Guide to Climbing Centres in Melbourne
Indoor climbing in Melbourne has never been so much fun or colourful as now. As well as the traditional indoor climbing centres with a variety of routes of varying difficulty using rock climbing holds glued to the wall, there are now centres with interesting climbs which have belaying systems which mean that kids can climb without the need for a second person to be belaying. There are also many bouldering gyms where ropes are not required.
The place which broke the mould was the first Clip 'N Climb location in Richmond. It had more than 30 different climbing challenges plus two extra adrenaline experiences - the Leap of Faith and the Vertical Drop Slide and used an auto-belay system which means you didn't need a partner to climb. This centre has now closed but a number of Clip 'N Climb type centres have sprung up since.
Clip 'N Climb in Berwick has a range of climbing challenges, the Leap of Faith, Vertical Drop Slide, SkyTrail (a multi-level indoor suspended obstacle course), SkyRail (a 20m overhead flying fox) and Cheeky Monkey Climbing area for younger kids.
Go Climb in Coburg North has Clip 'n Climb style climbing walls, NinjaX obstacle course and a highly interactive play zone for younger kids.
Clip 'N Climb in Williamstown has climbing walls, speed walls, the Twister, the Dark Tower and Leap of Faith. Clip 'N Climb at Cowes on Phillip Island has the usual fun climbing wall plus Augmented Reality climbing options.
Latitude Melbourne / BOUNCEinc in Heidelberg West is an integrated trampoline AND climbing park. Jump along and experience the climbing wall, climbing zone with an auto-belay system, Down Rush (nine-metre mini bungee tower) and sky-high obstacle course.
Funtopia Maribyrnong in Maidstone has a climbing wall area as well as a playground area for younger kids.
Funtopia Carrum Downs has a climbing wall area, playground area for younger kids, toddler area and quality cafe.
Supaworld is a huge indoor playcentre in Keysborough which has fun climbing walls with auto-belays as well as connected trampolines, slam dunking lanes, a high ropes course, dodgeball court, Ninja Warrior course, arcades and a four storey toddler playground.
Rush HQ in Rowville has a number of climbing walls including an elevated inclined wall set high above a foam pit.
Kemizo Family Entertainment Centre in Somerton has rock climbing facilities as well as laser tag and a roller skating rink. There is a six metre high rock climbing wall for climbers of different skill levels. The Kemizo Centre in Pakenham also has Skywalk which features ten different obstacles over the length of a high ropes course.
Crazy Climb Indoor Rock Climbing Centre in Noble Park has 26 different climbs to challenge kids and adults alike.
Activate by Hardrock in Heatherton has Clip 'N Climb set of walls, Australia's highest sheer vertical drop slide, a monster Leap of Faith and 85+ meters of caving tunnels.
Rabbit Hole Play Centre in Braybrook is a spectacular play centre with a nice climbing wall for kids.
For the more hardcore climbers who want some indoor action there is:
Cliffhanger Climbing Gym in Altona North has the tallest climbing walls in the Southern Hemisphere at 20 metres high. There is a large variety of climbing walls, and two dedicated bouldering areas.
Bayside Rock Indoor Climbing in Carrum Downs has ten auto-belay stations, 50 top rope belay stations, a Caving System with small dark tunnels (for non claustrophobic climbers) and a big high ropes course.
Nunawading Hardrock in Nunawading has climbing on walls that feel and look like real rock which range in height from 6 to 16 metres.
Hardrock runs a Junior Climbing Club, which is open to those aged 11-19, and offers specialty coaching in all areas of rock climbing. The recommended youngest age is 5 years and up at the Nunawading complex. Children under 11 may climb, but cannot undertake the safety work (belaying) at the base of the climb, and must be accompanied by an adult to help them. One adult may help up to two or three children comfortably, thus allowing the children a break in between climbs. Kids 11 years and older are able to belay for each other.
Melbourne CBD Hardrock is an inner city alternative to Nunawading Hardrock. This location also runs a Junior Climbing Club for those aged 11-19 and has a program suitable for children aged 5-10 which provides kids the opportunity to develop motor skills, build confidence and discover rock climbing in a fun and interactive environment.
