Rock Climbing Statistics in Australia

At a glance

• About 110,218 Australians went rock climbing, abseiling or caving in 2025, and 130,277 took part in sport climbing¹.
• New South Wales has the most climbers, with 31% of adult participants¹.
• People aged 25–34 are the largest age group, and about 59% of adult climbers who identify as male or female are male¹.
• Adult participation was broadly steady between 2024 and 2025: the 7.2% rise is within AusPlay's margin of error¹.
• Coroner data record 19 rock climbing deaths in Australia between 2000 and 2019².
• A casual adult day pass at a climbing gym costs about A$24–26³⁴.
• Since October 2026, about 80 climbs at Mount Arapiles have been closed, but climbers can still use all but three of its more than 150 climbing areas⁵.

About 110,218 Australians (adults and children) went rock climbing, abseiling or caving in the 2025 calendar year¹, and 130,277 took part in sport climbing, which AusPlay counts as a separate activity.

• New South Wales has the most climbers, with 31% of adult participants¹.
• People aged 25–34 are the largest age group, with 24,600 participants¹.
• About 59% of adult climbers are male and 41% female, of those identifying as male or female¹.

AusPlay moved to an online survey in July 2023, so figures from 2024 onwards cannot be compared directly with the higher 2016–2022 estimates¹. These are the latest figures available: AusPlay's next release, covering July 2025 to June 2026, is due in late October 2026.

Rock climbing, abseiling and caving ranked 43rd of 142 sports and activities by adult participation in 2025, with 0.5% of adults taking part, while sport climbing ranked 40th¹. Bushwalking is about 38 times more popular, and mountain biking draws about 60% more adult participants than rock climbing.

Rock climbers by age group (2025)

People aged 25–34 represent the largest age group among rock climbers, with 24,600 participants, followed closely by those aged 18–24 with 24,246 participants¹.

• Participants aged 35–44 totalled 21,169 climbers while the 15–17 age group includes 18,078 participants¹.
• Among older participants, those 45–54 account for 8,321 climbers; the 55–64 age group has 4,918 participants; and those aged 65+ comprise 2,208 climbers¹.

Male vs female rock climbers in Australia (2025)

Males dominated rock climbing participation, accounting for 59,263 in the 2025 calendar year, approximately 59.0% of climbers aged 15 and over who identify as male or female¹.

• Female participants numbered 41,155 in the 2025 calendar year, approximately 41.0% of climbers aged 15 and over who identify as male or female¹. AusPlay counts non-binary and self-described climbers in its total but does not report them separately.

Why do Australians go rock climbing?

• Community and social connection are frequently cited as primary reasons people engage in rock climbing.
• Physical fitness and strength development attract many participants seeking full-body workouts.
• Problem-solving and mental challenge appeal to climbers who enjoy the puzzle-like nature of routes.
• Adventure and outdoor experiences motivate many outdoor climbers seeking connection with nature.
• Personal achievement and goal-setting drive climbers to progress through increasingly difficult routes.
• Stress relief and mental wellbeing benefits are recognised by many regular climbers.

How often do Australians go rock climbing?

AusPlay does not publish how often people climb, so there is no official figure for climbing frequency in Australia.

• Gym climbers tend to keep regular weekly sessions, which is why most gyms sell weekly and monthly memberships rather than single visits.
• Outdoor climbing trips usually happen on weekends or longer holidays, and follow the climbing seasons in each region.

Most popular rock climbing areas in Australia

Australia's best-known climbing areas are in Victoria and New South Wales, with the Blue Mountains in New South Wales among the most popular.

• Mount Arapiles, Victoria is Australia's traditional climbing mecca, with about 51,000 climbing days in 2018⁹ and roughly 3,300 routes¹¹.
• Grampians (Gariwerd), Victoria offers world-class sandstone climbing, with about 49,000 climbing days in 2018⁹, although parts of the park have been closed to climbers since 2019.
• Nowra, NSW provides a sport climbing paradise on limestone cliffs along the Shoalhaven River.
• Freycinet (Coles Bay), Tasmania features exquisite granite climbing with ocean backdrops, particularly popular during spring and autumn.

