History of climbing in the South West of Western Australia

I wrote A Guide to Rock Climbing in WA’s South West. This guide was published in January 2016 and has been out of print for some years. As such for areas not well represented on The Crag I have provided Mini-guides for crags of the south west of Western Australia.

For those who will never climb here and as such will not endeavour to search out a rare available copy of the guide, but are interested, below is a full copy of the history section plus a more recent addition just to keep the records up to date:

The history of Rock Climbing in WA’s South West up till 2015

Dave Wagland did such a great and entertaining job of capturing the early history that his text has been unashamedly lifted word for word out of the Margaret River Rock topo guide, published in 1996:

Back in early 1973, a wild red-haired dropout by the name of John Waterfall unexpectedly ‘discovered’ Willyabrup while looking for surfing breaks. The Perth climbing community of the time were thus treated to a feast of hidden treasures and soon the crag emerged as one of the State’s premier climbing areas.

In February 1973, a goldrush mentality pervaded. Initially, lines such as Orryjohn 8, Northwall 11 and Banana Split 14 were climbed by Peter and John Waterfall, Andrew Hobbs and Jill Clarke. Banana Split derives its classic status from a historical perspective and its quality as a powerful line, (being a curving banana shaped chimney). Unfortunately, the flared nature of the chimney tends to try and ‘spit’ prospective climbers out onto the face – a most unsettling concept. Towards the top, however, there is a layback and jam sequence to test the moderate leader.

In April 1973, a two day siege by the infant Climbing Association of Western Australia (CAWA) of the grand line on the main buttress, resulted in Mobjob. This slightly bottomless right-angled corner initially required some shady aid in the form of an old wooden ladder found by Steve Lumsdaine amongst flotsam on the beach. The aid used was not an aluminium ladder as described in the old CAWA Guidebook, although this possibly became a piece of standard equipment prior to the first free ascent. The problem in those days was placing initial protection high up in the awkward sized (and shaped) crack at the first overlap. The use of a ladder enabled decent gear to be placed at a high level, essentially allowing the hard sections to be top-roped. In January 1974, the talented and wiry Eastern States climber, Joe Friend, passed through on his way to Africa and freed Mobjob at grade 19 (now 20), establishing the hardest route in Western Australia for some time to come.

By late 1974, more routes had been climbed at Willyabrup and CAWA now included a large following of fringe – climbers consisting of hippies, folk-singers and Morris dancers. Groups of climbers apparently used to camp near the crag and engage themselves in pagan activities such as abalone gathering and tempestuous folk traditions. Original access to the crag was through the Cullens’ property, down the Biljelup Brook gully via the waterfall to the small cove just north of the northern buttress. However, today access is via a public right of way which skirts along the boundary fence. After about 20 minutes, this leads to the cliff top which is nominally enclosed by a thin strip of the Leeuwin – Naturaliste National Park.

In 1975, John Watson produced a rough hand written guide to Willyabrup, which was superseded by the typed interim guide in 1976, containing about 50 routes. In the late 1970’s, the next major line to fall, One For The Road 19, was finally cracked by Robin MacArthur (known to all simply as ‘Mac’). He recalls that after many attempts and an abseil inspection, he put his finger strength to use by locating a good edge to the right of the cracked roof. Using an unconventional technique, he threw his left foot high, locking it in the crack, and to great surprise, was able to lever and mantelshelf onto the headwall.

It is interesting to note that many of the ‘Old Guard’ active in the 1970’s (including the Waterfall brothers, MacArthur, Steve Lumsdaine, as well as the up and coming Mike Smith) were all craftsmen in the true-sense. They were men with love of wood and rock – wood turners, cabinet makers and carpenters, possessing skilled and powerful hands. Coincidently, many were of British emigrant stock or emigrants themselves. A comparison of the occupations and backgrounds with today’s hard climbing elite would make an entertaining Ph.D. thesis for someone interested in social anthropology.

