<guide>
<header id="1" name="Mersey Bluff" walk="5-10 min" sun="Most of the day" rock="Vertical dolerite" acknowledgement="By Ben Thorp" intro="The Mersey Bluff offers a nice selection of easy to moderate problems in pleasant surroundings. It’s never going to be a destination area but it is worth a visit if you’re in the area. The dolerite is quite featured with edges, under-clings and side-pulls and the terrain is mostly vertical. The following is just a small selection of the climbing here – the stuff that fits easily into the genre of bouldering. There are a lot more very easy problems that can be done as well as some top-rope routes (look out for the bolts). Some of the problems on the lower levels are affected by tide and swell so a low-tide visit is best to get the most out of the area." access="Park in the lighthouse carpark. The lookout is easy to locate. For the other areas, head down to the west of the lighthouse past the memorial to Luke Jacobs (a local killed in a diving accident), a track leads down through the bush to the cliffs. Jarv’s Table is the first boulder you will come to. Keep on walking round to the west to access the other areas. The Lift Shaft area is a little obscure, keep on going till almost round to the beach on the west side. "/>
<gps id="43">
<point code="MBB000" description="Mersey Bluff lookout" easting="446036" northing="5443421" height="0" pid="1" latitude="-41.15874" longitude="146.35681" zone="55G"/>
</gps>
<text id="44" class="heading2">East of the Lighthouse</text>
<text id="47" class="text">The next few boulders are to the east of the lighthouse. Most are accessed by following the trail down to the lookout.</text>
<text id="2" class="heading3">Below the Lookout – Upper Tier</text>
<text id="3">The first problems described are on two tiers directly below the lookout. To the east of the light house there is also a good traversing wall on the other side of the blowhole (pretty obvious when you’re there).</text>
<image id="36" src="image1.jpeg" width="500" legend="true" legendx="5" legendy="5" legendTitle="The Lookout" height="380">
<legend>4</legend>
<legend>5</legend>
</image>
<problem id="4" number="1." grade="V0" extra="(Stand)">Straight up the right arête to the lookout. Careful on the top.</problem>
<problem id="5" number="2." stars="*" grade="V3" extra="(SDS)">Sit start under the boulder and then lurch up under the arête.</problem>
<text id="6" class="heading3">Below the Lookout – Lower Tier</text>
<image id="37" src="image3.jpeg" width="500" legend="true" legendx="5" legendy="5" height="372">
<legend>7</legend>
<legend>8</legend>
<legend>9</legend>
<legend>10</legend>
</image>
<problem id="7" number="1." grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Straight up the face.</problem>
<problem id="8" number="2." grade="V0" extra="(Stand)">Easily up the corner.</problem>
<problem id="9" number="3." stars="**" name="Back in Town" grade="V3" extra="(Stand)">Power up off the big undercling heading for the flat topped hold in the black rock.</problem>
<problem id="10" number="4." stars="*" grade="V4" extra="(Stand)">Climb straight up the arête to a balancy and high top-out</problem>
<text id="49" class="heading3">Look At Me Boulder</text>
<text id="50" class="text">This is the small outcrop east of the lookout. Easily visible from the lookout. There are a few other boulders worth scrabbling around on behind these ones.</text>
<image id="51" width="600" height="450" src="IMG_2231.JPG" legend="true" legendx="442" legendy="1">
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<legend>
<climb>52</climb>
<climb>53</climb>
<climb>54</climb>
<climb>55</climb>
<climb>57</climb>
<climb>56</climb>
<climb>58</climb>
<climb>59</climb>
<climb>60</climb>
</legend>
</image>
<problem id="52" stars="" extra="(SDS)" number="1" name="" length="" grade="VE" fa="">Easily up the broken arete.</problem>
<problem id="53" stars="" extra="(Stand)" number="2" name="Fisting with an audience" length="" grade="VE" fa="">Easy corner with the deep slot. Ten points if you fist jam in there.</problem>
<problem id="54" stars="" extra="(Stand)" number="3" name="" length="" grade="VE" fa="">Easy corner</problem>
<problem id="55" stars="" extra="(Stand)" number="4" name="" length="" grade="VE" fa="">Easy face</problem>
<problem id="57" stars="" extra="(Stand)" number="5" name="" length="" grade="VE" fa="">Easy corner.</problem>
<problem id="56" stars="" extra="(SDS)" number="6" name="Don't Instagram Strangers" length="" grade="VE" fa="">Fun seam up the middle of the face.</problem>
<problem id="58" stars="" extra="(SDS)" number="7" name="" length="" grade="VE" fa="">Jam crack</problem>
<problem id="59" stars="" extra="(SDS)" number="8" name="" length="" grade="VE" fa="">Surprisingly challenging arete.</problem>
<problem id="60" stars="" extra="(SDS)" number="9" name="" length="" grade="VE" fa="">All the faces and crack has been climbed. All easy mileage.</problem>