Best rock climbing areas by experience level

Australia offers rock climbing terrain suitable for all skill levels, from beginner-friendly indoor gyms to expert-only outdoor routes.

For beginners

• Indoor climbing gyms provide controlled environments with graded routes and safety systems ideal for new climbers.
• Morialta Conservation Park, South Australia offers accessible top-roping options 20 minutes from Adelaide.
• Urban crags like Lindfield Rocks in Sydney provide entry-level bouldering opportunities.
• Kangaroo Point in Brisbane features well-bolted routes with easy access for newcomers.

For intermediate climbers

• Nowra, NSW offers hundreds of sport routes across various grades accessible to progressing climbers.
• You Yangs Regional Park, Victoria provides a range of intermediate-level climbing options.
• Most major climbing destinations feature substantial selections of middle-grade routes suitable for developing climbers.
• Urban Climb and similar gyms across major cities offer structured progression through intermediate grades.

For advanced/expert climbers

• Taipan Wall in the Grampians is famous for its hard sport routes, but it is currently closed to climbers to protect cultural heritage¹².
• Mount Arapiles offers challenging traditional climbing that has tested generations of elite climbers.
• Moonarie, South Australia provides remote, committing multi-pitch routes for experienced trad climbers.
• Point Perpendicular, NSW features dramatic sea cliff climbing requiring advanced skills and equipment.

Can you still climb at Mount Arapiles and the Grampians?

Yes, but not everywhere. Parks Victoria announced climbing bans covering about a third of the Grampians (Gariwerd) in March 2019¹³ to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage, and areas including Taipan Wall and the Gallery and Millennium Caves remain off-limits¹².

• At Mount Arapiles (Dyurrite), Parks Victoria's 2024 draft plan proposed closing up to 2,000 of the park's roughly 3,300 climbing routes¹¹.
• A revised proposal in July 2026 scaled this back to the full closure of about 100 routes¹¹.
• New access arrangements took effect in October 2026¹⁴: about 80 climbs are closed and 46 have been rerouted, and climbers can use all but three of more than 150 climbing areas in the park⁵.

Do rock climbers go camping?

Many do, because most of Australia's best outdoor crags are hours from the nearest city. At Mount Arapiles, Centenary Park is the only place to camp in the park, with three camping areas: the Pines, the Upper Gums and the Lower Gums¹⁵. The Pines sits at the base of the escarpment, right below the climbing cliffs¹⁶.

• The 2021 study of climbing at Mount Arapiles and the Grampians counted climbers partly through car surveys at the Pines and the Gums camping areas. It noted that, with camping gear, food and climbing equipment on board, very few climbers' vehicles had room for more than three people⁹.
• In the Grampians, Parks Victoria campgrounds such as Buandik and Boreang are booked online¹⁷.
• Climbing is a niche activity on camping trips overall. Bushwalking, beach visits and exploring national parks are among the top five activities on Australia's 15.2 million caravan and camping trips in 2024, and climbing does not make the top 20¹⁸.

How many indoor climbing gyms are there in Australia?

Australia had 46 commercial climbing gyms in 2015, which was more per head of population than the United States at the time¹⁹. No official body publishes a more recent national count.

• Major gym networks like Urban Climb operate multiple locations in Brisbane, Melbourne, Townsville and Adelaide.
• Sydney hosts several large facilities including Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym (Villawood and St Peters) and Climb Fit (St Leonards and Kirrawee).
• BlocHaus Bouldering operates dedicated bouldering facilities in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.
• Regional cities like Ballarat and Wollongong have gained modern climbing facilities in recent years.

Major Australian rock climbing competitions and events

Australian National Championships are held annually, featuring lead climbing, bouldering, and speed disciplines.

• The Oceania Olympic Qualifier was held at Urban Climb Blackburn in Melbourne on 24–26 November 2023²⁰ to decide qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
• Local climbing gyms regularly host competitions, leagues, and festivals to engage the community.
• Grampians Climbing Festival and similar regional events celebrate outdoor climbing culture.
• Australia sent two climbers, Tom O'Halloran and Oceana Mackenzie, to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, marking the country's first Olympic representation in the sport²¹.