Rock climbing in Tasmania

Tasmania is a mountainous island that is unique in the Australian climbing scene for its remote wilderness crags, boasting some of the biggest cliffs in Australia, along with a wide range of sea cliffs. The landscape creates a unique climbing experience, one dominated by an alpine environment and rugged coastline. In addition, there are great cliffs offering both sport and trad routes in spectacular wilderness settings that are not far off the beaten track.

Dolerite, is the major rock type that forms splitter cracks of unparalleled purity, soaring knife-edge aretes and singular pinnacles and sea-stacks that are found nowhere else in the world. Alternatively, with the sensuous, smooth granite on the east coast, or abseiling down a 200m cliff to the sea on the Tasmin Peninsula, climbers will experience the best sea cliff climbing in Australia.

The above information has been extracted from the Climb Tasmania guidebook, which is available from our shop.

The best rock climbing areas in Tasmania are as follows:

The South Esk River area and the Cataract Gorge provide 850 routes on Dolerite cliffs up to 30m high in central Launceston. Here there a combination of Trad jamming cracks along with bolted faces and aretes. 15 minutes on the other side of Launceston is the North Esk area with 300 routes.

Ben Lomond is Australia’s premier crack climbing venue that is about 45 minutes drive from Launceston in an Alpine setting. This purely Trad climbing area has 100m perfect parallel cracks on dolerite columns giving marathon jamming routes, though there are also some excellent face routes as well.

Hillwood is the largest sport climbing area in Tasmania that is just 25 minutes from Launceston. Here there are 145 bolted routes on basalt rock across a wide range of grades from 15 to 28 (Australian grades). There is a great variety of climbing at Hillwood from roofs, steep face climbing, slabs, with slopers, razor sharp crimps, large blocks and side pulls.

Blackwood Rocks is a lovely sandstone sport climbing area with around 30 face routes between 15 to 20m long, about an hour’s drive from Launceston.

Bare Rock is a 200m high dolerite face at Fingal that has both sport climbing and classic big Trad multi-pitch routes, across a wide range of grades. Most of the sport routes start on a ledge 100m off the ground giving exposed, steep endurance climbing on good quality rock.

Freycinet is the place to visit for superb granite sea cliff climbing on the east coast of Tasmania near Coles Bay that is often described as Australia’s best sea cliff climbing area. Here there is a great variety of sport and Trad climbing with both single and multi-pitch routes in great positions above the sea.

The Tasman Peninsula near Hobart is another great sea cliff climbing area, with the amazing sea stacks of the Moai and the 65m long Totem Pole. There is also some steep single pitch sport climbing at Paradiso. 

Organ Pipes has around 350 routes in a spectacular alpine setting just 20 minutes from Hobart. There are many excellent Trad routes up to 3-pitches long along with a growing number of sport routes on steep faces and aretes.

Adamsfield is a conglomerate sport climbing area about 2 hours from Hobart in a wilderness area. These crags provide steep and difficult bolted routes.

Getting to Tasmania is easy with either an overnight ferry from Melbourne to Devonport or fly into Launceston or Hobart from any major city in Australia. A car is essential for visiting Tasmania’s crags so either hire one or bring your own on the ferry. It is possible to climb at many crags throughout the year, and Tasmania is the best place to go rock climbing in Australia during the summer.

The Climb Tasmania guidebook is a good selective guidebook to rock climbing on the island. It describes 35 of the best crags on Tasmania, covering 1,280 sport and trad routes across a wide range of grades. Buy the Climb Tasmania guidebook from our shop.