Date: 29th – 30th October
Camping Location: Abandoned Quarry / Camp Sandy
We usually camp at Mt Stapylton, but since it was fully booked, we tried Camp Sandy for the first time. It’s free but has no water or toilet facilities. Perhaps due to the rain forecast for Monday and Tuesday, it wasn’t as busy as we expected. Despite that, it was a beautiful spot.
Crag: I forget walls - Main Cliff South
Saturday
- Web of deceit (short)
- Nephila
- Everything's a Circus
Sunday
- Nephila
- The forgotten child
- Everything's a Circus
I would highly recommend visiting I Forget Walls. The crag has something to offer for climbers of (mostly) all grades. During winter, it can be a bit chilly, but often provides the perfect temperature for climbing. Around this time of the year, it’s best to start early and aim to finish by 2 pm, before the heat becomes overwhelming.
During this trip, I particularly enjoyed Nephila and The Forgotten Child. Nephila had a mix of overhung and slab sections, then back to overhung, with juggy sequences. The Forgotten Child was a different challenge—requiring delicate positioning and a crux that combined a tricky crimp and sloper. I only managed it on top rope this time, but I’m excited to go for a redpoint next visit.
My partner tried Everything’s a Circus. A knee pad might come in handy for this one—it looked brutal!
Food:
Saturday lunch was simple: rice balls I packed. By 2 pm, the heat forced us off the crag, and we drove to Halls Gap for a snack run—beers and a tub of blueberry yogurt. We were shocked to discover the tub contained seven servings and almost 90g of sugar. Definitely not a “little” snack!
Back at Camp Sandy, we cooked a cozy dinner: tomato pasta with flaxseed schnitzels. Unfortunately, the heat and the afternoon sun took their toll—my partner’s hay fever flared up badly, and I also got a bit of heatstroke. We ended the night early to recover.
All in all, a short but memorable weekend.
