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23.01.2022 To all of our loyal wholesale and retail customers it is with a great deal of regret that Open Spaces Publishing has made the decision to halt work on all of our planned rock climbing and bushwalking titles for the Grampians National Park and at nearby Mt Arapiles. Our business moved to Natimuk in the Wimmera almost 7 years ago to concentrate on climbing and bushwalking publications and I would like to think that our guides have been of some importance to the tourism industr...y. Over the years we are proud to have printed and sold well over 110,000 of our own Open Spaces titles, generating over 5 million dollars in retail sales and helping to support numerous authors and small businesses. We had a number of climbing guides to the Grampians in various stages of production and had started work on the fourth edition of our very popular Arapiles Selected Climbs guide which was scheduled for release in about 18 months. There is no doubt that the massive Grampians climbing bans (on an unprecedented global scale and which have come into force over the last 18 months) combined with the recent Bundaleer and Taipan Wall climbing and bushwalking bans, have forced Open Spaces to re-evaluate our position. In these uncertain times and given the likelihood of further climbing and bushwalking bans in both the Grampians and at Mt Arapiles we have decided to cease all of our planned publications to these areas. A business like ours cannot be expected to operate where there is no certainty. We are especially disappointed that Parks Victoria and the Traditional Owners have decided not to engage with the climbing and bushwalking communities and instead continue to foster this uncertainty. Our own recent discussions with senior Parks Victoria staff regarding our forthcoming Grampians bushwalking guidebook have also given us further cause for concern. Open Spaces would like to offer our full support to all of the various rock climbing, bushwalking and reconciliation groups working towards a mutually beneficial outcome. We understand and are upset that this decision will directly effect the flow of tourism dollars into our Wimmera and Grampians regions but we feel we have no choice. This decision does not affect our existing publications and we will continue to act as a wholesale and retail distributor to titles on our current stock list. See more

18.01.2022 Gathering Dust. 1975. It's February in the Grampians. Chris Baxter (founder of Wild and Rock magazines), Kathleen O'Brien (visiting US climber), Mike and Janet Stone. At Barneys Creek camping ground. Photo by Chris O'Brien (Baxter collection). Rock climbers know Chris Baxter and Mike Stone as two of the legends of Victorian climbing and who spent many years exploring and developing new climbs in the Grampians. A great legacy for generations to come. RIP guys.

17.01.2022 Gathering Dust. 1977. 06 March. At the base of Mt Rosea in the Grampians. On the left is James (Jim) van Gelder. In 1986 James climbed Broad Peak (8051m) and in 1988 was a member of the Australian Bicentennial Mount Everest Expedition. Brian Birchall (sitting) was a well-known Armidale climber, notable raconteur and was described as a 'something of a philosophical Hunter S. Thompson'. Brian taught at the University of New England and died in 2010. Matt Taylor, wearing his tra...demark white pants (ripped at the crotch it seems) became a skilled aid climber with a number of notable early repeat ascents of multi-day big wall routes on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, California. Matt also had great hair. On the far right is Jim Grellis. Jim was a quietly accomplished climber and put up a number of difficult first ascents in the late 1970s. For many years Jim was a Field Organiser of the Bush Search and Rescue (BSAR) in Victoria, a position he held until his death in 2017. Photo Chris Baxter. See more

16.01.2022 Gathering Dust. Mt Arapiles, 20th February 1965. Relaxing under Castle Crag. Note the lack of vegetation back in those days. Left to right. Peter Jackson, Ted Batty, John Fahey, Bob Bull and Reg Williams. A great image of some of the most prolific and talented of the early Arapiles rock climbing pioneers. Photo Chris Baxter.

16.01.2022 In an era where anyone who competently kicks a ball through a couple of sticks or throws a ball through a hoop is classified as a legend it's worth remembering that in reality there are few genuine legends in this world. This is a photo I took of Joe Brown and his wife Val. I was very fortunate to spend a wonderful day climbing with Joe, Val, Dennis Kemp and Chris Baxter on a warm autumn day on Joe's home crags above the old Welsh mining town of Llanberis in 1982. Joe Brown d...ied a couple of days ago in Llanberis at the ripe old age of 89. Joe was the most influential rock climbing rock climbing pioneer of the post war era. When I arrived in England in 1979 I had a list of rock climbs I intended to tick. Not surprisingly almost one third of them were Joe Brown routes. As a young climber I can't emphasise enough just how much Joe meant to me and my generation. Meeting him and shaking his hand was a moment I will cherish until the day I die. Goodbye Joe. You were a legend. See more

16.01.2022 Gathering Dust. December 1967, Mt Arapiles. Left to right. Phillip Stranger, Chris Dewhirst, Peter Jackson and Elizabeth Jackson. Photo Chris Baxter. Notice the various-sized steel machine nuts on nylon slings. The original threads were ground out and smoothed. Sometimes five or six different sized machine nuts were then threaded onto the same sling.