The late 1970’s and the early 1980’s saw a new generation of climbers further developed some powerful climbs at Willyabrup. The often contemplated and imposing line on the left wall of Mobjob was climbed by Mike Smith and Robin MacArthur in a partly aided state over a day, resulting in Chariots of Fire 20 A2. Mike recalls that he was fresh from overseas and interstate climbing, and as powerful as he ever was. The initial moves required a cairn to be built (which is still used) to reach the rock and a few points of aid to get established in the rounded crack above. The first pitch went to an obvious roof at half height. The second pitch required a point of aid to negotiate a thin crack through this roof. Superb free climbing up the flaky orange wall led to an upper roof conclusion (under a block that Mike had previously tried to lever off with a log). The ascent contained some amusing antics. Midway through the second pitch, Mike Smith took a break and abseiled down for lunch. When MacArthur followed on the second pitch roof, his attempts to free this feature left him cutting loose to eventually wilt and drop into space on the tight rope, much to the disappointment of the crowd below. The ensuring attempts to gain the rock with a prussic cord on other double ropes was apparently highly entertaining to the group of rubbernecks which had gathered for a view of this talented duo in action.

Peter McKenzie stormed onto the scene in 1982, initially adding a direct climb to the right of Mike Smith’s Block and Tackle 18 on the northern buttress called Corpus Delecti. This climb was incorrectly reported in the old CAWA Guidebook as having caused McKenzie to take a big winger due to a loose hold. Peter actually pumped out after failing to get gear in and took a 10 metre plummet. McKenzie also aided and freed some overhang problem starts, typical of the nature of Willyabrup. These routes included Peaches 17 M2 and Exodus 20, both climbed in 1983. McKenzie is also proud of his first ascent of Silver 19 on the northern buttress in 1982 – a longstanding problem, being a layback crack that is difficult to protect. In typical style, and akin to McKenzie’s gambler approach to life, he put in one piece of protection and went for it. McKenzie thrives on these ‘out on a limb’ situations with committing moves and minimal protection high up. A true adrenaline addict.

Perhaps the most preposterous McKenzie project was Ulster Madness (originally 17+) with aid on Steel Wall. Peter climbed the first pitch on aid in wet conditions. When his partner, an inexperienced young Irish lad by the name of Chris Cartwright reached the first belay on the Sirius ledge, McKenzie looked up at the rightward ramp on the blank wall above. With his usual flamboyant fearless flair McKenzie said “There’s a route up there. What do you think?” Cartwright trusted McKenzie implicitly (who wouldn’t in this type of situation?). The youngster was subsequently urged to lead (one of his first), after being shown how to place knifeblade pitons and tie them off with hero loops. “Just head up there – looks easy” were the words uttered. So began (unknowingly at the time) the most serious lead a novice may have ever undertaken on the face of our planet.

Higher up the ramp, Cartwright found to his dismay that the vertical cracks were often closed seams. He bashed in the odd knifeblade piton to find every piece bottomed out. He tied them off with those great sounding psychological aids – ‘hero loops’. McKenzie could hear the dull thud with each piton placement (which were later pulled out by hand). When asked nervously by Cartwright how he was going, McKenzie could only reply “bomber – go for it”, realising the committed plight of his naive companion. Needless to say, Cartwright trembled his way up the unprotected grade 17 moves to survive, and eventually moved back to Ireland. Even today with one bolt for protection on Still More Steel, the second pitch of Ulster Madness is a commanding lead in a superb position.

In 1983, Eastern States climber Mark Colyvan finally climbed Blondes Have More Fun 22 during a whirlwind tour. This difficult overhanging crack had been attempted many times by McKenzie and Ron Master. In April 1985, David Wagland briefly visited the cliff whilst working in Western Australia. In precocious style, he free climbed (with Chris Leach in tow) and renamed (unknowingly) Chariots of Fire as Rape and Pillage 23 – a name more in keeping with Mobjob. The second pitch roof was solved by relying on hanging flakes to the left of the crack. Other smaller routes to fall included English Ethic 20 and Gritstone Reminiscence 18. During this period, Wagland introduced Mark Gommers to the sins of bolting and the necessity to use stainless steel fixed protection on sea-cliffs. Thus, in December 1985, the protracted project of Stainless Steel 21 was completed, with Gommers having to painstakingly hand drill bolt holes using a masonry drill bit held in vice clamps. The orange wall to the right of Mobjob now had a 3-star modern face climb classic with a perplexing cracked rooflet finish.

Wagland returned in early 1986 and found that the Future Grins 22 on the northern end of the crag. He then went on to climb the overhanging and cracked arête to the left of Ulster Madness, resulting in the fingery Delving Devoids 25 (today, the grade of this route has substantially increased as a crucial flake at the crux has been snapped off). Shortly afterwards, Kim Carrigan (another Eastern States bagman) moved in and completed or freed some of the last major problems in March 1986. These included KGB 26 and Escape Hatch 24 – two roof cracks that had previously received only light hearted free attempts by Neale Hayes and Wagland. Carrigan’s other great efforts included the elegant Heavy Metal 24, freeing Ulster Madness at 24, and the obscure Northern Roof at 25, as well as on-sight ascents of the horrible off-width Pas de Levitation 23 and the serious Finish Finale 22. One climb that Carrigan and subsequent hopefuls still haven’t been able to free is Peaches.

