Oceania
Oceania consists of number of islands. The highest peaks are found on the islands of Indonesia, but most of them are of volcanic origin and not particularly attractive for mountaineers. There are, however, vast quantities of rock well suited for climbing. The mountains of southern island of New Zealand known as Southern Alps on the other hand as extremely alpine in nature. The range is a collection of permanently snow and ice-clad summits, heavily crevassed glaciers and spires and ridges of shattered rock. Despite the modest altitude, local relief is huge well comparable to many a lot higher ranges. These qualities make Southern Alps one of the best alpine climbing areas in the world.
- East India
- New Zealand Southern Alps on the South Island of New Zealand extends entire length of the Island and are known for their beauty and wild nature. The Southern Alps are a very young range, still actively being uplifted. This, combined with high precipitation on its western side and high erosion rates, results in very dynamic landscapes. The range is a collection of permanently snow and ice-clad summits, heavily crevassed glaciers and spires and ridges of shattered rock. These qualities make Southern Alps one of the best alpine climbing areas in the world.
- Australia
Areas
East India
The Indonesian archipelago streches for almost 5000km from the Asian mainland into the Pacific Ocean and consists of 13,000 plus islands. The most famous climbing destination in East India is Carstenz Pyramid (5029m) located in Eastern Indonesia. The second highest peak of the area is Kerinci (3805m) in Sumatra. Most high peaks are volcanoes.
The area has plenty of warm weather and steep rock, thus the emerge of rock climbing routes is pretty much inevitable. Especially Thailand has plenty of established areas. Especially popular is Phra-Nang Peninsula in Southern Thailand.
- Borneo
- Papua New Guinea
- Maoke range Carstenz Pyramid (5029m)
- Bismarck Range Mount Wilhelm (4509m)
- : Thailand - A Climbing Guide (Climbing Guides). Isbn: 9780898867503. Mountaineers Books, 2005.
- Climbing in Thailand. Information about climbing in Thailand and SE Asia.
Australia
For climbers looking for alpine climbing in Oceania, Australia is not the best place to go. Mountains are concentrated in southeast corner of the continent, between Melbourne and Sydney in the Australian Alps. The area is popular resort for both hiking and skiing. here lies the highest peak of Australia, Mount Kosciusko at 2228. From alpine climbers point of view, the best mountains of Australia bare located in Tasmania, just off the southeast coast of the Australian mainland. These craggy crests rise to 1600m above lush, practically impenetrable bush land. The highest peak of Tasmania is Mount Ossa (1617m). Tasmanian mountains are popular with extensive trails and excellent climbing. The weather, however, is frequently less attractive than the scenery, and you should expect heavy precipitation. The best time for hiking and climbing is December through March.
- Climbing Autralia. Sydney climbing guide.
- Sydney climbing guide. Crags in Australia.
- Crags in Australia