Bombo Quarry Seawall – Bouldering Right by the Pacific Ocean

22/02/2022George Fisher

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22/02/2022George Fisher

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After getting tired of joining the masses in the indoor bouldering gyms around Sydney, George and his partner bit the bullet, bought some crash pads, and searched for some true rock to fall off.

We acknowledge that this adventure is located on Dharawal Nation, the traditional Country of the Dharawal people who have occupied and cared for this land and water for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Highlights

Spectacular sunrise and ocean spray views
Sun-sheltered bouldering
Long seawall for creative climbing
Incredible views of Kiama coastline

‘As we looked out from the south of Bombo Beach headland, there was a beautiful ocean morning mist trying to hide the Kiama Lighthouse further down the coast.’

While indoor gyms have their place in the bouldering world, my partner and I felt predesigned routes of plastic weren’t what we wanted every time we fancied a climb. And so, we decided with the new year we’d search out places to climb where we felt we could be creative and free during our sessions. Somewhere to focus, not on the grade, but to enjoy the outdoors, and the sense of connection to nature you don’t get in a gym. One of our first trips led us to Bombo Quarry.

Photo Opportunities

The walk from the car park along the track on the headland provides plenty of scenic photography opportunities. A relatively easy walk on the track, brought us to the photography mecca of Bombo; an incredible rock bed framed by outer seawall pillars from an old quarry, where the ocean swell sends a shower of waves and rainbow mist into the sunrise backdrop. Many photographers set up their cameras here and wait for the perfect shot for hours every morning.

The Outer Seawall

With the ocean in our ears, we carried on around to the rock plain we planned to climb and headed for the most northerly part of seawall. The wall wraps around the east side of the rock plain, leaving some shade round to the south as the sun rises through to late morning.

Here we found some of the previously researched routes were changed, due to natural weathering we assumed, but also a myriad of potential routes limited only by our ability and imagination (mostly, the occasional loose holds or ocean soaking got in the way). The abundance of cracks and ledges made for some good technique practice of tight crimps and heel hooks at relatively low heights for a less experienced climber.

Ocean Sprayed Bouldering

We chose Bombo Boulders due to some beginner-friendly routes listed on thecrag.com and were not disappointed. Having past some rocky outcrops earlier on the track, which we deemed not worth attempting due to our skill and experience level, we climbed several routes (roughly V0-V1) for a warmup and then set out to make our own problems and experiment with specific movements.

Feeling inspired, we sent some tight sit-start V3s, some V1 lower ledge top outs for a less experienced climber, and a couple V2 higher 4/4.5-metre top outs on vertical walls (very little in the way of over hangs).

Listed on thecrag.com were a few V5s which we also experimented with; however, after deciding that they weren’t within our reach just yet, we started planning our next visit after gaining more experience.

During the session, we watched the ocean shower over the seawall and enjoyed the cooling spray mist whenever we were close enough. By mid-morning we were ready to call it a day, pack up our gear and head back up the track for some breakfast overlooking the beach.

Essential Gear

Climbing shoes
Brush
Chalk
Crash pad and/or spotters
Sensible approach shoes
Smartphone (in case of emergencies and for those awesome Instagram pics)
Sunscreen
Water
Snacks

How To Get There

Drive to Bombo Beach and ideally park in the top area near the toilet and shower facilities. Follow the walking trail north about 1km around the headland. You should head down past the Bombo Geological Site on your right and see the sheltered side of the outer seawall as the headland opens out to the rock plain.