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QUT Cliffhangers Blue Mountains Trip
The QUT Cliffhangers annual Blue Mountains trip is the trip to end all other trips!
Imagine three weeks in picturesque Mount Victoria, living with climbing three out of four days, drinking, games and socialising every night in a house with over twenty other people. All this and the shockingly cheap price make this one of the best holidays around.
The trip is open to all members of the club from beginners to old school. Friends and partners are welcome, but they must also join the club.
The purpose of this webpage is not to convince you to come, but rather to provide you with information if you have decided or are interested in coming.
When
The trip usually commences on Friday a week after the conclusion of exams in November each year and goes for three weeks.
In 2008 the trip will be from the 21st of November through till the 14th of December
There is no restriction on how long you can stay, however it is relatively expensive to only come down from Brisbane for a weekend, and only those who can't get time off work and really really want to climb stay that long. If your staying or passing through Sydney at around that time (International students on a summer jaunt for example) then coming up for a weekend isn't an issue but honestly, you're going to want to be in bluies for as long as you can practically manage.
Getting There
To get down there on the first Friday, we load up a number of cars and leave Brisbane in convoy heading south. We drive for around six hours to a little over half way and camp overnight at Hat Head National Park, a nice camp ground, almost on the beach.The next day we complete the remainder of the journey scooting around Sydney, heading west up the Blue Mountains and on to our destination: Blackheath. After three weeks the convoy will return home, travelling about eleven hours straight back to Brisbane. If you want to come down or leave mid-trip then there's a few options available to you:
Drive
If you have a car your welcome to drive down, keep in mind it is a long trip and much easier with a second driver.
Here are some directions from Sydney of Google Maps. If your coming from Brisbane there's a couple of quicker options by utilising the ring freeways. (Note that the 2, and the 7 are toll roads)
Be a Passenger
If someone else is travelling near to the dates you want and is driving down/up, we will do our best to set you up with them.
Fly
Plane fares are cheap these days check out the Virgin or Qantas websites for details and bookings. Once you land in Sydney, simply catch a train on the western/Blue Mountains line and give us a call when you get into Katoomba or Mount Victoria. (Mount Vic. is closer, but not all trains stop there)
Bus/Train
The long distance bus and train services are about as expensive as the planes these days and not really recommended unless you want to stare out a window for 13 hours.
Camper Returns
In the past some of the international students have used a camper return service to get back to Brisbane cheaply. I'm not sure about costs or any info about these.
Food
Breakfasts and dinners in the house are provided, so we ask that you please provide us with details of any allergies or special requirements you may have. Even if you are going to manage your own diet, we'd appreciate knowing before hand.
Breakfasts are basic self service and some degree of responsibility is required. Dinners will be cooked by two nominated house mates, so bring along a couple of recipes that will cheaply and decently feed people.
No lunches are provided, so you will need to visit the shops in Katoomba occasionally to pick up some supplies to keep you going through the day. Pastries from the bakery in Blackheath are also recommended.
Sleeping
The house has a limited number of beds, a pile of mattresses for the floor, and floorspace. Generally length of time staying, drivers, and date arrived are used to prioritise who gets what. Last year we filled up all the floorspace and so we put up a few tents up outside. This is probably your best bet if you enjoy a good night (and sometimes a good part of the next days sleep)
You will need to bring warm bedding, and a bedroll may not be a silly option if you have one.
Some tents will be required, but generally arrange that by car.
Costs
All included costs must be paid upfront and ideally before we leave for the Blue Mountains, unless arranged otherwise with one of the organisers.
Costs are calculated based on the number of attendee's so bring your friends along to make it cheaper - final prices will be available closer to the date, however it usually works out to be excellent value.
Fuel
- If your going to be a passenger in the convoy on the way down, or back up, either at the start end or middle of the trip, there is a $60 cost associated with fuel.
- If your driving up or back at the start or end of the trip ONLY you will have your full fuel costs reimbursed. There is a sensibility requirement to this in that the the organisers can request that your car is not required, and that big fuel guzzlers may be declined.