<problem id="61" stars="" extra="(SDS)" number="10" name="Watch me make it rain" length="" grade="V1" fa="">Traverse the whole wall. From the Southern section near the tussock to the first boulder. Both directions have been done with similar challenge.</problem>
<text id="11" class="heading3">The Island</text>
<text id="12">The island just west of the lookout has one really good problem on the north side. Access by hopping across the gap on the south side. Low-tide and low-swell required</text>
<image id="38" src="image4.jpeg" width="300" legend="true" legendTitle="The Island" legendx="5" legendy="5" height="398">
<legend>13</legend>
</image>
<problem id="13" stars="***" number="1." name="The Shield" grade="V5" extra="(Stand)">Step onto the face and slap up the right and left lines of side-pulls. Get the highest left side-pull and lunge for the top. Just high enough to be interesting. Probably the best problem here.</problem>
<text id="46" class="heading2">West of the Lighthouse</text>
<text id="48" class="text">The next few boulders are accessed by following the coastline down around from the lookout (East of lighthouse). Please don't trample paths down directly and destroy the vegetation.</text>
<text id="14" class="heading3">Jarv’s Table Boulder</text>
<text id="15">Visually quite a nice little boulder – the orange looks great in late afternoon light. There are top-rope anchors on this boulder. These problems were probably first ascended as top-ropes. A butt-dragging traverse can be undertaken round the table feature itself (for those so inclined).</text>
<image id="39" src="image5.jpeg" width="500" legend="true" legendTitle="Jarv’s Table Boulder" legendx="5" legendy="5" height="666">
<legend>16</legend>
<legend>17</legend>
<legend>18</legend>
<legend>19</legend>
<legend>20</legend>
</image>
<problem id="16" stars="*" number="1." grade="V0" extra="(Stand)">Not pictured. The groove round the left arête.</problem>
<problem id="17" number="2." grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Up the left arete.</problem>
<problem id="18" number="3." grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Straight up the face, a better problem is an eliminate avoiding the big hold. Quite balancy – V4.</problem>
<problem id="19" number="4" grade="V0" extra="(Stand)">Up the corner easily.</problem>
<problem id="20" stars="**" number="5." name="Smithy's Face" grade="V2" extra="(Stand)">One of the best problems here, up the face using both arêtes. Eliminate is possible using just one arête, about V3. Got a vague recollection of Neil Smith telling me that this was first ascended as a 21 back in the day.</problem>
<text id="21" class="heading3">On the Way Wall</text>
<text id="22">There are a whole bunch of easy walls around here. This is just one of many faces with a couple of good problems.</text>
<image id="40" src="image6.jpeg" width="300" legend="true" legendTitle="On the Way Wall" legendx="5" legendy="5" height="401">
<legend>23</legend>
<legend>27</legend>
</image>
<problem id="23" number="1." grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Straight up the face.</problem>
<problem id="24" stars="*" number="2" grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Up the crack then traverse the break and go up the right arete.</problem>
<text id="25" class="heading3">Finger Lock Wall</text>
<text id="26">A bit of jamming practice can be found here. A bit hard to find, it’s pretty close to the water at the far west of the crag.</text>
<image id="41" src="image7.jpeg" width="500" legend="true" legendx="5" legendy="5" legendTitle="Finger Lock Wall" height="375">
<legend>27</legend>
<legend>28</legend>
<legend>29</legend>
</image>
<problem id="27" stars="*" number="1." grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Finger lock required.</problem>
<problem id="28" number="2." grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Hand-jam crack.</problem>
<problem id="29" number="3." grade="V3" extra="(Stand)">Fridge hugging face. Start in the hole with one hand on each arête, use the arêtes to gain the diagonal crack near the top.</problem>
<text id="30" class="heading3">Lift Shaft Area</text>
<text id="31">Some good problems here. Watch out for loose holds on the high top-outs.</text>
<image id="42" src="image8.jpeg" width="500" legend="true" legendx="5" legendy="5" legendTitle="Lift Shaft Area" height="375">
<legend>32</legend>
<legend>33</legend>
<legend>34</legend>
<legend>35</legend>
</image>
<problem id="32" number="1." grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Climb the crack in the corner.</problem>
<problem id="33" number="2." stars="*" grade="V2" extra="(Stand)">Overhanging face, very good.</problem>
<problem id="34" number="3." grade="V1" extra="(Stand)">Layback up the left hand crack in the shaft itself. Alternatively bridge up the whole thing (V0).</problem>
<problem id="35" number="4." grade="V2" extra="(Stand)">Start on the left arête of the face. Make a dynamic move to the horizontal break then easily to the top.</problem>
</guide>
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