Peter Jackson 21/10/1943 to 10/10/2025 obituary

Peter Jackson 21/10/1943 to 10/10/2025 obituary.

Peter Jackson has died
after a long illness that he endured for the last 12 years of his life and subdued his otherwise prodigious productivity in Australian climbing culture.
Peter is survived by wife, daughter and two sons and a handful of his climbing partners who continue to gain inspiration from his memory. Peter lived a multifaceted climbing life that is hard to summarize, with the breadth of his influence spanning beyond even that already celebrated in the numerous articles written about his career.

Peter’s pioneering of new crags and climbs started in the 1960s ‘golden era’ of Victorian climbing, and continued throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s in Tasmania. He carried a vision that
was infectious, which resulted in no less than four generations of climbers being introduced to climbing through him, many of whom become highly influential figures themselves. His creativity was equally impactful on the community through his photographs, cliff drawings, articles, and public speaking.

In Victoria, he recorded the first climbs at Arapiles and was prescient of the significance of this discovery. Climbing often with Bob Bull and John Fahey, he established many
iconic and audacious climbs such as Muldoon, The Watchtower Crack, Eurydice and also gymnastic test pieces for the time such the Fang and Moby Dick. He pioneered many other Victorian crags from Cape Woolami to the Grampians, most notably 'finding' and naming Bundaleer and establishing the first routes there. With John Fahey he established Victoria’s first grade 17, The Witch, at Macedon.

“With Peter on the end of the rope you felt like
you could do anything. He brings out the best in people” Bob Bull.

After moving to Tasmania in 1967, his trademark enthusiasm for landscape, infused with philosophical and literary reflections again created a distinctive legacy. His first epoch in Tasmania started by introducing fellow art school students Bob McMahon and Michael McHugh to climbing, with whom he established the epic first ascents on Bare Rock (Fingal), the first recorded climbs at Freycinet, Lowdina, the Rookeries and numerous other cliffs in southern Tasmania. His bold ascent of Incipience, using a marginal skyhook to exit the runout crux, remains a pivotal
lead climbing achievement.

As an art teacher and father based in Hobart, Peter then turned his attentions more locally during the late 70s and 80s, supporting hundreds of students into climbing with a
highly progressive and inclusive approach, resulting in another generation of inspired misfits, such as Gerry Narkowitz, Doug Fyfe, Pete Steane, Nathan Duig, and many other colourful characters. During this era he continued to put up some hard and scary classics himself in the Hobart scene, such as Yoda and Poha, which continue to command respect even by todays climbing standards. Moreover, in 1978 he built the first community climbing wall in Australia at Elizabeth College, which was surprisingly entertaining given it was made from bolt-on metal plates, and which became the cultural hub for Hobart climbing throughout the 1980s. His climbing school was still going strong in the late 80s churning out influential climbers, such as Tim Chappell in 1988.

During the 90s Peter’s own climbing endeavours became mostly a family affair as his sons, Marcel and Hamish, came of age and new epoch of exploration ensued. Collectively, they were dubbed "The First Family of Rock'. His influence on outdoor culture remained broad however, since his work as an artist and photographer left an equally interesting cultural legacy. His superb hand drawings of cliffs were unsurpassed and were the mainstay of guidebooks from the 1960s onwards. He also contributed to outdoor culture outside climbing, for example with his contributions to the landmark Wild Rivers book by Bob Brown and Peter Dombrovskis; his 1990s article on Peter Dombrovskis won article of decade in Wild Magazine. In 1996 he presented the ultimate slide show celebrating Tasmanian climbing history at the Tasmania University inaugural outdoor cultural podium, entertaining hundreds of people. By the 2000s he was the go-to speaker for climbing guide book launches and anniversary events, due to the scope of his climbing experience and oratorial skill.

Aside from all these contributions, he was ultimately a kind and sensitive man, who enjoyed a life of deep friendships, and a warm and vibrant family life. We, the survivng Jacksons, hope his creative spirit and keen engagement in life continue to be a positive influence. We would like to thank the climbing community for the support they have offered us over this period.

A funeral service for Peter will be held at Graham’s Risdon Rd, Hobart. 3pm Saturday 18th of October.