- Drivers travelling mid-trip will have their fuel refunded up to the value of $60 per passenger they are carrying.
- Fuel for travel whilst in the mountains will be paid for for designated cars. This will usually be all the cars, however if we should end up with more cars than we need, some other arrangement will have to be made.
Trip Costs
The main trip cost will be worked out based on the number of nights you are spending on the house, and will cover food, a t-shirt, house rental, fuel and any other misc "house" costs. The actual cost is dependant on the number of people who come, however it usually works out to be around $20 a night.
Membership
You must be a club member to come on this trip, if you are not you will have to pay the minimum six months membership to come along.
Other Costs
Camping at Hat head on the way down, food on the convoys, lunches, alcohol and anything else you need, you will have to pay for yourself.
Activities
No fixed activity plan exists for our time in the Blue Mountains. Most days people go and climb, generally there will be one or two cars going to the same location. The night before all climbers regardless of skill and experience should nominate themselves a car and a leader for the next day.
The first week usually ends up being dedicated to teaching new climbers, or new leaders, warming up on easy stuff, and getting out to the popular places. If your a new climber, then try to arrange to come down earlier in the trip.
Its wise to take a rest day about one in four days if your planning to stay for a week or longer. This will help prevent injury, and give your skin and body a chance to recover.
On your rest days there's plenty of other things to see and do:
- Bushwalks
- Shopping
- Sightseeing
- Jenolan Caves
- Three Sisters
- Katoomba Skyrail thing
- Relaxing at home
- Slacklining
- Watching the Cricket
- Games in the backyard
- Spa and Sauna in Katoomba
Evenings generally comprise of card games, board games, reading, or other forms of entertainment. Feel free to bring along any thing you may have that we might like to play. Your own set of cards is handy for the unavoidable games of Ug.
There is a tennis court at the place we're staying and a large-ish back yard so tennis racquets, cricket bats and footballs may not go astray.
Keep in mind that packing the cars tends to be fairly tight on the way down so don't overdo it on gear.
Climbing
The Blue Mountains has thousands of climbs across dozens of crags most within easy driving and walking distance from where we stay.
Most of the crags have some form of walk in, and so good walking shoes are a must.
The climbs vary across most styles of climbing, from slabby Trad to overhung sport climbs and in grade from ladder like through to stupidly hard.
If your a leader I definitely reccomend getting yourself a guide book from one of the Brisbane climbing stores before we leave. Its worth the cost and is useful for deciding where you want go, what you want yo climb, and keeping track of what you did.
Chores
There are three main tasks that all people staying in the house (and in tents in the backyard) are asked to complete.
Each day two people will be nominated to cook dinner, two to wash the dishes and three to clean the house. This will work on a rotation system, and everyone should expect to do one of these every couple of days in the house. Any crockery used throughout the day (breakfast, lunch and snacks) must be washed up by the user.
The designated cooks will have to arrange to come back from climbing early, and head into Katoomba to buy supplies, and get back in time to feed the ravenous climbers.
Weather
The weather tends to vary a lot up in the mountains. It is the middle of summer so stinking hot summer days are not uncommon. On the other hand, it is at altitude so it tends to get cold at night, rather foggy, and you can have days when your climbing in thermals and a beannie.
Rain too is not uncommon, so some days we all get stuck indoors. Unfortunately we can't help the weather!
What to Bring
Here is a bit of Gear List you can use to help you pack
Who to contact
If you want to come or have any more questions:
- talk to Tom, Ria or Blake at the cliffs
- or via email execs at googlegroups dot com
- or jump on the forum
If your keen to come along, we need some information from you. Use this example for guidance:
Name: Invader Zim Dates: 23/11/07 to the 9/12/07 Transport: Convoy Down, Ride back if possible. Dietary Requirements/Allergies: No nuts Driver: I own a car, I'm happy to drive it, but don't have to bring it if its not needed. Do I require a helmet? Yes Do I require a harness and/or belay device? Yes My T-Shirt Size is: S
More Pictures
There are piles of photo's from previous years on the galley, and a couple of CD'/DVD's floating around if you want to catch up on all the previous action.
2004
2005
2006