Climbing Days at Lindfield

A general scene at Lindfield rocks

Lindfield rocks were very important to my climbing career. During the 20 or so years when I was climbing seriously in Australia, I would always go to these rocks once a week. And there I gradually worked out a set of about 40 climbs that I would always do (solo without a rope to save time). I found that this was the easiest way of keeping fit for climbing. Lindfield rocks are perfect for such work-outs, because they are easily accessible and they are of just the right height. And, if you include the Pipe-Dreams overhangs, there is a fine variety of moves to practise on. They provided me with exercise that people now get at the climbing gyms.
But Lindfield rocks are also a place to be social. So this is what this webpage will mainly demonstrate.

The current guide book “Sydney Bouldering” (by Peter Balint) covers Lindfield rocks very well indeed. And this includes a very good history. So I will say nothing on this subject. However I thought I should show their diagram – just in case you don’t have this guide-book with you.

The trouble with this diagram is that it shown as viewed from the top of the rocks. This is very confusing until you get used to it.

I included Lindfield in my guide book of many years ago (“The Rock-Climbs of NSW, 1963 – book(pdf). I though I would show show my diagram of the rocks as well, because this shows the climbs I knew and did. Many of these were included in the 40 climbs I did weekly for practise (as mentioned above).

I rarely take photographs myself. So I don’t have too many. However, after I broke my back from 2003 till 2009 I organised a yearly get-together at Lindfield rocks. So there are plenty of photos from this period.

These photos then come from the early days – the 1960s and 1970s.

This photo shows some of characters of this period at Lindfield. From left to right they are: Ian Logan (SRC), Hugh Ward (SRC), Steve Sessions (KBC), Ted Batty (SRC)?, Barry Dunnet (KBC) and Billy More (KBC).

Barry showing off his rather exceptional physique

Billy on Abseil Wall

Me on One Hold Wall

Me on Abseil Wall

Me finishing the Overhang

Me starting the Overhang

Dot Butler recuperating after a fall at Lindfield Rocks

John Ewbank at Lindfield Rocks

Sometimes I managed to persuade my children to come to Lindfield rocks.

Rebecca climbing

Me and Rebecca

This photo shows me and Noela celebrating at
Lindfield rocks on my 25th birthday

After my accident of course I couldn’t climb at all. I couldn’t even get to the rocks. But I persuaded some climbers to carry me there. And so I could organise to have a good climbing and social day there. This is what I did yearly in October from 2002 till 2009.

This is one of the blurbs I wrote to persuade climbers to come to the rocks.

This is part of a later blurb with different photos.

Many people took lots of photos on these days. These are some of the photos which I have managed to find.

A mob climbing on Four Cracks Wall

Becky climbing Abseil Wall

Becky with her child

Kendra and Michelle

Gary and me

Climbers on 4-Cracks Wall

A crowd of climbers in the middle area

Chris Jackson, Ian Collins and John Leicester

Penny, Frank, Bede and Warwick

Andrew, Reynold and others

Sydney is extremely fortunate too have to have such a perfect bouldering area as Lindfield rocks. We must continue to use this facility fully.

You might now also like to look back at:
either my “Home Page” (which introduces this whole website and lists all my webpages),
or “My Climbing” (which introduces this major set of webpages).

My next normal webpage is “A Proposal for a New NSW Climbers Club“.

Updated on 11/11/2016.