The pace of development slowed somewhat over the next few years. Willyabrup, was then, the only known climbing area in the whole Margaret River region and most of the obvious lines of the crag seemed to have been climbed. It wasn’t until early 1989 that other crags in the area started to be developed. Moses Rocks, a small crag to the north of Willyabrup began to receive the attention it deserved, when the inspired Curt Hofmann, having just returned from a sunny stint of climbing in Britain and still dreaming of perfect gritstone of Stanage Edge, felt the uncontrollable urge to splurge his new ‘megas’ over virgin granite. Within a few short months, Hofmann and his band of merry men, (Roland Tyson, Mark Turner, Lindsay Hart, Jo and Alex Hofmann), established a swag of routes on the short, but demanding walls. One of the first routes to be climbed was Tyson’s Wet Dream On Elm Street 13; a thin crack and big jugs guaranteeing some easy thrills in the atmospheric Zawn Area (a place with all the appeal of meeting Freddy Kruger on a blind date!). Tyson’s best efforts can be found on the Hands Up Wall where he bolted a number of fine faces including the popular Twist Till You Lock 21; a brain drain face route, reminiscent of Stainless Steel at Willyabrup. With the frenzy subsiding, Dave Wagland, now living in WA, founded the final cherry when he climbed the thin and technical face of the aesthetic Red Wall to give the slightly run out Body Belches 23.vv

At around the same time as Moses Rocks was being developed, routes on a number of other crags were also being established. To the south, near Augusta, Ian McCann found a few easy routes at Cosy Corner and then, to the north, Matt Rosser bolted and climbed some of the obvious lines on the little crag of Gracetown. Later (in 1992), Shane Richardson and Trevor Messiah continued to develop this crag with Space Face 25 emerging as a hidden gem. By the end of 1990, the CAWA had produced ‘The Guidebook’ which listed some 80 climbs at Willyabrup and sparked a renewed interest in the cliff. With the aid of bolts, many of the previously overlooked faces were now being climbed. Visiting Canberra climber, Roark Muhlen-Schulte left his mark on the Stainless Steel wall with Washed Up Punks 23; a pleasant variant to Heavy Metal. He also added the consumer classic route Rockfish Dreaming 20, a jibe at the eternal optimist Alan Rokich.

However, Rokich soon got his own back with the very popular Fat Chance 20. The next few years saw a steady stream of development. Shane Richardson climbed the much admired wall left of Banana Split resulting in the modern day classic; Dessert 25. On the Stainless Steel wall he added to the collection of elegant face routes with the superb Acid Didj 25, as well as a very pleasurable Blowjob 24; an alternative second pitch to Mob Job. At around the same time, the young up-and-coming local boy, Andrew Corbe climbed the powerful M.A.S.C.’ed Boschman 25. Meanwhile, Rob Hayns, a wandering British hippy was introduced to the craft of bolting and soon discovered why Dolphin Smiles 20.

Development was not only confined to Willyabrup. In the early 1990’s, the potential of the steep limestone walls of Wallcliffe was just beginning to be realised. Peter Greenwell, an Englishman living in Margaret River was first to use the crag for bouldering and in the beginning of 1991 started the ball rolling when he established the first two routes on the crag; Kyle 22 and Banana Bender 24. A number of other climbs quickly followed. John Pinkard added Ebb And Flow 24, Andrew Dunbar discovered I’m Too Sexy For My Python 24 and Eastern States blow in, John Smoothly found Banana Arma Rama 23. The different rock and style of climbing found at Wallcliffe was unique to the area and at first proved unpopular with all except a handful of climbers. However, development continued unabated and soon the steep walls, with their lack of natural protection, began to emerge as the State’s first bolted ‘sport climbing’ crag. In 1992 and early 1993, another visiting Brit, Trevor Messiah along with Shane Richardson added a number of routes. Perhaps the best being Fun Love And Joy 24; a very popular route swinging through a large roof and finishing up a deceivingly pocketed headwall. A few months later, in August 1993, Richardson succeeded on his project to give the superb Be Free 27, a powerful and sustained route epitomising the climbing at Wallcliffe. (N.B. a few weeks later, visiting Eastern State climber, Malcom Matherson H.B., repeated this route and then unknowingly renamed and claimed the first ascent). With 1993 drawing to a close, the future access to the cliff came under threat. Private land owners and commercial operators opposed climbing and the Margaret River Council started to take steps towards banning climbing. (The cliff is on Council land and is zoned as a recreation reserve). In 1994, with the issue still unresolved, attention turned to Bob’s Hollow (another limestone crag ‘discovered’ by Messiah and Richardson in 1992). The obvious lines were climbed with the best being Derek Toualalan’s Hollow Promise 25 and a route originally bolted by Messiah, but eventually climbed by an anonymous Englishman (Duncan ?) resulting in the excellent Toyshopping 26.

