hour drive north of Perth, Kalbarri Gorge is well worth the trip. Kalbarri National Park provides opportunities for trad leading in the middle and upper grades and sport climbing at a high level. You couldn’t ask for a more picturesque setting. If you haven’t been before, Kalbarri Gorge is truly spectacular and just a great spot to spend a weekend. Winter is prime climbing time in the gorge with excellent friction, pleasant temperatures and no flies.
Though the areas around the Z Bend tend to attract most climbers, there is some moderate trad climbing out at Hawk’s Head. Four Ways is also another great alternative if you want to avoid the crowd, whilst the remote Wonderwall offers some deep water soloing fun and is a pleasant day hike.
We would love to see you all there. We also need to make sure that everyone is clear about what to expect from the area. Kalbarri is not an ideal venue for beginners unless they are accompanied by a suitably experienced climber. This is because access to routes will usually require lead climbing, and the ability to set up top ropes is very limited. The climbing also tends to be moderate to very hard.
Guides
The main guides to the area are Northern Rock and West Australian Rock. These will give you a good idea of the climbing on offer. More routes have been posted on the forum since the above publications; here are some of them:
https://www.climberswa.asn.au/topic/a-couple-of-new-kalbarri-routes/
https://www.climberswa.asn.au/topic/kalbarri-long-natural-line/
https://www.climberswa.asn.au/topic/20-new-routes-in-kalbarri/
https://www.climberswa.asn.au/topic/kalbarri-new-route-in-the-pit/
https://www.climberswa.asn.au/topic/new-routes-in-kalbarri/
https://www.climberswa.asn.au/topic/new-crack-climbs-at-kalbarri/
Access
From Perth, head north to Geraldton, Northampton and Kalbarri. The road out to the Z Bend is now sealed and accessible by 2WD.
Weather
Check the weather forecast to choose your clothing appropriately: if the forecast announces less than 15 degrees and windy, bring that down jacket as it can be very cold in the gorge. Sunscreen can be a lifesaver as well if you’re planning to climb multi-pitches.
Accommodation
We have unpowered camping sites provisionally booked nearby Kalbarri Township. A deposit is required to secure the camping, so please let us know the numbers as soon as possible if you plan to attend. Thus, we can ensure that we have enough space to accommodate everybody.
Registering Your Interest Now
Please register by completing the online form ASAP and by noon Friday, 25th May. We will then send a confirmation with further details.
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Please note that CAWA trips are a benefit for members. Joining online is easy through the link on the CAWA home page.
If you have any questions, please email both Gareth (garethw@climberswa.asn.au), who will be in Kalbarri to coordinate the trip and Remi (remiv@climberswa.asn.au), who is helping with the preparation ahead of the long weekend.
Remi Vignals & Gareth Wood
CAWA Committee member
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Due to legal and liability issues, CAWA does not provide training on trips. All climbers must be independent participants who are completely responsible for themselves. If you are an inexperienced climber, then have a chat with some of the more experienced people you know and see if they are planning to attend.