Blue Mountain Climbing

Day eighteen. Climbing at Bardens Lookout in Mount Victoria.
Drive onto Great Western Highway. Right at Mount York Road, then slight left to stay on Mount York Road. Destination on left 4.1 km.


Panoramic views over Little Hartley.

Warmed up along the Little Triggers Area. The big and orange wall further right of the overhangs. The area caters for those climbing in the low to mid-20's. A 10-minute hike offers great sport routes and a few good lines on natural gear.


Duc led on the Karinya (16) 25m.

Next route was Jolly Good Fellow (18) 25m. Pleasant wall 6m right of Karinya.


Lady Stardust (22) 22m. US grade conversion 11a.


Caz tops Lady Stardust (22).


Moving to lead on Changes (20) 20m.

There was a mishap when leading on Changes. I'm at fault for not calling to "take" the slack, which led to a 5m drop and severe blisters on my belayer and savior, Duc. The only remedy was 2 lbs of ice and aloe vera gel. Plus humor and Lady Gaga Bad Romance. Overall, today was a good day to climb. Best place to climb by far.

First time commuting solo on the City Rail. Departed Birrong to arrive in Newtown. Greeted warmly across the street by my friend, Jennie Le, and her cousin, Dan. First stop was Oporto for chips and rotisserie chicken with lemon butter herb sauce.

Next destination was Queer Central at Sly Fox Hotel on 199 Enmore Rd in Enmore, then the Velvet Room at the classy Bank Hotel on 324 King St, Newtown. The women at the Sly Fox absolutely push the boundary on entertainment. At least the first act was quite an exposure. If lesbians were categorized under music genre then the edgier Sydney lesbians are hard rock, bohemian Melbourne lesbians are 80's pop, and 'mixed bag' Bay Area lesbians border on top forty, folk, and soft rock. Also note, under the condition that there is a shortage of toilet paper in the women toilets, lesbians should not substitute the pages in magazines for toilet paper. Try the stocked toilets downstairs.