It is quite staggering the level of detail that Dave was able to collate for the first 20 or so years of climbing activity in the region. Overall, rate of activity in terms of number of routes developed didn’t slow down in the next 20 odd years. Unfortunately the detail and stories associated with those ascents have not been documented in anywhere near the same level of detail, with very limited records of any activity in the late 1990s.

Witham revisited Bob’s Hollow soon after the Margaret River Topo Guide was published in 1996 adding Puk Puk Sen 20, Lovers Nuts 17, Burswood Road 18 and the superb Shaved Cat 20. At the same time Chipper was also busy creating some very fine and popular climbs including Dependence Day 22, Altered States 23, Bottomfeeder 25 and Spatular Man 26. While Chipper equipped the last climb it took a few years before Boyd McNamara came along and sent it.

In 1997 attention was aimed at Welly Dam, which was bolted in a hurry. This was undertaken by a number of climbers that included Perth climbers Amanda Watts, Adam Coffee, Glen Henderson, Jeremy Scott, Boyd McNamara and Bunbury local Matt Tiller; although the first ascent details of many of the early routes here are not known. Unlike other quarries Welly Dam was cleaned up after mining for granite during the construction of the dam was completed. The area was set up with BBQs, shade structures, benches, walk trails, car parking, toilets, shady trees and a level grassed area making it the perfect picnic spot. It is also therefore the best place to go climbing when the family tags along. These early developments resulted in seventeen new lines being established in 1997. This included many fine routes including the brilliant T4 24 and T3 23, very fine and sustained Savage Sausage Sniffer 20 and crag classic Ear of Fear 22. One year later McNamara came back and sealed his mark at this fine quarry with two very slick and smeary slab climbs aptly named Impossible 27 and Infeasible 24. These remained a test piece for any aspiring slab climber, but unfortunately a large section of the critical flake on Impossible fell away in late 2012 probably making it a much harder proposition.

Things came to a head with regard to access for Wallcliffe around 2000, and CAWA did a fine job of working through the appropriate channels to secure access to this great crag. Despite the access issues being put to bed, or so it seemed, the area didn’t attract attention for a number of years to come by those seeking out new projects. The first recorded event in the new century was at Bobs Hollow by Toby Mack and Pat Turner who had fun establishing Thyeses’ Feast 19 in 2001. Shortly afterwards in 2002 Nathan established the hardest route in the area Lucid Dreams 31. This climb was located in Golgotha Cave, and several other high quality hard lines are known to have been established in close proximity to the cave. While the 2015 Leeuwin-Naturaliste Capes Area Parks and Reserves Management Plan permits climbing on southern section of Bob’s Hollow; climbing is prohibited on all other limestone rock, including the Golgotha Cave and area so these climbs are now off-limits.

Just one year later, Patrick Turner provided an alternative and accessible test piece for any aspiring hard climber at Bob’s Hollow, with the impressive Mr Grey 31. This line remains the hardest open climb in the area. Just to the left of Mr Grey is another hard line of a similar fashion, however it has never been sent. Logan Barber managed all the moves but felt it was too contrived to actually stay on route, so didn’t bother finishing it off.

Records of development continued to drip-feed in with Pascal Camison adding Pascal’s Route 20 during 2003, another good line to the great selection of climbs on the iconic Steel Wall at Willyabrup. This was around the same time someone took an angle-grinder to Gracetown, a registered Conservation and Land Management (now DPaW) abseiling site, as well as peppering the crag with bolt holes. Camison was wrongly accused of being the perpetrator but quickly had his name cleared. Meanwhile, Richard and some other CAWA members helped the local ranger repair the damage at Gracetown greatly assisting with rebuilding relationship to enable the crag to stay open.

