A few weeks back, when David posted that he was going to be camping up at the Honeymoon Pool this weekend, I was a little surprised to hear that there were only a couple of sites left. During school holidays it is certainly very busy, but outside of them there are usually ample sites available. And the reason for why became abundantly clear as got closer. Road closed signs blocked me getting to the quarry, and the upper carparks were quickly filling up. The 2024 AusCycling MTB Enduro National and Oceania Championships were being held:
And not just today, but from Thursday through till Sunday. As such it was good that I canned the potential catch up for the local climbers here on Sunday. With no car access to the quarry, it was all a bit uncertain as to what we might find down there. Along with David, and his son Malachy, a friend from way back had made the trip down from Perth on Friday to camp out and then climb at Welly Dam with David. I was a last minute gate crasher on their party. My other plans made ages back fell through, less than ideal coastal conditions had put Sam off:
While I say a friend from way back, I’m talking a long time. Adrian has clear memories of us climbing together in Alice Springs in 2004/5, although I had to confess I was having difficulty in recalling that. I’m pleased to say he wasn’t upset with my confession, but he definitely had it right as he could recall Lisa and Elseya I knew when we left to move west. Having reached out to get back in touch with me maybe six months back, this was the first time we have managed to get out for a climb. And I had warned him about what to expect, at the unforgiving dam:
Adrian and I walked down from the upper carparks and were pleased to see an empty quarry. Unlike the top there were no stalls, bike repair areas, first aid sites, or food vans, and this also meant that no one else was down here. While we could hear the noise of the goings on above us, this somehow washed into the background as we got down to business. It was only fair to point Adrian to the easier routes to start with. Allowing him to get a feel of what was on offer. And as he was starting up his second lead, David and Malachy wandered in:
Malachy had the whole place to run amuck. And we took turns being on the rock, belaying, and keeping an eye on and at time providing entertainment for him. Our own entertainment was single focused, and that was the climbing. Neither Adrian nor David had been here before, and until very recently neither of them had managed to get much lead climbing in for way too many years. So I was very keen to see how they would go here. They loved the climbing, but some of the bolt spacing they didn’t like so much. A common thing to hear:
With each line they climbed they got to appreciate the place. Solid routes, at times a bit scary, but really good fun. And at the end of the day if you are not having fun climbing, you have to ask why bother. Adrian nabbing three onsight leads and David was happy to follow up with the security of the rope above him. The route below was however just that bit too much for Adrian’s head, and he was happy for me to lead it so he too could have the security of the rope above him. As such once the rope was up I took the chance to go for a wander:
I was keen to get back to the top of the face to look for those orchids that Howsie and I had seen just a week back. Hoping to see the Dark Bee Orchid (Diuris insignis) and get a better image. Alas it was no longer there, and many of the orchids were seemingly on their way out. I did however get to see the Twisted Sun Orchids (Thelymitra flexuosa) again, but the number of plants was less than half of last week. And again the buds were tightly clamped shut, except for one petal bravely sticking up:
Meanwhile, David was still battling his way up the most hotly debated route at the quarry. Is it an 18, is it a 20, or is it possibly harder. I was keen to hear what they had to say so made my way down as David got to the top, and it was time for Adrian to tie in. Putting the grade to one side they both loved it. Really liking the more three dimensional climbing that the route demanded. And required in my opinion to make it a grade 18, which they both agreed was fair. So Kym whatever the online trolls may be saying, on The Crag, we graded it fairly:
We didn’t have the quarry entirely to ourselves. A few families and people wandered through. Most didn’t stay long. Other than one mob that included a group of girls doing dance routines, as their music bounced noisily off the quarry walls. A little distracting , and taking away from the tranquillity of being outdoors. But if the social I had hoped to set up on Sunday had come off there would have been just as much noise from our group. However, with rain forecast tomorrow and having had my Welly Dam fix today, a social session can wait:
We got one more route in, or at least I did. David attempted it but after the first bolt he was feeling toasted. Adrian managed to get half way up, but he has been overdoing things in the indoor gyms and his elbow started to flare up. Being sensible he backed off, meaning I had to go up again to clean the route. After which I was more than content to call it a day myself too. It was getting on to one in the afternoon. Adrian was both in dangerous injury territory, and still needing to drive back to Perth. David was done, and as for Malachy:
I’m pretty sure he had enjoyed being out and about. However, after allowing David near to four hours of playtime he had more than deserved an ice cream from one of the many food vans. Wandering back to the top together, the commotion and mass of people hit us. Here we said our goodbyes, and we went three separate ways. I feel that both of them will however be keen to come back, to further sample the delights the quarry has to offer. And before I hit the road, I wanted to test my luck by looking for orchids one more time:
Checking the sun orchids that there out more closely, I managed to spot some Blue Lady Orchids (Thelymitra crinita). Shown three images up, with their distinctly different textured yellow column toppers, and purple tuffs. As well as three hues of the Plain Sun Orchid (Thelymitra paludosa). Being purple, blue, and the beautiful pink below. All with white tuffs, and yellow tipped columns, but behind this yellow tip the column of the pink was a stunning fluorescent orange as opposed to the black of the other ones, making it really stand out:
The Shy Sun Orchids (Thelymitra graminea) were also out, below. Looking very similar to the Plain Sun Orchids, having white tuffs under a black column with its yellow tip. The flowers are however notably smaller, and the tiny arm that holds the white tuffs have a very prominent ninety degree bend in them. Making the tuffs stick more upright. It was encouraging to see these opening up, which generally occurs on warmer days. And while it was a bit cloudy today, the sun was poking out every so often. Bathing the top of the wall in warmth:
The increasing temperature and occasional sun had also resulted in the Twisted Sun Orchid I had seen with a single petal unfolding, opening even more. Still not fully open, but enough for me to be able to clearly identify it. This dainty flower was the smallest of sun orchids, standing no more than fifteen centimetres high. This one was the only one that I could find with its small one centimetre long bud opening. It is a shame that it wasn’t just a bit warmer today, as it was clear that these particular orchids were simply waiting for the sun:
Sandbagged 