Come fly with me....

Well. Not quite. Come climb with me.

Still not sure how my knees will cope, but I'm starting to think I can and should fill the days when I'm not being paid to climb with climbing on my own time. But the Mill in Collingwood seems no longer to exist, and the other indoor gym I knew in my local area seems to have burned to the ground. Can anyone recommend a good climbing gym in inner Melbourne? I can work my way through the yellow pages, but I'd rather hear solid recommendations from people who know.

Also ... anyone want to come climbing with me? I suspect it'll be weekdays, early afternoon, since I tend to work weekends. Possibly the odd weekend, though, depending on my timetable.

Unless, of course, you have outdoor lead-climbing gear and experience, in which case, let me know, and we'll arrange a time to head to Werribee gorge :)

[Edit: Looks like Cliffhanger is the only serious choice. Anyone up for a trip, say, next weekend? ]

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Oh, and also ....

I need a new bag. Crumpler, I think, have failed me - they're no longer made in Australia, they're incredibly expensive, their standard bags don't sit well when they're as full as mine gets. I love my crumpler, but ... just not suitable for carrying the harness and the ropes and the tools and everything.

So. Requirements:

What I'd really like is a 2 part bag, like the big hiking packs with zip-on day packs. Then I can keep the basic tools I use every day in one bag, and the harness and rope and climbing gear in the other, and combine them for climbing gigs. Needs to be a backpack, rather than a "messenger bag" - asymmetrical pressure on one shoulder == bad. Needs to be waterproofish.

Doesn't need a great many internal pockets or external pockets - just a big cavity for throwing stuff into.

Any recommendations? I'll probably wind up cruising the outdoor shops next week, but I'd like something with a little personality, the way crumplers used to be. I see bike couriers in the CBS with big, funky backpack style bags, but they're always moving too fast for me to stop them and ask where they got them :)

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