While not a significant route, Hole World 16 at Wilyabrup, recorded by Ross Weiter and Dinah Pantic in 2004, kicked off some debate on first ascent rights. It would have been funny if it hadn’t got quite so heated; the end of it was a rationale that it is a case of publish or perish. Krish Seewraj moved to the area in late 2005 and soon started picking off lines here and there. He teamed up with Craig Johnson, who he met at Wilyabrup on his first climbing trip in WA after Mick Dempsey had stood him up (turning up three hours later). Focusing on traditional lines and nothing too hard, this started with adding a few climbs down at Cosy Corner where Johnson took the lead on the very exposed and thrilling Sink or Swim 18. Also worth a note is Rhys’s Rapid Retreat 17, a sneaky line at Willyabrup that had gone unnoticed. It was named after Rhys James (the son of David James, for those who know their old CAWA history) took an unexpectedly sudden fall on the route during the second ascent, luckily escaping with no injuries except to his pride.

One day in May 2006 Rob Wall and Ashley Clementi visited the area with an eye on the potential on Sugar Loaf Rock. They swam out with their gear in a waterproof bag and climbed Pirates of the Carabiner 15. This may seem like nothing unusual for climbers to do, but in this case they had a chat with a couple of rangers before heading out, who then watched the whole event even taking a few photos. The rangers seemed fine with the whole show, and never felt it was necessary to mention that the rock is a Nature Reserve and bird sanctuary. Around the same time rumour has it that George Firth and Mick Dempsey did think that something might come back to bite them when they bolted and named the fine Stormbringer 22 at Wilyabrup. The climb has two sections: a serious, pumpy and strenuous start followed by a balancy and smeary face to tackle after all your strength has been sapped. Whatever the worries may have been, no waves were created over this route. Firth soon after also gave us the fine Flow Selecta 21 at Wallcliffe, and a few years later once again teamed up with Dempsey to add Escalade de Rasoir 18 at Bob’s Hollow. This line followed the line incorrectly marked up as Mixed Grill 20/22 in the 2002 Western Australian Rock Guide.

Neil Gledhill and Kate Swain also joined in the bolting game during 2006 and into 2007, they focused their attention on the Northern Blocks founding Grunge Metal 24, Bearded Dolphin 21 and the very good line of Digital Delecti 18 the companion sport version of Corpus Delecti. Eager for more action they headed to Bob’s Hollow to provide us with the very tricky Elongate 22, plus Revenge of the Luftwaffe 24. Ross Weiter was also quietly drilling away adding the fine line of Top Gear 19 at Wilyabrup, with a gnarly move to gain the upper arête that is likely to make most people stop and think.

Just like Hofmann back in late 1980s, Seewraj was also drawn to Moses Rocks because of its similarities to gritstone. With regular trips, a number of lines were added. The Zawn was of particular interest because of the atmosphere it provided. In 2010 on a December morning and much to his and Ryan Doe’s surprise, the usually wave washed bouldery base was a beach of sand that was high and dry. The normally wave washed and slimy walls were also in perfect condition and so they climbed Hallucinations 16 and The Beach 16. These two lines have never been in condition again since to allow a second ascent. Seewraj continued his search for traditional climbing opportunities and in late 2010, while out for a walk, spied the walls at Smiths Beach. After checking for info about this impressive and aesthetic looking area he found that Kym Hartley had also recently stumbled across this hidden gem and jumped on a couple of lines. The only other records were from Brett D who said he had climbed and named about half dozen routes ranging from 12 to 18 a few years previously, but records of these routes have as yet not been forthcoming. So during the 2010/2011 summer Seewraj went back numerous times with Doe, Hartley, and Johnson as well as Chris Wiggins and Justin Harrison. In the space of a few months the crag boosted 34 lines all climbed in true traditional ground up style. This big brother crag to Moses has rounded holds on steep walls, requiring a steady leg and level head; a great place to test just how keen you are for traditional leads. The crag classic has to be Cape to Crack 17, bagged by Hartley, but other notable climbs are The Holy Grail 21, Excalibur 19 and Billowing Sails 17.

Weiter popped up again with Fishing With Dynamite 19 and The Booze Bus 21 at Wilyabrup, two climbs that started a bit of discussion about bolting ethics. Not so keen on bolting, Seewraj continued to spy traditional lines that had not been bagged and promptly climbed and named The Unbolted and The Beautiful 17 and soon after the sketchy feeling A Pocket Full of Nothing 18. Hartley, not being so keen on the popular and busy nature of the main buttresses of Willyabrup spent a lot of time at the Northern Blocks and was busy scoping a number of lines. Two of these fell in mid-2011: Time and Space 19 and Missing Frog 16, but the others he had his eye on were a bit trickier and he had to wait a few more years before bagging them.

