Australia- New South Wales

The Opera House and Harbour Bridge

From the cosmopolitan city of Sydney to the rolling hills of New England and on to the rugged coastline, where surfing rules the scene, New South Wales continually amazes you with its seemingly limitless beauty. So much is packed into such a small area, perhaps more so than any other state. It's an interesting mix of tropical and temperate, urban and rural, ocean and outback. It's these dichotomies that give weight to the surroundings and make you appreciate how special this place is.

The Stockton Bight-the longest moving sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere (35km!)

Stockton Bight

Dorrigo National Park

Lower Ebor Falls

New England National Park

Byron Bay

Looking down on North Avoca Beach from Hannah's beach house

Me heading out to surf at Avoca Beach

Checking out the waves

Downtown Sydney at night

Australia- The Sunshine Coast

A look back at Noosa's main beach

Gum tree at sunset

Queensland's Sunshine Coast, located just north of Brisbane, is home to some of the biggest surf and best beaches in Australia. The centerpiece of this area is Noosa. This picturesque spot boasts a vibrant downtown set only a hundred or so feet off the main beach surrounded by national parks and amazing surfing for all ability levels. It's a beach town through and through, the kind of place that could almost convince a mountain person like myself to trade the ski boots in for a pair of flip flops and a surfboard.

Granite Bay

Noosa National Park

Rocks at Boiling Point

A koala enjoying some eucalyptus leaves

Australia- The Whitsunday Islands

Whitehaven Beach

A chain of mountaintops long ago submerged by the Pacific Ocean, the Whitsunday Islands are truly one of the most spectacular places in Australia. A day or two spent sailing around the stunningly blue waters and exploring the area's many white sand beaches is an experience that will stay with you for the rest of your lifetime.

Whitsunday Island

South Molle Island

Low tide exposes the reef in Long Island's harbor

Whitsunday Island

A view towards the mainland

Sugarcane sunset

Australia- Far North Queensland

The Daintree River

Agincourt Reef

After a cold, windy and rainy winter at Hotham, I decided it was time to head for the sunshine. I found plenty of warmth and sunshine in Far North Queensland. This beautiful area is home to the Great Barrier Reef, dense stands of tropical rainforest, mangroves, crocodiles and miles of empty beaches. It is truly a rugged and beautiful place. Pictures can't really do justice to the Great Barrier Reef or the rainforests, so you'll have to see it for yourself someday.

More From Agincourt Reef

Tropical Rainforest

Cairns

The coastline on the drive to Cape Tribulation

Sugarcane field

Coastal mangroves

Cape Tribulation

Australia- More Grampians Bouldering

A v4 slab at the Andersens area

After finishing the ski season at Hotham, I was able to make it back to the Grampians. It was good to be on the rock again after two and a half months off from climbing. However, the time off definitely took it's toll as I felt weak! Nevertheless, I was still able to climb a number of fun problems.

'Sick Nutter' (v5) at the Trackside area

'Wiggly Boy' (v3)- Trackside

'Paranoiac Critical Town' (v3)- Trackside

An unnamed v5 at the Trackside area

Unnamed v4- Andersens

Unnamed v1- Andersens

Australia- Mt. Hotham & Dinner Plain

A view south from Dinner Plain

I've been working at Mt. Hotham for about a month and a half at this point. It's been good fun to see a new and very different place. The weather has certainly been very trying at times, but when the sun shines, the amazing beauty of the area is revealed. I hope to get some more photos when the weather improves.

Snow Gum

The sun rises on the bus stop in Dinner Plain

Downtown Dinner Plain

Our house in Dinner Plain

The local Dinner Plain ski hill

The Village Chairlift as seen from Swindler's Bar

The view in the other direction

The Summit- our primary beginner's area

Australia- Grampians Bouldering

The incredibly beautiful Taipan Wall

I've been fortunate enough to make a couple of trips out to the Grampians National Park during my time in Australia. This is Australia's premier bouldering area. The climbing is a bit spread out and still undeveloped. However, the area is incredibly beautiful and the rock has some of the most interesting features I've ever seen on sandstone. While climbing there today, I ran into Chris Webb Parsons (who is perhaps the strongest current Australian boulderer) and we talked a bit about the Grampians bouldering guidebook that he is working on. It sounds like he's making great progress on the book and he hopes to have it out in the next couple of months. Having gone through that experience myself, I know it is a lot of work, but he showed me some of the pages and it looks like it's going to be an outstanding book. This is an area that will benefit greatly from a good guidebook as there is a ton of rock but almost no information available online. I found Chris to be a very humble and engaging person and I wish him well on his recovery from shoulder surgery (he sustained the injury on his recent trip to Hueco). I'm sure he'll be back to climbing hard again in no time at all! Anyhow, here are some pictures from my time in the Grampians. (Thanks Stephanie!)

The hike in to the Mt. Stapylton bouldering areas

Learning the 'Nevin Rule' (v7) at the Kindergarten

'A Horse Is A Horse' (v4) at the Kindergarten

An unnamed v4 variation at the Kindergarten

'Fashion' (v5) at Loopey's

'Passion' (v4) at Loopey's

Sticking the crimp on 'Circus Jerkus' (v6) at Loopey's

'Wimmel Friedhof' (v5) at the Hollow Mountain Cave

Zaiga Padoms staring down a hold on an unnamed v2 at the Trackside area.