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Al Williams has done his project at the Star Factory, a long, beautiful, slightly overhanging face, to produce Astro Boy, graded 29 or 30.

Al has also finished off a couple of old projects at Oatlands - the desperate mantle finish to Fence Post Right ("V1") and Stu Bowlings highball project on Lloyd's Wall.

There has been plenty of other activity out at Oatlands due to the mild start to winter. The lake is still dry and there have been quite a few cool clear days with perfect conditions. Pungi (V7/8) on the Island has received several ascents, from Al, Aubrey from QLD, Callum Hyland, Garry Philips and Jon Nermut. Callum also did Darkside (V10). A new variant to Pungi has also been done, Body and Mind, which comes in from the right and is a grade or so harder.

Jon Nermut slapping for the top of Lloyd's Dyno (V5)	Jon Nermut doing Dull Blade (V6)	Al Williams on the first ascent of the Lloyd's wall highball

The Wellington Park Trust has started the 5 year review of the park bike strategy. As part of this there is a Bike Review Questionnaire on their site that you can fill out and post or email back to them.

Go to http://www.wellingtonpark.tas.gov.au/3_3.htm#bsr to have your say on bikes on Mt Wellington. The survey closes 31 May 2005.

You can't fill in the survey pdf directly, so if you want to email your answers copy the following text to your email and email it to
wellington@hobartcity.com.au

(Thanks to mtb_man from pedalbite.com for the text)

Wellington Park Bike Strategy Review Survey

1. What do think are the key bike issues that need attention in the next 5 years to improve bike riding opportunities in Wellington Park? What measures would you like to see implemented to address these issues?

2. How can bike users help the Trust in responding to these issues?

3. There are two key initiatives being pursued by the Trust that were not specifically listed as recommendations in the Wellington Park Bike Strategy. Do you support these initiatives and do you have any comment about them?

(a) The current development of the Glenorchy Mountain Bike Park.
Support? [ ] Yes [ ] No
Comment :

(b) Investigations into the proposal for a new multiple-use trail to be located below the Lenah Valley walking track to provide a connection between Shoobridge Bend to Junction Cabin and then continuing through to the Glenorchy bike park.
Support? [ ] Yes [ ] No
Comment :

4. Do you have any other comments you wish to make?

Name (optional) :
Contact (optional): Phone / Email :

Hi,

Just wondering, apart from the guide that was in Rock a while ago, where can one find out specific route info about the Star Factory ?

cheers

Johan

Just had a great holiday in Tas, but was unfortunately frustrated several times on attempts to get into the Gonk.
We tried to find the access from above the Star Factory, but we were very uncertain where to rap, and how we would get out again.
We walked along the top of the star factory and finally came to the end of the ramp, above a big corner. Below us we could see a ledge, about 30 metres down, and another 30 metres or so below that. We couldn't find any good rap anchors, so decided we had probably taken a wrong turn somewhere.
On our last day, the weather looked great, and I managed to convince Karen to try the sealevel traverse.
We got past the horizontal chimney area and along to the slabs below the start of the Star Factory.
By this stage, a cold wind and rain clouds had picked up. The slabs seem to steepen up here, and there is a traverse line leading very high on the slabs through some steep corners.
We decided that if the weather crapped out, we mightn't be able to reverse the slabs, so went back to Sleepy Bay.

We're hoping for another trip down later this year or earlier next year, and would appreciate a bit of advice on where the sealevel traverse goes at this point, or how to find the rap access to the Gonk, and escape from the Gonk.... do we need to leave a rap line?

We were amazed to find that in 3 weeks of climbing we didn't meet any other climbers, except a short chat with a bunch of guys from Hobart uni at Sleepy Bay carpark!

The climbing was absolutely brilliant though!
Especially impressed with the Star Factory, despite being wiped out by doing the walk-in three times, including one time bashing around trying to find the top of the Gonk.
Antimatter has to be the best 23 in australia!
Mt. Wellington, The Paradiso and Moai were also fantastic. We liked Hillwood, but really not in the same league as the other crags.

Anyway, had a great trip, thinking of moving to Hobart if we can get good access notes to the Gonk!!!
best of luck, and an awesome effort of new route development to everyone involved---thanks for the bolts,
Chris and Karen.