The year of 2012 saw a few notable changes occur in the south west. The climbing network moved into the 21st century with the assistance of Rob Crowder when he set up the Margaret River Climbing Buddies Facebook page. It was and remains a great place for visiting climbers to see what is about and get in touch with those active in the area. The spotlight also fell back onto Welly Dam, quite literally at times. Dan Meester, a regular climber at the quarry would bring his family here during the day and some nights was known to bring a generator and lights to get even more climbing time in. Over the next eighteen months he equipped another eleven climbs, making this a great accessible sport venue. Attack of the March Flies 22 is the pick of the bunch but is closely followed by many other great climbs such as Taj Vs The World 21, Chasing Mason 23, Ebonie Road 20, Pole Voltz 22 and Shock Therapy 20. Hartley also turned his drill towards Welly Dam and added four more fine additions which included Silverback 21 a fine steep line with a super thin crux move.

Hartley didn’t stop there and was also spying up lines at Wallcliffe. Having enlisted the help of Seewraj with some of the new lines at Welly Dam, he then allowed Seewraj to nab the first ascent on his Motion Builder 19 at Walcliffe (but only after Doe failed to get the final holds). Seewraj was in luck again when soon after Rob Crowder, who was not up to leading his own creation, allowed Seewraj to take the glory on Borrowed Souls 17 even lending him his climbing shoes for the event. By early 2013 Seewraj had had enough of sport climbing and went back to seeking out traditional opportunities. Over the next eighteen months he picked off lines at Driftwood Bay with Alan Browne and Steve Sterling such as On the Face Of It 17 and Sure Footed 15 and Moses Rocks with Hartley and Wiggins including Rude Awakening 17 and Finger Licking 16 amongst others. Hartley and Crowder meanwhile also drifted towards traditional paths finding and cleaning up Lost Buttress. It had obviously seen action before with some dodgy bolts on top of the crag but there were no records of any routes there. They had a great time with a number of lines including the excellent Jenga 14 and two very fine climbs that worked their way round the massive and impressive square cut roof of the crag Overexposed 16 and Airtime 17. Dempsey had recollections of visiting this place way back and also agreed that these relatively short lines managed to give a great experience and disproportionate feeling of exposure. Seewraj was invited to reap some of the booty from this no longer hidden crag adding the fine Washing Away the Blues 15 and thought provoking As the Crow Flies 22 that requires you to step into the unknown.

Jonas Hollingworth’s name started to appear on the scene during 2014, and he brought with him great enthusiasm by the bucketful. Hollingworth probably has the neatest bolting you are likely to find and soon he left his mark with The Scream 21 at Bob’s Hollow, Working Bee 18 at Walcliffe and Victim of Authority 19 and Lord of the Flies 21 at Welly Dam. It seemed like everyone was having a go at bolting as Wiggins popped his bolting cherry with Pocket Knife 19 another fine addition to Welly Dam. More surprisingly Seewraj overcame his phobia of bolting and equipped the very fine The Long Goodbye 22 leaving it for Doe to claim the first ascent. They had worked it together and it was named after Doe had multiple farewell parties and delayed departure dates for his much anticipated long term climbing trip over east. After Lost Buttress, Hartley was once again busy with his drill with two good additions at Walcliffe, creating Damage Control 20 and Headbutt 19.

As 2015 rolled in Seewraj started work on the revised guide for the South West, the timing was great as DPaW had just released the new management plan for the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park in which the majority of climbing areas are situated. The task was kept all the more interesting by having to keep track on the continual new routing that was going on early in the year. Hartley finally completed his projects at the Northern Blocks of Wilyabrup with the powerful Ain’t no Slouch 20, and very tricky and technical Naming Rights 22. He also continued to prove his generosity when he let Wiggins take first ascent of the very fine Graciousness 18. Seewraj still snuck out away from the computer once in a while and one morning while out with his old partner in crime Johnson they decided to play on a short crag just past the Northern Blocks. Much to their surprise they managed 23 lines, the best of them being Monkey Bar 20, Smear Factor 20, Cracked Pepper 16 and A Cracking Line 12; and while most of the other lines were lower grade routes they still provided a great day out. They returned the following weekend with Hartley, Sterling, Browne, and Leanne Dunlop, Ram Hareli, Lou Fischer, and Jake Kirsten. With their help The Book Shelf was completed with more fun lower grade traditional climbs that included the fine Grease Gun 20 and The Mechanic 18.