14.01.2022 Gathering Dust. August 1965. Ted Batty leading the third pitch on Scarab during its second ascent at Bundaleer, Grampians. Photo Chris Baxter. Steel carabiners, knickerbockers, hawser laid nylon ropes and slings, a couple of pitons and a piton hammer. The route had only had its first ascent 16 months previously and Bundaleer quickly became a popular destination for the Victorian Climbing Club (VCC) and the Melbourne University Mountaineering Club (MUMC). Scarab eventually became of of the most popular climbs of its grade in the Grampians, seeing perhaps thousands of ascents over the years.

13.01.2022 Gathering Dust. 1993. Tim McCartney Snape. As quoted from Tim's Wikipedia page: On 3 October 1984 Macartney-Snape and Greg Mortimer were the first Australians to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They reached the summit, climbing without supplementary oxygen, via a new route on the North Face (North Face to Norton Couloir). This photo of Tim was taken in October 1993 in the offices of Brian Walters (a prominent Melbourne barrister, writer and advocate for human rights and th...e environment - and a silent partner in Wild Publications). Chris Baxter had proudly just released the 50th anniversary edition of Wild magazine. Glenn Tempest's front cover. The office was filled with dirtbag climbers, prominent legal and environmental fighters, mountaineers, bushwalkers, gear shop owners and weird hangers-on who only seemed intent on eating the free food and drinking the free beer. A memorable evening. See more

12.01.2022 Gathering Dust. August 1965. Following on from our last post, here is Peter Jackson belaying at the start of the third pitch of Scarab during its second ascent at Bundaleer, in the Grampians. Photo Chris Baxter. Great example of a waist belay on hawser laid nylon ropes. Those were the days.

11.01.2022 ACA Climbers Voice first edition.

10.01.2022 Gathering Dust. August 1965. This is another Kodachrome transparency from Chris Baxter's historic rock climbing image collection. The original trannie was extremely dark and it was a difficult job teasing back some of the details. The image is of a very young (age 17) Chris Dewhirst prussiking back up to the huge Ogive roof (having just taken a fall midway across the ceiling) at Bundaleer in the Grampians. Dewhirst had just started climbing and was in year 11 at high school. ...The first ascent of the Ogive was made by Peter Jackson and Robert Bull in October of the previous year (1964). The Ogive is regarded as an outstanding achievement in the history of Victorian rock climbing and it had to wait until 1982 when Kim Carrigan freed it at grade 28. We love the dangling metal rung etriers, prussik knots, hawser laid nylon rope and Dunlop Volley runners. Currently the Ogive (and most of Bundaleer) is off limits to due to the world's largest rock climbing bans. See more

09.01.2022 Gathering Dust. Winter 1991. The late, great, Chris Baxter, then editor and publisher of Wild magazine and Rock magazine (Wild Publications). At Lake Bellfield, Halls Gap, Grampians. Photo Sue Baxter.

08.01.2022 Gathering Dust 1966. Climbers on the summit of Federation Peak (SW Tasmania) after the third ascent of the NW Face. Left to Right: Jim Newlands, Reg Williams, Mike Stone, Chris Dewhirst, Chris Baxter and John Moore. Jim Newlands is holding the Federation Peak Log Book No2 (29 March 1964 - 17 March 1973), which can be viewed at Libraries Tasmania History Room at 91 Murray Street, Hobart. Photo Baxter collection. Love the hawser laid nylon ropes.

08.01.2022 Gathering Dust. November 1985. On the left is Doug Scott (according to Wikipedia: Scott is regarded as one of the world's leading high altitude and big wall climbers. He is best known for surviving an unplanned bivouac with Dougal Haston 100 metres below the summit of Everest, without oxygen, sleeping bags and, as it turned out, without frostbite. Apart from his first ascent of the southwest face of Everest with Haston, all his other Himalayan climbs were achieved in lightwei...ght or pure Alpine style. He pioneered big wall climbing on Baffin Island, Mount Kenya and in the Karakoram, famously on The Ogre (Baintha Brakk) with Chris Bonington, and later on Shivling in the Indian Himal). Here he is at Mt Arapiles with local Natimuk legend Geoff Little. Doug is racking up in preparation to leading Thunder Crack (20) on the Bluffs. He's wearing an infamous Whillans sit harness, the first commercial harness made available during the late 1970s. It was often said that a fall in a Whillans sit harness was a painful end to fathering any future children. Doug obviously never fell off as he ended up with five kids. Photo Chris Baxter. See more

08.01.2022 Gathering Dust. 1965. Easter, Mt Buffalo, Victoria. Bob Bull showing off his newly acquired Karrimor Joe Brown rucksack, while climbing on the stone chimney of the hut at Lake Catani. Bob Bull was one of Victoria's pioneer climbers. At Arapiles Bob was on the first ascent of Watchtower Crack but is best remembered for his impressive first ascent of the then very steep and intimidating Eurydice on Bard Buttress (which he led only a few months after this photo was taken). Photo Chris Baxter.

