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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''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''Firewall', 'Riverside''Riverside' and 'Colosseum''Colosseum' areas.<br/><br/>Probably the most significant development for Hobart climbing, however, was the development of ''Plebeians Wall'', 'Eldorado''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''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 massesSand River, rather than cocktails by the beach!<br/><br/>" access="The developed crags are on publicly owned Forestry and Crown land. Almost all of the crags are on land classified as "Informal Reserve on Permanent Timber Production Zone 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). , 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 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 houseget 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/>A2. hugeTurn amountright ofon effortthe hasdirt gonetrack into developingat the cragssharp inleft aturn shortin amountthe ofroad, time.which Evenhas 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.a fork after about 50m. <br/><br/>3. For the BBQ Crag: Take the first 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 or the track. <br/><br/>ToTake the 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 thisright hand fork for all other crags, and drive along with this for another 500m to a flat clear parking area before it heads down hill. Alternative park at the initial turnoff from the road takesif ayou sharphave lefta land turn, with some dirt tracks coming off itlow-slung car. Please do not park on the right.other Thisside takesof athe bitroad, understay anon hourthe fromcrag Hobartside. Do not drive speedfurther pastdown the farmershill houseon asthe hetrack isfrom allowingthe access to the Panopticon through his landmain carpark. HeIt is friendlystarting to anderode hasbadly afrom youngvehicular childtraffic and ais dogused thatby playsthe farmer nearin the road.white Slowhouse downto andaccess wavehis to them. It's the White House at the bottom of the hill, about 6km from the Sand River Road turn offland.<br/><br/>The tracks were initially taped but are now obvious (and the tape has fallen off anyway).<br/><br/>24. From Turnthe carpark rightwalk ondown the dirtdisused 4 trackWheel atDrive thetrack. sharpTurn left turn~50m indown the road, which has a fork after about 50m. <track at the first large cairn for all crags apart from Panopticon. For Panopticon continue down the old track another ~400m until the next large cairn and also turn left. <br/><br/>35. For Eldorado/Colosseum Track (formerly the BBQBlue Crag:Track) Take- theThis firsttrack leftgoes handdirectly track forto the BarbecueSouth 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 or the track. <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/>From the carpark head down the track, and follow the directions in the individual sections.(right hand) end of Eldorado Wall and is the main access route to the Colosseum and easiest way to the cliffs. Walk down the trail ~ 50m from the car park, turning left at the first cairn. You will reach the usually dry river bed ~500m downhill from the first cairn (past the turning to the Firewall and then the Riverside crags). Continue across the river bed (heading east). The track then gradually steepens uphill for ~ 400m to the Southern (right hand) end of Eldorado Wall at the base of the route 'Midas' Touch. Continue North (left) along the base of the cliffs ~300m to Plebeians Wall and slightly further for the Colosseum. Approximately a 30 min walk from the car. <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'6. North Ridge and left-hand Colosseum Track (formerly the Red Track) - This track provides access to the North Ridge and alternative access to the left side of the Colosseum at the climb ‘Crossing the Rubicon’. Walk down the trail ~50m from the car park and turn left at the first cairn. Turn left at the junction ~10m BEFORE the (usually) dry river bed (~500m downhill from the first cairn, just past the Riverside crags). There is a large tree fallen down over the river bed, cross here and follow the tapes North (upstream) just past the river bed. The North Ridge junction is ~500m past the fallen tree with easy walking through the valley. The junction is up a little rise where two streams meet. From here continue North (old purple/pink tape), uphill left ~500m to go to North Ridge or continue straight on East (old red tapes) to continue to the Colosseum. This track contours down the little ridge from the junction and continues upstream. Cross the stream ~300m from the North Ridge junction and go uphill, South, for ~200m to reach the Colosseum at the climb ‘Crossing the Rubicon’. The track takes approx. 35-45 mins walk from the car to Colosseum. To continue to 'Eldorado', it is an easy flat walk (about 3 to 5 minutes) right (south) 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'." 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. '." 