The Velvet Underground
Acknowledgement
By Nick Hancock
Introduction
The Velvet Underground is a granite crag south of Granville Harbour.
Access
From the Granville Harbour Road travel 1.7 km along Climes Track, park near where it crosses the Tasman River, where it gets too rough for most vehicles. Walk along Climes track for 3km to where a rough track branches off right toward the coast, turn right here (GPS: VU000). The crag is set back 50 m from the coast and above a pond. (GPS: VU010)
Crag Steward
Rock climbers please contact the Cliff Steward (westcoast@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.
Non-climbers, other users, land managers: please also contact cct@climbersclubtas.org.au if you have important climbing related queries at this location.
GPS
On the far left of the crag climb a flake crack then up right to finish.
Heather & Nick Hancock Mar 2008.
Climbs the pillar with a wide horizontal break at half height, on the left side of the cliff. Technical moves past six glued carrots. Optional Friend 5 on a long sling in the break.
Nick Hancock, Feb 2006.
1. 10m 26. Climb the very thin seam past two glued carrots and small cams to a belay on the right. 2. 15m 17. Follow the corner above trending left onto the arête to finish.
Nick and Heather Hancock, Feb 2006.
From the belay above the first pitch of Heroin, battle up the overhanging fist crack, to an easier, very wide crack above, Friends 2-6.
Nick Hancock Jan 2011.
Start below a round hole. Thin cracks on good wires then carefully up the easy slab above.
Nick Hancock & Sarah Hedges Jan 2004.
Follow the right trending diagonal off blocks to the flared vertical cracks. Follow these to a glued carrot and a thin move over a bulge. Climb up to a deep flared crack (4 Camalot) and another bolt on the final slab.
Nick Hancock & Sarah Hedges Jan 2004.
Climb the overhanging groove, then trend right up the diagonal break. Climb the groove above, then up over the bulge past glued carrots and medium cams.
Nick Hancock Feb 2007
Climb the fist crack to shrubbery. Go left to another crack then back right to a black groove through the final tier. 4, 5, & 6 friend-sized cams essential.
Nick Hancock & Sarah Hedges Jan 2004.
Climb a very thin crack up a prow past 4 glued carrots, to another glued carrot, on the pocketed wall above.
Nick Hancock & Sarah Hedges Jan 2004.
Climb a right trending ramp (4 & 5 Camalot) to open grooves (4 glued carrots).
Sarah Hedges & Nick Hancock Jan 2004.
Near the top of the rocky gully on the right side of the crag climb a left trending crack to an easy finish.
Nick Hancock & Sarah Hedges Jan 2004.
Velvet Teens
Ten minutes north along the coast from the Velvet Underground is a collection of large boulders by the ocean. On the west face of the largest boulder climb a desperate flaring runnel to a ledge, then the lovely seam and diagonal crack above. Simultaneous abseil off the top.
Nick & Heather Hancock Jan 2011.
Fifty metres south and facing inland is a nice golden wall above a zawn, with a perfect flake crack. Climb this with conviction past good wires and cams.
Nick & Heather Hancock Jan 2011.
Only one kilometre from the shacks at Granite Creek and approached along the coast from them is a nice cliff with a R facing flake line on the landward side. GDA 55G 0339782 53653454. Climb steeply up the flakes with good medium cams. Sling belay on top. Scramble off to the South.
Nick & Heather Hancock Dec 2018
The Velvet Middle Ground
South of and further away from the ocean than
the Velvet Teens is a small creek flowing from a south facing gulch.
Steep hand rack on south side of landward face by creek.
Heather & Nick Hancock Jan 2023
Arete just to R with bold start.
Nick& Heather Hancock Jan 2023
St Clair Falls
Further south along the Climies Track, about 4km from the shacks, is another climbing area with a hand crack up the gorge away from the coast and a large block near the sea. If you see the crag you have gone too far. Go back a few hundred metres north on the Climies Track and descend a sandy 4 wheeler track.
Climb the thin line on the R side of the blank North face of the main block. Double U bolt anchor on South side.
Nick & Heather Hancock Jan 2016
Climb the line on the next bock R.
Niels Holthof & Flavia Wipplinger Jan 2016
On the R side of the seaward face climb the impossibly thin crack. Luckily a pocket makes it possible. Step L then up.
Nick & Heather Hancock Jan 2016
Around to the R facing South, climb the ominous body chimney. Reminiscent of the Harding Slot on Astro Man, and not in a good way. Nick's knees left the sidewalls red after the first ascent. Cams to 6.
Nick & Heather Hancock Jan 2016
On the south face, climb the very thin slab to the R via 5 glued carrots to a double U bolt anchor.
Heather & Nick Hancock Jan 2018
On a separate cliff just south, climb the sharp arête facing out to sea. Trad gear inc. a good small wire just before 2 glued carrots.
Niels Holthof & Flavia Wipplinger Jan 2016
So named because Nick graciously gave this classic looking hand crack to his Swiss friends for the first ascent. It turned out to be harder than it looked! The obvious crack over a small roof near the start, a hundred metres up the R side of the river. Very sustained!
Nick & Heather Hancock, Niels Holthof & Flavia Wipplinger Jan 2016