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<guide>
<header name="Sand River" walk="10 - 50 minutes." sun="Sunny" rock="Sandstone 10 - 30m high." acknowledgement="" intro="Sand River was discovered in 2017 and has yielded many good routes on some of the best sandstone in Tasmania. Yes, that's not saying much, but the rock here is surprisingly good. The crags are mostly north facing and sheltered from the wind, and are relatively warm and dry in winter. This area provides the best reliable winter climbing in the south of the state. However, avoid easterly wet weather. " history="The climbing potential of the Sand River area was discovered in early 2017 when Jon Nermut and Dave Humphries spent a wet day bashing through the bush and finding the crags that would become 'Eldorado' and 'The Colosseum' after noticing the escarpments on lidar maps. Realising the potential of the area, they generously arranged a tour to show other climbers the new area, and the first two routes were done - Terrastomp and Alea Jacta est.<br/><br/>After this the rate of development was staggering. In the first twelve months, over 150 routes were completed. Jon and Dave, along with Owen Gervasoni were active, developing the 'Firewall', 'Riverside' and 'Colosseum' areas.<br/><br/>Probably the most significant development for Hobart climbing, however, was the development of 'Plebeians Wall', 'Eldorado' and 'The Panopticon' by 'The Plebs'. The development of these areas has added something not previously available in southern Tasmania, crags with a concentration of well bolted sport routes in the mid teens to low twenties. Stuart Scott, Bob Bull, Tony McKenny, Chuck McGibbon, Dave Stephenson, Ben Maddison and Neale Smith have been the main drivers of this development.<br/><br/>While some might say that these crags should have been named 'Noosa', 'The Gold Coast' and 'The Sunshine Coast' given their obvious attraction to the retiree members of 'The Plebs', it was brilliant that the defined benefit pensions were re-invested in steel for the masses, rather than cocktails by the beach!<br/><br/>" access="The developed crags are on publicly owned Forestry and Crown land. The public land extends as far south as the Panopticon, but further south than that it is private. The range of hills to the north of the Colosseum is the southern boundary of the Buckland Military Training Area - stay out! <br/><br/>Please don't jeopardise access:<br/>• Don't explore, climb or develop in the Military Training Area, or on private land without previously negotiating access with the landowners<br/>• Don't block the roads, it really pisses people off. And don't leave any valuables in your car, as theft and vandalism here is a distinct possibility (although it hasn't happened yet). <br/>• There are many obvious bird roosts on the cliffs, and Peregrine Falcons and Wedge Tail Eagles frequent the area. If you find a raptor nesting, keep away from the nest and out of line of sight, and let the climbing community know on thesarvo.com or the CCT facebook group.<br/>• No fires <br/>• Keep dogs under effective control no dogs are allowed on the private land of Panopticon South.<br/>• Leave any fixed or stashed gear exactly as you found it - it all belongs to someone working hard to develop the crag.<br/>• Drive reasonably on the road in - and slowly past the farmer's white house<br/><br/>A huge amount of effort has gone into developing the crags in a short amount of time. Even if you're not putting up new routes, you can do your bit to help by (re)-cleaning routes if you find them dirty or loose and improving the tracks by clearing loose rocks and sticks, improving track markings, etc, rather than whingeing about these things.<br/><br/>To get there:<br/><br/>1. Drive to Buckland, about 60km NE of Hobart on the A3, then turn left on the C318. After 3km, turn turn right onto Sand River Rd. About 8km along this the road takes a sharp left land turn, with some dirt tracks coming off it on the right. This takes a bit under an hour from Hobart. Do not speed past the farmers house as he is allowing access to the Panopticon through his land. He is friendly and has a young child and a dog that plays near the road. Slow down and wave to them. It's the White House at the bottom of the hill, about 6km from the Sand River Road turn off..<br/><br/>2. Turn right on the dirt track at the sharp left turn in the road, which has a fork after about 50m. <br/><br/>3. For the BBQ Crag: Take the left hand track for the Barbecue Crag, which is rough but passable in a car with reasonable clearance. There is limited parking when you reach the barbecue itself after 250m, but please don't block the turning area. <br/><br/>Take the right hand fork for all other crags, and drive along this for another 500m to a flat clear parking area before it heads down hill. Alternative park at the initial turnoff from the road if you have a really low-slung car. Do not drive further down the hill on the track, which is starting to erode badly from vehicular traffic.