Extreme thrills from a Melbourne rooftop
Adventure seekers can get a heart-starting thrill in the heart of Melbourne's CBD with Urban Central Backpackers' new Rap Jump experience. From six floors up, participants take the plunge from the top of the 25metre building near Southbank, under the guidance of ex-SAS soldier Peter ‘Macka' Mackail.
Described as “forward abseiling with a pulse”, rap jumping involves a perpendicular forward descent down the face of the building, using harnesses and secure lines fed through a pulley system dangling to the bottom of the building. One staff member is situated at the top and one at the bottom of the building to control the jumper. The lines are securely fed through several karabiners.
Participants can either take slow steps down the face or move faster down the building, even pushing off the wall for a Tarzan-like swing to the ground if they are brave.
Mr Mackail started the first commercial Rap Jumping site at the Barron Gorge in Cairns in 1989 after developing the technique in the Australian Army in the early 1960s. First known as the “Carabina Rundown” it is internationally known as the Aussie Rappel because of its origin.
Two rap jumps cost AUD$66 per person, or $55 for patrons of UrbanCentral backpackers. Additional jumps cost $15.
More information: www.urbancentral.com.au and http://rapjumping.com.au
Media contact: Jason Whiting, General Manager, ph: (03) 9693 3700 and email jwhiting@urbancentral.com.au