There is a new Craglets update on the Craglets page.
It includes two new crags on the West Coast.

Tony McKenny has added his Bruny Island Guide to thesarvo.

Garn Cooper and Gerry Narcowicz have done the Great Flake at Frenchmans, possibly only the 3rd ascent. The crux (22) was the 10' roof but Gerry said most of it was over
18 with not so good protection and they took 12 hours, which is quite a while for such an experienced crew. Must be quite an outing. He said it was a great climb.
Reported by Phil Robinson

Mt Lyell has heaps of conglomerate boulders which are close to the road and are non lichenous. Its a pity its 4 hours from Hobart on the West Coast. There are some pics here: Mt Lyell bouldering.

Kim Robinson and friends have found a new sandstone boulder in the bush to the west of the Mt Brown car park, and has put up about 5 new problems.
Meanwhile Jon Nermut has discovered some more nice boulders and walls on the seaward side of Diamond Island @ Bicheno. About 12 problems done so far, with another dozen or so to be done.
Topos of these areas will be added to the bouldering guide soon.

Hey all,

I'm coming down to Hobart for a patch of work in the next few months
and was just wondering are many people heading out to the new sport crag
the "star factory" up at Coles Bay ?
Also, does Oatlands get much action in the colder months.

cheers

Johan

Went out to oatlands on the weekend (30/1/2005) and the lake has dried right up again, allowing access to the island, and making for nice low humidity, and sparing the Devils Kitchen cave from inundation for another year.

I have removed the Frenchmans Cap and Mt Geryon guides due to Wild Publications threatening legal action for breach of copyright.

This is interesting in light of Doug Bruce's post on the ownership of the Mt Wellington guide.

How about a new guidebook?

Lots of people have been talking about the fact that the current (1992) Mt Wellington guide is out of print. It's also now well out of date, compounding the difficulties for visiting climbers to get much info if they want to experience southern Tasmania's most accessible and best crag. In the intervening period something like 100 new routes in both the trad and sport genres have been done, many of them equal in quality to climbs you'd do anywhere on the planet. Meanwhile, there is much discussion about the quality and grading of some of the routes in the 1992 guide, particularly those lines that don't get much traffic and have become seriously vegetated. Most people would probably agree that a new guide is long overdue. Many questions arise about how to bring such a creation to fruition, especially in the peculiar, factional and introspective world that is the Tasmanian climbing "community".

Who, if anyone, owns the copywrite to current info? The '92 guide is copywrited to the CCT, which for all intents and purposes is a defunct organisation. I would argue that the info in the guidebook belongs to the public and should be used by anyone who wants to use it, especially as the current guide is a follow on from and generally reproduces verbatim almost all of what Phil Robinson produced in his previous (also CCT sponsored) guide, which itself was largely gleaned from Climbers Club circulars and info passed directly on to Phil. Having said this, if a new guide were to emerge, it would be nice to think that a team of interested locals could work together to harvest the wealth of experience and knowledge of a wide range of people and compile a book that is worthy of the area.

Where would the money come from to fund it, who will own it and get the profits from it? The most obvious answer is whoever comes up with the energy and money to produce it. Currently there are two competing forces producing guide books in Tassie: the Craglets group and Climb Tasmania. Both of these groups have their own agendas, which doesn't necessarily involve considering what the wider climbing community is interested in as far as guidebooks go. Although the CCT is inactive it does still exist in name, one item of its charter is to disseminate information on climbing in Tasmania and it has a bank account with some thousands of dollars in it. I for one would like to see this money used towards funding a new Mt Wellington guide rather than sitting dormant in the bank.
Additionally, the Hobart City Council might look favourably on subsiding a guidebook, considering all the money they put into encouraging recreation on the mountain. Some advertising could also help defray the costs of a guide.

There are lots of things to think about, but wouldn't it be good if there was a new, top quality book in print?

Hi,
I have just moved to Tassie and am currently in the process of not only trying to finding a place to live but also some local places to climb and people to climb with.
I am working in Burnie and it would be great if anyone could point me in the right direction as to wear some of the closest and best climbing spot are for me in the North West. I realise that there is some good climbing around launceston but was wondering if there is any closer for an after work bolder or climb.
Cheers
Anna