The best indoor climbing centres in Sydney

Climb Fit – St Leonards, Macquarie and Kirrawee 

With three huge venues across Sydney, you could tackle a new climb every day at Climb Fit. They offer traditional indoor rock climbing using harnesses, bouldering (climbing without ropes above soft safety mats) and high-tech ValoClimb that uses augmented reality to project graphics onto a wall. There are climbs for beginners, experts and even kids as young as four. 

9 Degrees – Alexandria, Waterloo, Lane Cove and Parramatta  

At 9 Degrees, they believe that bouldering will make you happy. Bouldering is rock climbing at its most raw – no ropes, no harness, just you and some chalk. 9 Degrees operates four centres in Sydney where they have built a strong but welcoming climbing community. They also have a strong commitment to the planet, are completely carbon neutral and donate 1 per cent of their profits to Rainforest Rescue. 

9 Degrees, Alexandria - Credit: 9 degrees

Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym – St Peters and Villawood 

SICG’s St Peters centre is the largest climbing gym in the Southern Hemisphere with more than 37,000 square metres of walls for both harnessed climbing and bouldering. That includes 420 routes reaching up to 16m high with new routes added every week. There are also lots of activities for kids, including climbs and caving. They run a second huge location in Villawood, with 250 routes, bouldering, kids caving and more. 

BlocHaus Bouldering – Marrickville

Another centre dedicated exclusively to bouldering, BlocHaus in Marrickville wants to make the sport social, accessible and fun. They reset two sections of the centre every week, so there’s always something new to climb, and there are other features to try like Kilter Boards (moveable sloping climbing walls), peg boards and slacklines. 

BlocHaus Bouldering, Marrickville

The Ledge Climbing Centre – Camperdown  

Part of the Sydney University campus, The Ledge is open to everyone. It’s a smaller centre with climbing and bouldering routes for all levels as well as a training area with finger and campus boards. 

The Climbing Centre – Penrith  

This large indoor climbing centre in Penrith has routes for every age and experience level, plus multiple bouldering areas. There’s no time limit on your booking, so you can stay as long as you like – and don’t have to leave before you’ve mastered that final wall. 

The Climbing Centre, Penrith

Peak Pursuits – Castle Hill 

Climbing gets creative at Peak Pursuits in Castle Hill. Once you’ve mastered the climbing walls, you can tackle the spider webs, urban glass tower, donut tyres and rope ladder. Then there are high ropes courses with bridges, beams, cargo nets and swinging steps, before you finish with the leap of faith off the very top. 

ClimbOz – Blacktown  

At ClimbOz, they believe that indoor climbing is the perfect route to fitness. The Blacktown centre specialises in training climbers for outdoors or competitions, but it’s also a place for the recreational climber. There are multiple routes that change regularly, including some suitable for kids over 10, as well as a huge bouldering area. 

ClimbOz, Blacktown - Credit: ClimbOz

Turbo Climb – Blacktown and Prestons 

Turbo Climb puts a new twist on indoor climbing, creating fun and exciting climbs using new technology. Race your friends on the speed wall, scale an exploding volcano or climb along the city skyline. The self-descending system means you don’t need a climbing buddy and can glide gently down to the bottom at any time. There are two Turbo Climb centres in Western Sydney at Bankstown and Prestons. 

Nomad Bouldering – Annandale

 A large bouldering gym in the Inner West, Nomad has cutting-edge technology and innovative systems you won’t find anywhere else. They also have Olympic-level training facilities to build your skills and strength, and an in-house physio to work out any aches and pains. 

Hangdog – Wollongong 

Though it’s not technically in Sydney, Hangdog in Wollongong is worth the day trip. As well as the standard climbing and bouldering walls, they also run HangFit and ClimbaYoga classes designed specifically to boost your strength and fitness for climbing. If you’d like to practice your skills outside, join one of their Outdoor Days for guided rope climbs at Mount Alexandria in Mittagong. 

Hangdog Climbing Gym, Wollongong - Credit: Hangdog Climbing Gym