Augmentium, the hardest trad climb in Tasmania

When thinking about climbing in Tasmania, what immediately springs to mind is the Totem Pole, that extraordinary sea stack first climbed in 1968 by John Ewbank and Allan Keller. In 1998 the pillar was the scene of a terrible climbing accident; Britain's Paul Pritchard fell, almost lost his life and as a result of his injuries has remained partially paralyzed. This dramatic turn of event was recounted in Pritchard's award-winning book "The Totem Pole and a Whole New Adventure". Despite these difficulties, Pritchard chose Tasmania as his second home and, seeing the extraordinary beauty of this small island just off Australia's south coast, it's easy to understand why.

Tasmania obviously offers far more climbing opportunities than "merely" the Totem Pole and currently a film is being made that will show all the island's beauty and potential. One of the places absolutely worth a visit is called Star Factory: located within the Freycinet National Park in the SE of the island, this sea cliff hosts circa 50 sport climbs and 10 trad routes, including Augmentium, freed recently by British rock climber Andrew 'Squib’ Cubbon. Graded 30/8a+, this is currently the hardest trad climb in Tasmania, but rumours have it that there may well be more in store in the near future.