<br/><br/>4. For the Firewall: Walk down the old fire trail for about 50m, and then follow a red taped track off left (marked with cairn) through the bracken then down the spur line (as for the Colosseum). The spur ends at the top of a small cliff (Riverside) just above the river. The left side of the Firewall area is visible about 100m to the north (left as you face downhill). The red taped track to the Colosseum continues down to the river to the north of Riverside, but part way along this descent, a yellow taped track leads off left about 100 metres across north to the Firewall, just over half a kilometre from the car and about 10mins walk. <br/><br/>5. For the Colosseum and Eldorado: Approach as per the Firewall, but keep going past Riverside Crag down to the river. There are two options from here. (Note that as of August 2018, the 'Blue Taped Track' seems to be the preferred track used by most people, and the 'Red Taped Track' is becoming more difficult to follow with the reduced traffic). <br/><br/> Red Taped Track - This track goes to the north, left hand end, of the Colosseum. It crosses the dry river bed immediately upstream from a fork in the river at 'Riverside'. After crossing the first river bed (this is the main 'Sand River' that flows past 'Floodland' and 'The Firewall'), the taped track continues north up second river valley (this is the valley with 'The Colosseum' and 'Eldorado' areas in it). Follow this second valley for about a kilometre through the dense forest which is surprisingly easy walking. Once you're down in the river bed you can't see much, but you will get glimpses of the west facing slabby cliffs up to the right (the left end is Eldorado). Keep following the tapes upstream to where the cliff changes direction to face north, and take the right fork of the stream. Cross the stream and follow the red tapes up the hill, arriving under the massive roof of Crossing the Rubicon, about 35-45 mins walk from the car, depending on your speed. To continue to 'Eldorado', it is an easy flat walk (about 3 to 5 minutes) along the base of the sandstone band past 'Plebeians Wall'.<br/><br/> Blue Taped Track - This track goes directly to the south (right hand) end of Eldorado Wall, about a kilometre from the car and is the quickest way to the cliffs. It crosses the dry river bed immediately downstream from the fork in the river at 'Riverside' and goes straight up the hillside opposite, arriving at the right end of 'Eldorado' at the base of the route 'Midas' Touch'. It takes 15-25 mins walk from the car, depending on your speed. To continue to 'The Colosseum', it is an easy flat walk (about 5 minutes) along the base of the sandstone band past 'Plebeians Wall'.<br/><br/>6. The Panopticon is in the next valley to the south of the Colosseum, south east of the parking area. Walk down (PLEASE do not drive down due to erosion!) the old logging track from the car park till the track turns to the right. Veer off left (marked with cairn) and follow a taped line (orange tape) down to the creek and then straight up the hill on the other side to the base of the cliff at the Jail House Rock. The developed crags are mostly to the left, about 30 mins walk from the car. Limited access to private land has been negotiated right to the (cooler) “Twin Towers” on the Western side. These cliffs are about 3 minutes walk right from Jail House Rock.<br/><br/>7. Connecting Track. (Pink Taped Track) - There is now a 'short-cut' track for easy access between Colosseum and the Panopticon tracks. This track takes the usually dry river bed (Sand River) and partly into the bush, running between the Blue Taped Track to the Colosseum and Elderado, and the main track to the Panopticon. The north end starts where the Blue Tape Track crosses the river, and continues to junction of the Orange Tape Track to the Panopticon, again where it crosses the river. Signage is being considered to help with directions!" camping="The preferred campsite for climbers visiting the crag, particularly for large groups, is just down the road at Buckland. The free campsite is directly behind the pub, (Ye Olde Buckland Inn) on Boomer Common - clean toilets, water, picnic shelter, flat site, the Road House for food and petrol and the pub for meals and grog. The publican would appreciate campers either buy a beer (or two) or make a small donation for it’s up keep. <br/><br/>If you do camp at the main climbers’ car park, please minimise your environmental impact as much as possible. In particular, the local farmer has expressed his concern about the consequences of fire in the dry bush which could be catastrophic, and climbers are asked not to light fires in the area.<br/>" autonumber="true" id="1"/>
<image id="279" width="400" legendTitle="Stuart Scott and Tony McKenny enjoying retirement at Eldorado" legend="true" height="530" src="SRiver.jpg"/>
<text class="indentedHeader" id="128">Safety: <br/><br/>PLEASE understand that this is a new cliff and there is loose rock everywhere! There is the potential for loose rock on most if not all of the climbs, so be careful. Wear a helmet and do not unnecessarily sit or stand under the cliff when others are climbing. It is NOT the gym.<br/><br/>• Sandstone can be deceptive – it may appear solid when it is in fact surprisingly fragile (especially when it's wet). As a result, most climbs are bolted (U bolts, not expansion), but if establishing trad routes, be aware that apparently solid small wires and cams may simply fail, shattering off crack edges and breaking thick flakes... and please, clean new routes if you are going to claim them!<br/>• Due to the relatively remote location of the Sand River Crags, the CCT has located a first aid kit hanging in a red bag from the roof of the cave at the left-hand end of the Colosseum, near where the track comes up. The kit is for emergencies only, is fairly comprehensive and has bandages for snake bite. Should any of the kit contents be used please call 0408 122 394 and replacement/s will be arranged. Climbers visiting this (and other) areas should carry their own first aid supplies and means of communication – there has already been one serious accident on the crags. <br/>• In the event of life threatening emergency or where it is unlikely that the victim can self-extricate call 000 to alert Ambulance & Police Services for rescue. Mobile Service is unreliable but may be obtained from locations such as south (right) of Plebeian’s Wall. Consider carrying a personal location device if you are not on Telstra. Helicopter access is best from the clear area between the Colosseum and Plebeian Wall, and beside the Panopticon. <br/><br/></text>
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</guide> |
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