Victorian Climbing Club

The Club

An Introduction

The Victorian Climbing Club was formed in 1952 and incorporated in 1985. The aim of the Club is to promote the sport of climbing. The VCC is involved in a number of areas including access negotiation, club trips and working bees.

Benefits of VCC Membership

By joining VCC you: Support the VCC Access Officer who works with government and land holders to resolve access issues and keep your favourite crags open Great discounts at gym, gear stores and many other places - See supporters page for full list Loads of opportunities to meet people at club meetings and trips - Check the events page for the current event calendar Argus Newsletter eleven times a year Remember, over a year, the discount from visiting the gym once a week more than covers the cost of an adult membership!

How to Join

Membership fees are set each year. The fees (including GST) as at November 2012 are:

Ordinary	$71.00
Concession	$54.00
Family	$108.00
Affiliate	$144.00

Online membership processing is now available through RegisterNow: click here to join or renew onlineTo register via post, download the Membership Pack which contains an application form and all the information you'll need to become a member:

Download Membership PDF Pack 200k - To download, right click on the link and select "Save As" to save the file to your hard drive.

To view a copy of the VCC Membership rules as an Adobe PDF click here.

*Note: You will need the Adobe Acrobat™ to view these files. If you do not have Acrobat installed, it is available to download from www.adobe.com.

Club Meets

Informal Club Meets are held about 6 times a year and are a chance for members to get together socially. Past meets include a BBQ at Burnley, climbing nights at the gyms or bouldering walls, slide shows, spit roast at Natimuk and even just a visit to the pub. Keep an eye on the events page for details of the next Club Meet and send suggestions to the secretary Slide shows are normally held at the Gemmological Association Of Australia (GAA), 380-382 Spencer St, West Melbourne, Vic 3003 - see map at right.

Our Achievements

5th Jan 2007

What has the VCC have achieved so far towards Protecting Victoria's climbing future?

In 1998, we took the lead by employing Australia's first professional Access & Environment Officer. Since then, the VCC Access Officer has helped us to:

1. Maintain a strong and attractive public presence for our CliffCare projects through poster displays in gyms and shops.

This has produced a dramatic growth in the number of climbers supporting the club and joining in our work parties.

2. Make direct personal contact with land managers.

By building relationships with rangers, we have been able to find practical solutions before major access problems arise. This has included:

Getting support from climbers for an access moratorium on cliffs near the home of the last Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies in the Grampians, while keeping open the popular cliff at Mt Fox.

working with local Kooris to protect art sites at Black Ian's Rocks,

Siting of new tracks to Mt Rosea and the Gallery.

Re-opening cliffs on the east side of Flinders Peak in the You Yangs.

Continuing negotiations for re-opening Hanging Rock to climbers.

3. Organise work parties to repair damage at Mount Arapiles, Camels Hump and Summer Day Valley.

Projects are underway at several locations and hundreds of people have volunteered for more than a dozen workdays over the past two years. We have received more than $10,000 from Parks Victoria for work at Werribee Gorge. John's work has meant that we have consistently succeeded with our grant applications.

With support from the Conservation Alliance, Parks Victoria and many of you we have been undertaking the CliffCare Arapiles Repair Project.

During 2001 and 2002, we have been completing stone terracing below the Organ Pipes, repairing the track up to the Muldoon area and closing many unnecessary and ugly walking tracks to and from the Pines We are also beginning an experimental weed control and native grass regeneration plot along the base of the Organ Pipes.

4. Prevent access problems caused by land manager fears about their liability for climbing accidents.

We have reinforced the message that no land manager in the US, the UK or Australia has ever been successfully sued for negligence in relation to a climbing accident. Liability fears often centre on bolting. We engaged CSIRO to test common Australian bolting techniques. With these results, we are helping Parks Victoria to develop a pragmatic policy that recognises that limited use of bolts can reduce environmental impact and improve safety. A sensible policy on bolts is a vital step towards dealing with environmental damage at many popular cliffs used by commercial and school groups, re-opening Tongue Point at Wilson's Prom, and lessening ranger anxiety about climbing across the state.

5. Educate climbers about sharing the cliffs with other species.

How can climbers affect Peregrine Falcons? We have sought advice from the experts and published detailed information about the way these spectacular birds nest and breed. This helps climbers to understand the purpose of seasonal cliff closures.