Crag Care report 2025

Climbers have been involved in crag stewardship around the state in 2025. This occurs frequently on an informal basis, with many climbers removing (mostly non -climber) rubbish regularly. The at risk areas for incidental litter are most commonly on the urban fringe, under lookouts or in shared use areas like campsites and foreshores. While it’s irksome to clean up after others, this informal clean-up is invaluable in keeping areas litter free and this is demonstrated to be an important litter reduction strategy.

 

Formal Crag Care Events

However, to be recognised by land managers, to foster good relations and to be able to enact strategic planning, it’s essential to be recognised and involved with managers in such activities, so long-term initiatives can flourish. This needs planning and people committed to seeing the project through. We offer a massive thanks to those who have taken on organisational roles and seen through the following events this year. We also offer appreciation to those people who have participated in such an event in 2025 and for supporting businesses.

 

Below is a summary of 2025’s many formal opportunities to help with clean-ups and bush regeneration. These hours of volunteer labour have helped improve our climbing areas and their environs. If we have missed anything please let us know. We are always happy to help publicise crag care or clean-ups. 

 

Blue Mountains cragcare with Blue Mountains City Council has had 4 successful days this year with a final event being planned with visiting QUT climbers in December. The track-work around Shipley and Centennial Glen is complete, and the team has now started work on the Celebrity Crag access trails. Work in 2025 will likely recommence in early Autumn 2026. Blue Mountains CragCare is coordinated by Lisa and Ollie Light and supported by Blackheath butchery and Big John.

 

Graham Dowden organised a Clean Up Australia event on Clean Up Australia Day under the lookout at Sublime Point. Graham was congratulated by several climbers heading down to the crag, but it was disappointing that they did not stop for an hour to help, but well done Graham!

Three members of ACANSW spent a day picking up large amounts of rubbish on the Cleanup Australia Day in Gardens of Stone SCA along with NPWS staff and other user groups (notably bushwalkers). These types of community events are particularly important to create relationships, not only with land managers, but also with other recreational groups.

Nowra Crag Care has held 2 events with Shoalhaven City Council and Landcare to help with bush regeneration at Thompsons Sunrise and then a cleanup and bush regeneration community day at Bombaderry Creek. The strategy of holding an event in the school holidays was very successful for family participation and the team are exploring the possibility of holding an event in January as well as lining up a couple more events through 2026 on an as-needs basis. Many thanks this year to Elizabeth Musson and Tessa Eden for coordinating these events. 

 

In Sydney, Nomad bouldering hosted a clean-up in March at Bidigal reserve after the scheduled annual event in December was washed out in late 2024. They intend to continue this as an annual event. 

 

A clean-up event at Alfords Point was washed out early in 2025 and rescheduled, which impacted attendance, but several bags of litter were cleaned up by those that made the rescheduled event. The clean-up was supported by ClimbFit Kirrawee and SRC and organised by Barney Smith with the help of Mikl. There are plans to make this an annual event to address the litter that comes from the road above the crag, and gets carried or dumped around the residential fringe. 

 

In the Hunter and Central Coast region, the second ever Monkeyfest weekend saw close to 30 volunteers spend a Saturday morning doing bush regeneration with the central coast NPWS under Monkeyface crag in Watagans NP. There have been real inroads into the weeds, predominantly lantana, in this region over the past 5 years of climbers effort with regeneration of the native rainforest.  Participants were keen for the event to happen every year. Thanks to Pulse gym for sponsoring the BBQ. 

Further north, climbers joined the Friends of Tomaree (NPA and NPWS) in several community events throughout the year, addressing mainly bitou bush at the southern end of One Mile beach near Anna Bay. Climbers also were useful in tackling steeper slopes at Box beach and Zenith beach and have been working hard under Tomaree lookout to clear rubbish and address large pockets of Polygala and prickly pear. They have also cleared rubbish at Iris Moore Park several times (the rocky beach acts like a magnet for flotsam). 

 

Plans for 2026

For 2026, we expect to see a similar programme of events and, hopefully, will arrange a clean up of non-climber rubbish at the base of Mount Gibraltar in Mittagong (this sadly includes shopping trolleys, many bottles thrown from the lookout and items of household waste). There are other pressing issues in that area that need Council involvement. We are also hoping the NPWS will greenlight a programme for Glenrock SCA in Newcastle that we have been agitating about for several years.

 

As always, grab your friends and make a commitment to do something once a year for our crag environment – you are likely to find it a fun experience, you will learn something, get to engage with like-minded people and most activities are a great warm up, over in a few hours, leaving you with plenty of time to climb. 

Feel free to arrange a Clean Up Australia Day activity for Sunday, March 1 2026 - and tell us about it.