While all this traditional climbing fun was going on Hollingworth was hard at it with more projects at Bobs Hollow and Walcliffe, including a great line called Honey Splash 24 and Vagitarian 24 at Wallcliffe. Hollingworth also helped Oli Morell complete his test piece, Hand Job 25, at Willyabrup just in time to be included in this guide. As development of this guide came to a close the access issues for Walcliffe, that CAWA had worked hard to resolve fifteen year ago, resurfaced. So once again CAWA were working to ensure continued access. The region now boasts 9 different climbing areas each with their own unique climbing style, rock type and setting, offering a selection of close to 500 climbs. The centre piece being Willyabrup which hogs close to half of the climbs, spread across a varied range of crags with something for everyone.

The history of Rock Climbing in WA’s South West from 2015 till 2023

Since 2015 the pace of establishing new routes has plummeted, amounting to only a handful of lines being developed each year if averaged out. The reduced pace is likely to be due to the area having been climbed out, but also a significant change in focus to bouldering brought about by an explosion of bouldering gyms in Perth. After his work at Walcliffe, Jonas established his last route in the South West at Bob’s Hollow in February 2015, The Power of Negative Thinking (22). Soon after this he was drawn to the tall and lofty crags of the Stirling Ranges in the Great Southern, where he continues to explore and develop routes to this day. Seewraj remained at the forefront of seeking out new lines, applying his traditional ground up style to nearly all his first ascents.  Even encouraging this etiquette in others, such as Doe and the Howe brothers, as they sought new lines. The highest concentration of routes established was at the Organ Pipes.  The first being an impressive on-sight first ascent by Fischer, considering the level at which she was climbing at the time, which she named New Kids on the Block (14). Then some four months later she took a nasty ground fall at Moses Rocks, making the local papers and needing to be air lifted to the Royal Perth Hospital.

In the same year Logan Barber was back in the region during a break from his struggles on The Cobra Crack in Squamish.  During which he made a trip down to the Northern Blocks and climbing off one of the last climbs he had his eye on at Wilyabrup, Peaches (28).  And, in so doing claiming the second free ascent of this line, which was first free climbed by Turner 15 years prior.  Seewraj continued to pick away at much easier lines at Castle Rock, Moses Rocks, and Cosy Corner, and the outlier crags of Wilyabrup, including enabling Mikie Howe to claim some routes during his self-imposed ten kilometre challenge.  Setting a target of leading 10,000m of routes, needing to be clean leads without counting any one climb more than once, before he reached 30. Each time he came over from Queensland, Seewraj would have an itinerary laid out and ready to enable Howe to clean up and bag anywhere up to 500m a day.

The only other notable work was by Lance Gelden between 2018 and 2020.  His first was more of an accident, as he tried to find the path of The Book of Funk (26) at the Northern Blocks, and instead put up the Book of Confusion (23).  He also found an alternative to Lovers Nuts (17) at Bobs Hollow that deviated after the first two bolts before coming back to the same anchors, but his best work was the discovery of a couple of new lines, again at Bobs Hollow. He claimed the first, Grilled Direct (23), in late 2020 a time when Western Australia closed its borders due to COVID-19. Visitors were not allowed in, and residents were not allow out. This resulted in climbers not being able to get away to Thailand for their fix of steep limestone sports climbing, and the obvious substitute was Bob’s Hollow. A place where previously you might have come across a handful of climbers and if you were unlike maybe just breaking double digits, but during the boarder closures it would not be uncommon to see forty plus people and draws hanging off most lines.

Wilyabrup was another crag that saw a huge increase in climbers, and at times it looked like Christmas was upon us, with the cliffs covered in chalk liberally being applied by the hordes of people venturing out from the gyms. Added to this, and driven by a State Government initiated a campaign to counter for the complete loss of Inter-state and international tourists, Wander out Yonder was released.  And adverting campaign encouraging locals to enjoy what the state had to offer, while they were not able to easily travel outside of Western Australia.  This hugely successful program resulted in many more people heading out. So much so that since the boarders have reopened, two years after they closed, the increase in social media fame has resulted in some crags being visited by just as many non-climbers as climbers, most it would seem visiting just to capture images for their social media feeds. And so the cycle continues.

