Part of Mount Arapiles (Dyurrite) — compare all 6 sections →

Partial closure

Bard Buttress is open, but Parks Victoria's October 2026 access arrangements re-route two climbs here. Seasonal peregrine closures can also apply in spring. Check the access changes summary before you climb. Parks Victoria: Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park

Bushfire season. Parks can close on Extreme or Catastrophic fire danger days, whatever the rock is doing. Check the VicEmergency and park alerts before you go.

Right now

Temp12°C

Wind19 km/h

Gusts28 km/h

Humidity72.8%

Rain 48hdry

Last rainNone recent

Assessment

No recent rain

Bird ban active (some sectors only) — Peregrine falcons often nest in spring near Eurydice on the Bard, as well as around Cassandra and Harlequin Cracks. Closures are voluntary and decided each season: keep at least 50m away from an active nest and follow the signs at Centenary Park.

Good friction temperature range for quartzite

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Thursday 12 November

Good

Temp22°C

Raindry

Wind7 km/h

Gusts28 km/h

Humidity33%

No recent rain

Quartzite holds friction well when dry

Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum

06:00 7° dry 11 — 91.9%

07:00 8° dry 11 — 89.2%

08:00 10° dry 10 — 77.7%

09:00 13° dry 8 — 64.7%

10:00 16° dry 4 — 51.7%

11:00 19° dry 5 — 39.2%

12:00 22° dry 6 — 31.9%

13:00 23° dry 7 — 27.5%

14:00 24° dry 8 — 26%

15:00 25° dry 9 — 25.7%

16:00 25° dry 9 — 25.5%

17:00 25° dry 11 — 26.8%

18:00 25° dry 12 — 29%

19:00 24° dry 15 — 37.5%

20:00 21° dry 17 — 54.3%

21:00 19° dry 18 — 64.1%

Fri Friday 13 November

Poor

Temp18°C

Rain3mm

Wind6 km/h

Gusts—

Humidity68%

3.4mm rain forecast

Wet quartzite is slippery but not damaged by climbing

Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum

06:00 12° dry 7 — 84.2%

07:00 13° dry 8 — 84.4%

08:00 14° dry 8 — 80.7%

09:00 15° dry 6 — 73.9%

10:00 17° dry 4 — 63.9%

11:00 18° 0.1mm 3 — 59.5%

12:00 19° 0.6mm 6 — 56.9%

13:00 18° 0.5mm 7 — 68.6%

14:00 17° dry 5 — 75.3%

15:00 18° 1mm 7 — 70.4%

16:00 17° 0.5mm 10 — 83.4%

17:00 17° 0.3mm 10 — 82.6%

18:00 17° 0.1mm 9 — 82.5%

19:00 17° dry 9 — 81.5%

20:00 17° dry 9 — 84.1%

21:00 16° dry 6 — 88.7%

Sat Saturday 14 November

Good

Temp16°C

Raindry

Wind16 km/h

Gusts—

Humidity68%

Should be dry

Quartzite holds friction well when dry

Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum

06:00 13° dry 11 — 96.9%

07:00 13° dry 14 — 92.5%

08:00 14° dry 14 — 85.4%

09:00 15° dry 17 — 77.4%

10:00 16° dry 17 — 69.8%

11:00 16° dry 16 — 66.1%

17:00 21° dry 19 — 42.3%

Sun Sunday 15 November

Good

Temp16°C

Rain0.2mm

Wind16 km/h

Gusts—

Humidity56%

Should be dry

Quartzite holds friction well when dry

Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum

11:00 16° 0.1mm 16 — 56%

17:00 18° dry 21 — 47.7%

Mon Monday 16 November

Good

Temp14°C

Raindry

Wind13 km/h

Gusts—

Humidity40%

Should be dry

Quartzite holds friction well when dry

Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum

11:00 14° dry 13 — 39.6%

17:00 18° dry 16 — 34.3%

Tue Tuesday 17 November

Good

Temp16°C

Raindry

Wind15 km/h

Gusts—

Humidity40%

Should be dry

Quartzite holds friction well when dry

Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum

11:00 16° dry 15 — 39.8%

17:00 17° dry 22 — 37.6%

Wed Wednesday 18 November

Good

Temp18°C

Raindry

Wind13 km/h

Gusts—

Humidity44%

Should be dry

Quartzite holds friction well when dry

Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum

11:00 18° dry 13 — 43.5%

17:00 21° dry 18 — 36.9%

Thu Thursday 19 November

Good

Temp20°C

Raindry

Wind5 km/h

Gusts—

Humidity49%

Should be dry

Quartzite holds friction well when dry

Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum

11:00 20° dry 5 — 49.1%

17:00 24° dry 12 — 33.5%

Bird ban (08-01 to 12-20)
Peregrine falcons often nest in spring near Eurydice on the Bard, as well as around Cassandra and Harlequin Cracks. Closures are voluntary and decided each season: keep at least 50m away from an active nest and follow the signs at Centenary Park.

About Arapiles — Bard Buttress

Bard Buttress is the tall, east-facing buttress at the foot of the Bluffs at Mount Arapiles (Dyurrite), home to some of the mountain's best-known multi-pitch trad. It's five to ten minutes up the main track from the Pines. Facing east, it gets the morning sun and loses it later in the day, so it is cooler in the afternoon. The hard quartzitic sandstone sheds water quickly, and the open position on the edge of the Wimmera plain means a breeze usually helps it dry. In spring, check for falcon nesting before you set off.

Region: Mount Arapiles
Rock type: Quartzite
Aspect: east-facing
Altitude: 200m
Exposure: medium
Seepage: low

Other crags in this region

Arapiles — Castle Crag Arapiles — Mitre Rock Arapiles — Organ Pipes Arapiles — The Pharos Arapiles — Tiger Wall