Elderslie
5-20 min
Mixed
Sandstone
Introduction
The bouldering at Elderslie is quite good, on sandstone boulders situated amongst dry woodland.
There are access issues for the boulders on private land (e.g. Forbidden Forest), so best to stick to those on public land (see map below).
History
It was originally discovered by Mike Berry and developed by Stu Bowling & friends in early 2001. The area got some more life in 2006 with the discovery of the Gully by Jon Nermut and Dave Humphries, and then later the Arch and the Terrace.
Access
To get there from Hobart: drive up the Midlands Highway towards Brighton. Take the left hand road just before Brighton (Elderslie Road). Follow this road for 15 minutes or so before reaching Elderslie (not much more than a few farms and a golf club). Take a right a few kilometres out of Elderslie (Clifton Vale Road) and follow this dirt road for about 5 kilometres before reaching a Y intersection; take the right road (to Dysart), you will go up a rise and then the road will go down again, at the bottom of this hill on the left is the fire trail about 1 kilometre from the intersection. There are two parking areas.
The first parking is a pullover on the right, opposite the obvious Roadside boulders. Unless you can convince the new landowners otherwise, the boulders accessed from this parking spot are on private land and access is at your own risk! You walk up here for 100m or so and then to your left is Slug Rock (amongst the trees) and the Ant Rocks are about 100m uphill from here. Forbidden forest is a few hundred meters south.
For the second parking area to access public boulders, continue on the road past the Roadside boulder for another couple of hundred metres, around the corner. Park at a large pull-out on the left. The gully is to the East.
Elderslie land tenure
Private boulders (no access)
Roadside Boulders
There are 4 or so obvious freestanding boulders right by the parking area. These have never been developed properly. There are probably about 10 problems to be done here, but they need some cleaning. They are literally 10m from the road, and there is no fence, so access should not be an issue.
The Block
Park at the pullover on the right side of the road just before the roadside boulders and walk along the road for about 50m, there is a bit of a track up to the left. Walk to the top of this first small hill to reach the Block via other boulders including the Voltage boulder. Many new problems still await ascents in this area though rock quality might not be as good as some of the more established problems. These boulders are presumably on the same land as the Ant and Slug boulders, and so have the same access problems, but they are a bit further away from the house.
Block Boulder
Sit start up arete
Sit start on pocket
From pocket and slope to top
Sit start just right of arete
Up arete
Sit start, up to slopey break and top out.
Stand start up middle of face
Up just left of arete
Sit start to top out
Yellow Boulder
Jump to jugs, top out
Sit start-crimp-jugs-topout
Highball up blunt arete
Start at back of roof
Others
Stand start on side pull with left, pop to top
Unnamed
V?Project, sit start to 10
Up slightly overhanging face on very thin holds. Distinctive triangular face on the way to the Block.
Slug Rock
Park at the bottom of the fire trail on the left. Walk up the fire trail for about 200m before shooting off to the left for about 80m, if you get to the top of the hill you've gone to far. Access is now an issue to this area as a house has been built just down hill from Slug Rock. Confirm accessibility with land owners before climbing.
Easy, up slab
Start in corner and up
Sit start on crimps
Sit start on crimps up to finger lock
Ant Boulder
The ant boulder is just up the hill from Slug Rock and Boulder 2 is just around the hill from Slug Rock
Stand start at jugs. Up through good holds to top out.
Stand start. Up through good edges, slopey top out.
Sit start on small edges, move left before trending right to top out on good holds.
Sit start under small roof. Move through reasonable edges, dyno to lip, mantle top out.
Boulder 2
This outcrop is just to the left of Slug rock.
Sit start on lip of small cave. Up through good holds trending left to slopey top out.
Same as for 1, trending right slightly to worse top out.
Stand start at good holds at half height. Straight up through reasonable holds to crux slopey top out. Good spotting required.
Forbidden Forest
The Forbidden Forest is currently off limits to climbing. Do not climb here without permission.
Park as for the block area and walk across the paddock, obviously not in the poppy season. Cross the creek (sometimes dry) and turn left up towards the fence line, follow this (and the overhead power lines) until you get to a gate on the left. Go through this and continue along the fence / power line and the 4WD track for another 100m or so. The boulders are up to the left amongst the trees, the first to come into sight is the overhang with problem 1. on it. As with all the climbing at Elderslie, the Forbidden Forest is on private land. To gain permission call into the white house marked on the map.
The first problem to come into view when walking along the 4WD track, climbs out through the roof, trending left via sloper at the top.
There are various problems up this face
Project, up left arete
Sit start up wall
Sit start on edges to slopey lay back, dyno to jug. Powerful and hard as is to be expected.
Sit start trending slightly right on small edges. Dyno for jug at lip.
Campus out to lip and left. A bit scary, use some mats.
Sit Start, up the right hand side of the short black wall.
Sit start up middle of wall
Up middle of sandy cave via slopes and layaway to top. Attentive spotters!
Up wall around arete from sandy cave
Sit start double pinching, up via edges and arete.
Stand start up arete just right of 12
Sit start 2m right of arete and climb left into no 13. on crimps.
Up middle of face on positive edges.
Up wall
Up wall
Sit start left of arete on good holds. Move straight up (no arete) on good holds to lip.
Up mossy face on small crumbly edges. Poxy!
Up smooth slightly overhanging face
Sit start on jug, move left, up around bulge.
High ball up crusty side of largest boulder.
These problems are in the cave, described from left to right.
Dyno from the jug to the top.
Start with left heel on the jug in 21 and hands on crimps, move right on edges and up.
Start at back of cave and climb out on small edges.