Gelden’s second line at Bob’s Hollow, which provided an alternative finish to Grilled Direct, wasn’t climbed until November 2022 when Henry McNamee sent Illusion of Choice (27). McNamee was one of many strong climbers appearing on the scene coming out from all those new boulder gyms in Perth, while the South West continues to patiently wait for its first gym to arrive. Not long after he snagged Illusion of Choice, McNamee bagged an impressive successful send of Mr Grey (31) at Bobs Hollow.  A route for which there are only three recorded successfully leads, the second ascent being by another strong local climbing coming out of the Perth gyms, Will Atkinson who sent the line in Dec 2018. While McNamee was working Gelden’s project, Gelden hunted for possible new routes and started to work a line at the Organ Pipes, providing a slightly more direct line to the open project called The Reaperman (19) that Seewraj had previously attempted. During a visit to the crag, the tell-tale marks of where bolts were proposed to be placed spurred Seewraj on to finally drum up the courage to lead his project.

Seewraj broke with tradition in 2023, bolting three new lines at Welly Dam. One being called Building Bridges (20), named in part because of all the fuss that was made about the height of first bolt on Raging Torrent, which Seewraj had helped Hartley establish. A line that has resulted in the most discussion, and often whinging, and people forget that stick clipping is an accepted sport climbing practise. Building Bridges will hopefully start to abate some of the torrent of malcontent, providing the most protected line at the quarry sporting seven bolts in addition to the lower-offs. However, one of Seewraj’s other new routes could now start to see some different discussions emerge.  Peanut Brittle (21) follows a blast hole and while this results, as the name suggests, in a lot of brittle rock the path weaves its way up on good rock.  But as with all routes at the quarry, it can take some time to work out where the line goes.

The last couple of routes to be developed may seem like not much, but The Stormtrooper (13) at the Bookshelf is worth a mention. Seewraj had spied this line and was waiting for Fischer to recover from her a serious fall at Moses Rocks and get back into climbing, hopefully to lead the route. When it was clear she was not likely to climb again, and certainly would not lead, Seewraj sent the route and named it after Fischer. Who, while wearing her full bodied slatted white plastic back brace, after the fall, overhead a kid in a shop whisper in awe to his mum “we are standing next to a Stormtrooper”.

Despite the relative lack of new routes due to the issues at Walcliffe coming to a close with the removal of the bolts in May 2023, as detailed in the Crag intro, the region still boasts 8 different climbing areas each with their own unique climbing style, rock type and setting, and still offers a selection of close to 500 climbs.

A few words about Walcliffe and showing respect:

In the 90s the local government passed legislation banning climbing, indicating the objective of the ban was centred on minimising disturbance to the area and preserving Aboriginal heritage, although the area was not listed as an Aboriginal site of significance until 2012. Through an application under Western Australian Freedom of Information Act 1992 it was revealed the legislation had been driven by Mark Hohnen, then owner of Wallcliffe House, and Helen Lee, owner of Bushtucker River and Wine Tours. As they disliked sharing the area with another user group, even though the reserve was gazetted for public recreation.

At the time CAWA made a submission to the parliamentary committee on the basis the local government had discriminated against one user group, and this resulted in the legislation being overturned. As the first edition of this guide was being developed access to all crags was investigated, and it came to light that the local government had since again passed legislation. This time prohibiting the placement of any new bolts and only permitting climbing on a cliff face on local government managed land if prior written approval had been received from the local government. There had again been no communication from the local government with CAWA or the local climbing community, although it did not seem to be actively enforced and climbing had continued.

During the access investigations it was also identified that the site had been registered as an Aboriginal site of significance in 2012, and therefore CAWA’s official position from 2015 onwards was been that all climbing activities at Wallcliffe should cease, until further notice. Since that time and to the climbing community’s credit no further routes were developed, which was in keeping with CAWA’s code of practice regarding aboriginal cultural heritage. In 2018 the local government started to take steps to have the bolts removed, which when presented to the local council included claims that climbers were responsible for activities including littering, graffiti, and destruction of riverside vegetation. These were strongly refuted in CAWA’s submission to the agenda item at the council meeting, and were clearly a result of other user groups of the area. CAWA also endeavoured to engage with the local custodians and early discussions suggested that climbing may be able to continue on some areas of the cliff. This was however not pursued in the interest of building relations, and in May 2023 the local government had the bolts removed, bringing over thirty years of climbing at Walcliffe to an end.