It is with shock and confusion that Australia’s climbing community has received news from Parks Victoria about substantial access bans to over 3,000 climbs (38% of total climbs) in the Grampians National Park / Gariwerd, including several world-class climbing areas.

Climbers are absolutely supportive of protecting sites with cultural heritage but banning access to widescale areas without cause is unreasonable, excessive, and unenforceable. The Grampians climbing ban has been brought in without consultation, and without giving the climbing community the opportunity to respond to concerns.

Climbers are generally extremely respectful of cultural values, and tread lightly on the environment, and as such feel grossly mistreated by Parks Victoria.

There are complex issues at play, and this site will hopefully shed some light on the complexities from both sides, and what climbers can do in response.

Thanks to Neil Monteith, for creating this infographic. To be clear; climbers can’t just “climb elsewhere”, when such a large number of world-class climbing areas are unavailable.

Please check these posts for the latest updates:

Alex Honnold, possibly the most influential climber in the world:

“The Grampians might have the best rock on Earth (a claim that I’ve heard in many places around the world, but is probably true in the Grampians)”