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Freya's recap of Harveys:
Townsville time! The club’s annual boulder trip kicked off with the long drive up north to some slightly warmer weather and lots and lots of sugar cane. Most cars rolled out of Brisbane on the Saturday morning with some of us stopping off at Agnes Waters for the night to wake up to an incredible sunrise (think golden sea, multicoloured sky, stars and crescent moon still out). The next day was a slog, but waking up at Harvey’s Marbles was absolutely worth it.
Our camp was situated up Harvey’s Range 40 minutes out of Townsville. In the day, it’s an amazing drive with lush forest and views out to the bay on the clear day as you ascend and descend the range. Being the only ones around in classic Australian scrub bush was pretty lovely; that and the fact that all the boulders you can get your hands on are in walking distance and there are so many places to explore. The climbing up on the range is very cool. So many boulders everywhere you walked with routes that hadn’t been created yet and ones that had so many practically dripping off the rocks. The rock is sharp granite (much skin was lost), so tape for sore fingers is a good idea. It’s covered in dry lichen so they can get quite slippery in rain bbut with enough chalk the routes can withstand a light drizzle.
My favourite part of the outdoor bouldering (apart from the adrenaline rush) was being surrounded by gnarly gums and the sounds of the bush as you climbed. For someone who had never bouldered outdoors before, the marbles still provided some do-able climbing alongside some sick, harder routes. We had a rest day (sort of) to trip over to Girringun National Park and scale down to Wallaman Falls (the most epic thing I have honestly ever seen). The almost 300-metre-high waterfall was covered in mist as we walked down but by the time we hit the lower lookout and scrambled over the (incredibly slippery) rocks it had cleared enough to look up and see the cliffs and rainforest surrounding us. The wind and spray with the curling clouds and mist made the whole place look like something out of Lord of The Rings. That was certainly a highlight of the trip. We spent nights up at Harvey’s Marbles around the fire. The rainy weather hardly appeared in the evenings, so we had nights out in the open for star gazing, roasting sweet potato and marshmallows, card games and fierce debates (mango or avocado?).
Would also highly recommend investing in a headtorch with a strobe effect purely for dancing and moshing around in the forest. It’s a secluded and rarely used spot, part of the charm is it’s lack of facilities as well. Worth the journey from down south, this trip has filled me with happiness and amazing memories.
Side note: the trench was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be… Thanks to those who dug it with little plastic shovels.
Magnetic Island by Igor
Harvey’s Marbles was fantastic, but we had another week planned of bouldering on Magnetic Island to get too! We arrived by ferry after a 40-minute ride from the mainland. The weather forecast was looking pretty grim for the week so the group made the most of the drier weather by swimming and heading to the boulder almost immediately after we got to the back packers in Nelly Bay. The Island is picturesque, and the bouldering doesn’t’ disappoint.
Here is a recap of one of the best days we spent on the Isalnd: After a couple of boulders, lunch and a few card games at Horseshoe Bay, a group of climbing enthusiasts decided to give the Rocky Bay another go, wet one this time. Cruising past every problem at other Middle boulders, Elijah, Jarred, Tom and Moby proceeded to challenge themselves on Flaker, joined by Jack. Robyn and Igor were working on the Reverie on the right side of the beach, supported by Scotia’s dances on top of the rock nearby. As the rest of the group reunited with us later at the beach, the whole bay was filling with energy, happiness and laughter. Jarred, Liv and Sydney went for the swim. After hard work and loud cheering by spotters, Freya successfully sent the Whale Rail. Yim, Jack and Tom were playing with Whale’s Nose Ring, trying to reach the edge and push up with one hand. Kobi, accompanied by unfamiliar boulderer, was working on the Whale Traverse.
Finally, he found the optimal positioning for start and topped-out straight ahead barefoot. It was already dark when we started walking home, putting the head torches to good use. Preparation of Dan’s birthday cake was waiting at the camp. And on another day, when the weather drove us off the rocks: Critical damage to the Seafood cafe’s potato supplies was done by the gang. Upon returning to the camp, the island finally blessed us with sunny weather. Very little is needed for happy life, especially on a trip like that! Seeing the sunbeams appearing from the clouds, we expected a nice sunset. Small hike to Hawking’ point lookout was well-rewarded.
All possible shades of setting sun were at our sight, along with Maggie’s beaches, forests, and mountains (Mt Cook was not conquered by us – better luck next time). Townsville crags were visible on the other coast of the ocean. Glares of lights on its waters created small rainbows. The final minutes of this view left us speechless. The final evening of the trip couldn’t get better, if not for the vegan cuisine miracles. Despite being restricted to scarce camping facilities, the team, led by Sydney, Freya and Ruby, created a potluck dinner, amazing by its taste and size. We woke early in the morning to catch the 6am ferry and begin our journey back to Brisbane. The trip of a life time had a few days left of driving and friends; it had gone too fast.
Written by Freya Thornston and Igor Babaian