Wet weather options: Go to Nowra, or wait it out - the rock dries very quickly.
Rock type: Sandstone, varying from wonderfully solid to complete choss, however nearly all routes are on excellent rock.
Guidebook(s): Point Perpendicular (McMillan, Jones, Cleland, 2001), Beecroft Peninsula (Peck, Churchill / Brown Blunt 1991?)
Style of Climbs: Cleancut walls jointed by soaring corners and aretes, mostly vertical but plenty which lean alarmingly out over the crashing waves 60-80m below. Trad gear is an absolute necessity, and big cams (up to #4 camalot) are not out of place even on face routes, there's heaps of big pockets where they fit like a glove. Most routes are rap-in & climb out, so most people leave a fixed line and everyone should carry prussiks. Finally, give serious consideration to using double ropes, as the pro is often out to one side or the other, and you often don't want to be extending it. Newcomers should note the excellent toproping opportunities if leading is beyond your headspace.
Best Season(s): Spring, Summer and Autumn. Apart from the very best days, winter is out, as this place gets every bit of wind, and most routes are shady (the only time that Nowra is a better alternative). From about May to August, humpback whales migrate north along the east coast to breeding areas off Queensland. From September to December they return to feeding areas in the Antarctic.
Grades: 4-26
The Details: This place is absolutely awesome! Despite the reputation for tottering choss stacks, rest assured that a vast majority of routes here are on high quality solid rock. Even better, the climbs themselves are incredible, mostly being 30-40m sustained wall routes, usually leaving the crux to the very top, and with exposure levels somewhere between "plenty" and "totally mindblowing"! The pocketed nature of the rock is the icing on the cake, making for outstanding moves of all types. So what’s the verdict on the Point? The sandstone is of excellent quality (at least where routes have been put up!), and is very cleanly jointed to form gorgeous square corners, splitter cracks, soaring right-angled arêtes, and expansive clean sheared faces, usually a few degrees either side of vertical. Exposure is a big ingredient on the Pt Perp menu, and even away from the cracks and corners, opportunities for natural protection are surprisingly good. A great feature is the wonderful “Point Perp pockets” (formed from erosion of brachiopod fossils), which accept cams of all sizes, and often provide for amazingly varied and moderate moves up otherwise impassable swathes of blank rock. The steep angle of many routes and constant exposure usually leaves you both mentally and physically frazzled by the end of the day, but ultimately that’s just as rewarding as the abundant aquatic wildlife and the amazing climbing. Simply, it’s one of the finest crags I have had the pleasure of climbing.
The ranger's office (02 4448 3411) handles bookings for the Honeymoon Bay campground which is a beautiful spot unless 3 million other people are there, which occurs every public holiday and long weekend!
Access: 2.5-3hrs drive from Sydney. 1-5mins walk. (1) Call ahead! The road is closed when the navy is using the bombing range - call the Ranger’s Office in advance to check. (2) Drive to Nowra (2hrs South of Sydney), then follow the road signs towards Currarong (turn left (East) into Kalandar Rd). After another 25mins, just before Currarong township, turn right and follow the jarring rough dirt roads for a few km all the way out to the Lighthouse. Beware car thieves in the carpark! A recent theft cleaned out the passports, plane tickets, credit cards etc of some visiting yanks - poor buggers. Don't count on the security either - the thieves used stolen plates and gave a false name. The new guide by Bob McMillan et al is a ripper, so just buy it ok!?
Sydney Rockclimbing Club New Routes If you only go to one other page, this should be it - some great topos and descriptions of new route activity. 