Cluan Tiers - New Sport Crag

Gerry Narkowicz and Nick Hancock have been developing a signigicant new sport climbing area in the Cluan Tiers. It is located in the hills west of Westbury about 45 mins drive from Launceston, and just 10 minutes walk on a track.It has 10 quality routes so far, with several projects still on the go. Check out the online guide at the following address:

• http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page=27&area_id=782

An extract from the guidebook:

Introduction

The Cluan Tiers are a range of hills near the town of Westbury in Northern Tasmania. On the western side facing the Liffey Valley, is a substantial dolerite escarpment about 2km long and up to 90m high, but only two of the faces have been deemed worthy of climbing. The cliff is unusual for dolerite as it is generally void of cracks, and forms overhanging blocky faces with big roofs. Consequently the crag has been developed as a sport climbing area. The nature of the rock lends itself to steep, difficult climbing, and the main wall in particular, is quite intimidating. The cliff faces south-west and does not see sunlight until well into the afternoon, making it an ideal summer crag. Climbers should come prepared for cold weather as it is an alpine area subject to the full force of westerly weather. The views to the western tiers are glorious, making it a spectacular location for climbing.

History

Climbers have probably been aware of these cliffs for years, being obvious from the road to Liffey Falls. Gerry Narkowicz scrub bashed up the hill from the western side in May 2006 and realised the potential of the cliff. He made the first climbing trip to the area with Nick Hancock on 10/6/06 and two routes were climbed and another three projects were bolted over three days.

Location

Access is remarkably easy, being just 45 minutes drive from Launceston and a 10 minute walk on a track to the top of the cliff. From Launceston travel to Westbury and continue another 9km on the old highway to Exton. Turn left at Exton onto C502, signposted Quamby Brook and Golden Valley. Continue straight ahead at the crossroads after 4km. About 3km later is a gravel road on the left signposted to the Cluan Tier. From here it is 16km on logging roads to the cliff. Follow the main Cluan Tier Road and after about 13km is a crossroads. Take the road on the right which goes steeply up a hill. At the top of the hill, keep following the main road and take left hand turns at the two intersections you come across. The road passes underneath a powerline and curves around to meet the powerline again about 1km further. Park here at the powerline easement marked by a cairn on the left. Follow the powerline easement up the hill for 10 minutes to the top of the cliff. After some easy bashing through a grove of ferns for about 100m, there is a good gravel track up the easement. At the powerpole closest to the cliff edge, turn left and follow a rough path for 50m to the descent gully marked by a cairn. A short descent gully leads to the first cliff while the main cliff is about 100m further around to the right.