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 its upkeep. <br/><br/>Please don't camp at the car park. The potential impact on access and the environment of camping at the car park has been very concerning for local climbers. Lately rubbish and shit have been left there, and people are quite worried about the risk of losing access due to the use and abuse of the camping area. The local farmer is very concerned about the risk of fires and does not want people camping there. Please don't camp there, instead please spend the extra bit of effort to camp at Buckland.<br/><br/><br/>The potential impact of camping at the car park has been very concerning for local climbers. Lately rubbish and shit have been left there, and people are quite worried about the risk of losing access due to the use and abuse of the camping area. The local farmer is very concerned about the risk of fires. Please don't camp there, instead please spend the extra bit of effort to camp at Buckland.<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: " autonumber="true" id="1"/> <text id="289" class="heading3">Crag Steward</text> <text id="290" class="text">Rock climbers please contact the Cliff Steward (sandriver@climbersclubtas.org.au) if you have any queries or concerns regarding social or environmental impacts of rock climbing at this crag. Do not email regarding general travel, seasonal advice, or lost property - this is not the Steward’s role. If you have important safety information to communicate (e.g. risks due to recent and large rock falls) please also consider updates on thesarvo forum, facebook group and/or online guidebooks as appropriate. Please copy in cct@climbersclubtas.org.au if you feel you have a high level concern which may imminently impact the crag or climbing community.<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.Non-climbers, other users, land managers: please also contact cct@climbersclubtas.org.au if you have important climbing related queries at this location.</text> <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 Sandstoneunderstand canthat bethis deceptiveis –a itnew maycliff appearand solid whenthere it is inloose factrock surprisinglyeverywhere! fragileThere (especiallyis whenthe it's wet). As a result,potential for loose rock on most climbsif not areall boltedof (Uthe boltsclimbs, notso 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!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/>• DueSandstone tocan thebe relativelydeceptive remote– locationit ofmay theappear Sandsolid Riverwhen Crags,it theis CCTin hasfact locatedsurprisingly afragile first(especially aidwhen kit hanging init's wet). As a redresult, bagmost fromclimbs theare roofbolted of(U thebolts, cavenot atexpansion), thebut left-handif endestablishing oftrad the Colosseumroutes, nearbe whereaware thethat trackapparently comessolid up.small Thewires kitand iscams formay emergenciessimply onlyfail, shattering isoff fairlycrack comprehensiveedges and hasbreaking 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 Telstrathick 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/><br/></text> <gps id="2"> <point pid="2" description="Turn off from the main road" latitude="-42.51508" longitude="147.70999" easting="558323" northing="5292788" zone="55G" code="SAR010"/> <point pid="3" description="Park here (if you have clearance)" latitude="-42.51714" longitude="147.71477" easting="558714" northing="5292556" zone="55G" code="SAR020"/> <point pid="9" description="Barbecue Crag approx position" latitude="-42.51145" longitude="147• 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. <br/><br/></text> <text id="288" class="heading3">Ethics</text> <text id="287" class="text">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, either at the crag or the car park. There is a fire already lit for you in the Buckland Inn!<br/>• Keep dogs under effective control, and 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/>• Please Drive reasonably on the road in - and slowly past the farmer's white house.<br/>• Don't park on the other side of the road at the main road, and in general be considerate when parking.<br/>• Don't camp at the car park, camp behind the Buckland Inn!<br/><br/>Please bring a rope tarp and brush your feet before "pulling on". The rock polishes easily, and sand grit on your shoes is a major factor, AND...<br/>Please do not climb on the rock until it fully dries out after rain in order to avoid breaking holds (the rock becomes significantly weaker when wet). Some of the steeper routes at the Firewall and Colosseum are rain-protected, but for the most part you may need to wait a few days after heavy rainfall.</text> <gps id="2"> <point pid="2" description="Turn off from the main road" latitude="-42.51508" longitude="147.70999" easting="558323" northing="5292788" zone="55G" code="SAR010"/> <point pid="3" description="Park here (if you have clearance)" latitude="-42.51714" longitude="147.71477" easting="558714" northing="5292556" zone="55G" code="SAR020"/> <point pid="9" description="Barbecue Crag approx position" latitude="-42.51145" longitude="147.71154" easting="558453" northing="5293190" zone="55G" code="SAR100"/> <point pid="7" description="The Firewall" latitude="-42.51751" longitude="147.71850" easting="559020" northing="5292512" zone="55G" code="SAR200"/> <point pid="8" description="Riverside Crag " latitude="-42.51812" longitude="147.71955" easting="559105" northing="5292443" zone="55G" code="SAR210"/> <point pid="5" description="The 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