Gravity Worx Indoor Climbing Gym in Pascoe Vale has international sport and speed climbing competition walls.
Northside Boulders in Abbotsford (also named lactic Factory) is a bouldering-only climbing gym. Bouldering focuses on climbing things that are interesting and generally low enough to the ground that ropes aren't required. Think caves, low overhangs and giant rocks.
Northside Boulders also has bouldering gyms in Brunswick and Northcote. At Brunswick, the walls are up to 4.5 metres high and are angled from lightly inclined slabs to horizontal roofs while Northcote has a true slab, connecting archway, plenty of overhang and fun aretes.
North Walls Indoor Climbing in Brunswick is grid-bolted and every single climb has the ability to be climbed on lead.
Urban Climb Collingwood has climbing and bouldering classes, youth classes, yoga classes and fitness classes in Collingwood.
Climb West Melbourne is a bouldering gym in Altona. There is a minimum age of 10 to use the facilities and all climbers under the age of 16 must be supervised by a parent or legal guardian.
BlocHaus in Port Melbourne 850 m2 of Blocz climbing surface, LED Moonboard, 40 degree woodie, campus and peg boards plus a 8 metre padded slackline. They offer a range of coaching and classes for all ages and abilities including a youth squad designed for kids aged 10-16 years.
Boulder Lab in Ferntree Gully is a bouldering gym with over 700 m2 of climbing wall space, two training sections, a cafe area and multiple chill out zones.
Boulder Project is a boulder rock climbing gym in Prahran that reflects the strong social, fitness, and music culture of the Prahran area. There is a minimum age policy of 16+ for climbers.
La Roca Boulders is a bouldering gym and espresso bar in Oakleigh which has a minimum age of 16 to use the facilities.
The Crux Bouldering is an inclusive environment for all rock lovers, regardless of skill level in Coburg North.
The Rock Adventure Centre in Newtown (Geelong) has 1000 square metres of Climbing Terrain, walls up to 12 metres high, two Abseiling Towers, Indoor Caving Adventure and a massive bouldering area.
If all the visits to the climbing centres is taking a toll on your wallet, then try out the Burnley Bouldering Wall which is an area under a freeway which has a large number of bouldering climbs on inclined walls. There are also free climbing walls at Holmesglen Bouldering Wall in Chadstone, Hopkins Bridge Bouldering Wall in Footscray, Wilson Avenue Bouldering Wall in Brunswick and Saltwater Reserve Bouldering Wall in Point Cook.
Some playgrounds provide nice climbing walls.
The Fake Grampians Award for best climbing wall goes to the very authentic wall at the Nick Ascenzo Reserve playground in Thomastown. It is easy to pretend that you are climbing the Bundaleer wall in The Grampians!
Other playgrounds with large bouldering or climbing walls are Alistair Knox Park Playground in Eltham and Civic Drive Playspace in Greensborough.
Do you want to see some real rock climbers in action? Take a visit to Falcons Lookout at Werribee Gorge which is located just outside Melbourne.
If you are taking a trip to the country and looking for some indoor climbing action then consider Albury Climbing Centre in Albury. Bimbi Park in the Otways has an outdoor rock climbing structure with 4 auto-Belay systems, a timer on each climbing station and cameras mounted on the top that take pictures of the climbers. There are 8 separate tracks, ranging from easy to extremely difficult.
If you are not content with indoor climbing any longer then take a trip to Victoria's premier climbing destination, Mt Arapiles, in western Victoria and hook up with a local climbing compamy such as The Climbing Company or Arapiles Climbing Guides. In the Grampians area, Hangin' Out provides guided rock climbing. Melbourne Climbing School has climbing courses designed to teach safety skills to all levels, from absolute beginner to advanced rescue skills.
Web Links
→ The Most Exciting Kids Activities in Melbourne
→ High Ropes Courses in Melbourne and Victoria
→ Parkour Activities Around Melbourne
→ Australian Climbing Association Victoria Inc. on Facebook
→ Climb Victoria on Facebook
→ Victorian Climbing Club on Facebook
→ Sport Climbing Victoria on Facebook
