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<text class="heading3">Coles Bay Crags</text>
<text class="Editor">By Andrew Bissett</text><text class="intro">The climbing at the Freycinet Peninsula is on granite, and is some of the best in the country. The popularity of the Freycinet peninsula can be attributed as much to the relaxing atmosphere and mild climate (by Tassie standards), as it can to the excellent climbing.</text><text class="intro">For the purposes of this guide the climbing at Coles Bay has been grouped into two areas. Those north of Sleepy Bay have been lumped into the Coastal Cliffs section, while those to the south are included in the Hazards Cliffs section. The coastal cliffs section includes Carp Bay Point, Cape Tourville, the cliffs from The Nuggets and Lego, through White Water Wall etc to Bluestone Bay, and, further north, Friendly Beaches. [Editor's Note (RP): They are presented in a south to north order, consistent with the left to right climb order. There have been suggestions that they should have been ordered according to cliff popularity or typical access route they aren't - if you don't like that blame me not Bisso]. The cliffs around Bluestone Bay are the most popular, with short (generally one pitch), well protected climbs and easy access. Cape Tourville, on the other hand, languishes in obscurity due to the presumed difficulty of access, the poor rock quality on the top pitches, and to the fact that nobody seems to know the routes there very well. The descriptions for Cape Tourville are pretty much as submitted by the first ascentionists, any more detailed information would be appreciated for future additions. The Hazards Cliffs include all the climbing on The Hazards, from the big slabs of Main and Flowstone Walls, to the small and scattered boulders. This area includes some of the longer, although generally less steep, climbs. The rock is never slimy, people are rare, and the atmosphere dominates. Finally, there is also climbing at Schouten Island (included at the end of the Hazards section).</text><text class="intro">Anyone who climbs at Freycinet will appreciate that the best season is hard to pin down. Personally I think that the daylight savings months are the best, not because the climbing is better, but since Parks prohibited fires at the camping area, no-one wants to sit in the cold drinking beer at other times of the year. For climbing perhaps the summer months better suit the coastal cliffs which tend to have afternoon shade while the north facing Hazards cliffs are best in the cooler months.</text><text class="intro">Climbers traditionally camp at the campsites above White Water Wall, near Bluestone Bay (refer to the overview map). Campers must supply their own water, which is available from various public tanks in the area; Parks can point you in the right direction. It is better still to take water from further afield if you have a large container. Thanks to recent Coast Care efforts a toilet now exists at the Bluestone Bay White Water Wall campsite. As of publication there is no charge for camping in this area. Alternatively there is allocated camping at Richardson's Beach near Coles Bay (at about 12 per site per night). As well as being on the beach this area features more convenient access to civilised amenities, including water, and as such is more popular with general campers. Enquiries should be made at the Ranger Station (or phone 03 6257 0107). All sites are frequently booked out in summer. These sites are closer to the cliffs on the Hazards. If you don 't want to camp, there are holiday shacks rooms houses you can arrange to hire in Coles Bay. At the opulent end of the scale is the Freycinet Lodge which will cater to many whims.</text><text class="intro">Coles Bay has grown considerably over the last few years to support the growing number of tourists. Existing facilities include petrol stations, grocery and take-away stores, post office, pub and bakery. In short you can get food, fuel, beer and bait, but not climbing gear Check the opening times if you are relying on any of these facilities, as they vary greatly throughout the year.</text><text class="intro">The climbs described below are pretty much a combination of those rewritten from the old CCT guide and new climbs. Numbers that appear at the beginning of descriptions refer to a line on a photo-topo of that climb. Topo's exist for the major Coastal Cliffs , but not the cliffs of the Hazards or Cape Tourville. The climbing at Coles Bay often requires a bit of route finding nouse that is part of the fun, so I've tried to leave a bit of this. Some routes are starred, some aren't. I've only starred the routes I've done or got reliable, recent, accounts of. Stars often influence the routes chosen to climb, so be wary that many routes in this guide aren't starred because I haven't the faintest idea if they are good or not, NOT because I know they are crap.</text>
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