07.01.2022 Gathering Dust. April 1977. Still on our Bundaleer (Grampians) theme. Here is the legendary Andrew Thomson attempting the first free ascent of Dagons Temple. Ian Guild and John McLean did it on mostly aid in July 1966 but it had to wait until 1978 when Chris Peisker (one of the young prominent 'New Wave' climbers of the late 1970s and early 80s) climbed it free and graded it 22. Andrew Thomson (like Chris Peisker) didn't have sticky rubber shoes (both used EB Super Grattons),... wore a simple 'swami belt' (a few wraps of nylon sling around the waist and around the legs) and no camming devices. Yep, you heard it right no cams! Today Dagons Temple is regarded as a classic test-piece (at the grade) of Victorian trad climbing, having a reputation as a very tough tick. Many hundreds of climbers have fought their way up this impressive line over the years and it is quite rightly regarded as one of Bundaleer's best and most impressive climbs. Currently this route is banned to climbing. Photo Chris Baxter. See more

06.01.2022 A group of walkers at the Jaws of Death in the Grampians, Victoria. Photo taken in September 1947. Modern times saw it renamed as 'The Balconies' (a rather more mundane title) and Parks Victoria have constructed large steel railings to protect everyone from having to experience the real deal. These days tourists have even been known to tell off 'daredevils' who go too close to the edge and ruin their photos. The price of progress we suppose. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria.

04.01.2022 Gathering Dust. June 1975. There was a time when rock climbers were carefree souls, no access issues, weirdos on the fringe, crazy individuals, freedom of the soul and loving every moment of it. This photo was taken at the wonderful and historic old Mt Rosea climbers campsite (now a gravel carpark for day walkers wishing to sample the new Grampians Peaks Trail) in the Grampians, Victoria. From left to right: Kathleen O'Brien, Mike Stone, Merylin Byers, Chris Baxter, Chris Dewhirst, Kathy Uszoki and Andrew Thomson. Red ropes, red downies, mountain boots, EB super Gratton rock climbing shoes, knickerbockers, flat hats, long hair, mustaches, 10kg helmets and yep, those jeans are genuine flares.

03.01.2022 Gathering Dust: It's 1983 and this group of significant Victorian and NSW climbers are headed up to Mt Fox in the Victoria Range, Grampians. From L to R: Greg Child (Summited K2 in 1990). Russell Crow, unknown, Brian Fish, Michael Collie (co-founder of Wild Publications), Robin Miller (solo climber extraordinaire), unknown (yes, that's a J&H T-shirt!), unknown, Graig Nottle (died the following year [1984] on the West Ridge of Mt Everest), Nick Taylor (?), Michael Law, Michael... Stone and Sue Baxter. Michael Law and Michael Stone established many hundreds of first ascents across the Grampians. Photo Chris Baxter. If anyone can identify the unknown climbers it would be much appreciated. On this day Michael Law established the classic arete pitch of Heaven Seven Eleven (22) on Mt Fox itself. Unfortunately this wonderful crag is today banned from climbing by Parks Victoria. See more

01.01.2022 Gathering Dust. December 1987. Left to Right: Keith (Noddy) Lockwood, Dennis Kemp and Dave Mudie at Geranium (Brim) Springs in the Grampians. Dennis was a well known character in the British climbing scene and was noted for his unbridled enthusiasm and for his environmental and philanthropic deeds. In 1958 Dennis was part of a group of four climbers who purchased an important sandstone cliff (Harrison's Rocks) in the south of England. Harrison's was then donated to the Britis...h Mountaineering Council (BMC) for the ongoing enjoyment of the climbing community. In his later years Dennis visited Australia and immediately fell in love with the Grampians and Mt Arapiles. When this photo was taken Dennis had become a respected mentor to multiple climbing generations. In the late 1980s Dennis made the decision to stay in Australia. In 1990, at the age of 67, Dennis was tragically killed in a climbing accident at Mt Arapiles and is today buried in the Natimuk cemetery. It's interesting to note that Geranium Springs was closed to climbing in late 1984 by National Parks staff (the Grampians had just been declared a National Park in July of that year) due to the discovery of rock art. After some letter writing by the Victorian Climbing Club (VCC) the National Parks staff agreed to visit the crag on a detailed field trip. Along with Noddy, there was a VCC representative, a couple of National Parks rangers, Dr Robert (Benn) Gunn (archaeologist) and a couple of other locals. Noddy remembers that the art sites in question were located on low boulders hundreds of metres away from the main climbing area. On this basis Geranium (Brim) Springs was officially reopened to climbers having only been closed for a matter of a month or two. Fast forward to today and Geranium (Brim) Springs is again closed as part of the world's largest climbing bans. No official explanation has been given as to why this once lovely climbing destination is no longer open to climbers. Photo Chris Baxter. See more