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Mysteries Wall

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Description

Emergency Location: Mount Arapiles, Mysteries Gully Area

Access issues inherited from Arapiles

Cultural heritage closures now apply to some parts of Arapiles. This advice continues to evolve and may not be fully reflected in this website; refer to Parks Victoria for details applicable at the time of your visit. https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/-/media/project/pv/main/parks/documents/management-plans/mount-arapiles-tooan-state-park/mount-arapiles-tooan-state-park---aboriginal-cultural-heritage-protections---october-2020.pdf

Bird Nesting September-December Raptors usually nest on the following climbs in Spring : Cassandra, Eurydice, Harlequin Cracks, Revelations. Nesting usually finishes mid-December. There may or may not be signs in place at these times. Please keep 50m clear of these climbs if there appears to be nesting activity.

State Park - no dogs. No fires allowed Oct-Apr (inclusive).

Ethic inherited from Arapiles

Mount Arapiles is first and foremost a trad climbing area. The few sport climbs tend to be in the higher grades where no natural pro is available.

Bolting, particularly retro-bolting, is discouraged and should only be undertaken after extensive consultation with the local climbers, first ascensionists, etc. Inappropriately placed bolts have been chopped.

Do not chip the rock.

Look after the park.

  • Stick to the paths.

  • Don't disturb the wildlife.

  • Routes near peregrine falcon nesting sites are closed in the spring.

  • Minimise the impact of your camping (fuel stoves not fires, take your rubbish with you, etc).

Tags

Some content has been provided under license from: © Australian Climbing Association Queensland (Creative Commons, Attribution, Share-Alike 2.5 AU)

Routes

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Grade Route

Old Paul Hoskins project re-equipped and sent. Ultra-smeary!

Start: Start on left side of 'Mysteries Wall' proper.

FA: Nathan Hoette, 2004

A fingery and scary start and exciting finish up the headwall.

The original route followed the line L all the way, but a far better finish is to step airily R off the sloping ledge and up the headwall at a fairly solid 19 (as described).

Large cam/s size 4 or 5 could be handy at the bottom and small ones stepping off the ledge.

Start to the left of the major crack on the left side of the wall.

Traverse right into the left-curving crack and follow it past a bulge. From just past overhang move out right onto face and up.

FA: Rod Young, Jeremy Boreham & Geoff Weigand soloed finish Feb 1985, 1979

A direct on Rosshalde. Up the slippery seam past 2 bolts, follow Rosshalde to the roof and then R and up past another 2 bolts. Take lots of long slings or double ropes. After the first 2 bolts there are good small wires where Rosshalde traverses in but they are hard to see, and after rain the placement sometimes fills up with sand - a nut key may be handy to clean it out as they are pretty crucial. Might be 23.

FA: Douglas Hockly & Geordie Webb, 14 May 2016

Thin stuff.

Up 'Blue-Eyed and Blond' then veer left into the crack of Mysteries. Undercling the crack to gain gravelly crimps past two bolts, then easier ground above.

FA: Geoff Weigand., 1985

The most attractive climb here. The start requires some small micro cams to protect adequately. If you're not confident at the grade it is recommended to rap in to pre-place or double check the first bits of gear. It is a good idea to anchor your belayer until a few pieces are placed as the consequences of a fall are very serious.

Start below vertical seam that crosses a diagonal line (Mysteries) a few metres up. Traverse R to single bolt, up past desperate crux then easier ground. Lower offs at top.

FA: Chris Shepherd., 1984

The diagonal crack leading left into 'Rosshalde' is slick and fiddly to protect but good fun higher up.

  1. 15m (23) Take the diagonal crack into 'Rosshalde' and belay under the roof.

  2. 20m (21) Up to roof, traverse out right to Model Phantom and up steep face.

FA: Lincoln, Chris Shepherd (pitch 1). Chris Shepherd & Mark Moorhead (pitch 2) 1981., 1980

Nice rock and good climbing but it's not worth doing as the other routes are far more logical lines. Start up 'Mysteries' diagonal, when you reach 'Blue Eyed and Blond' follow it up and right, then keep traversing right. Up higher go right and left a few more times to ensure you've got the most out of the wall, then traverse with your hands on the top and downclimb Rosshalde.

FA: Kim Carrigan & Louise Shepherd, 1981

Climb directly past two bolts into 'Modern History'. Either finish up that climb (as originally done) or continue straight up and into Blue Eyed and Blonde.

Start: Start just right of 'Mysteries'.

Ramon

FA: Kim Carrigan, 1985

Serious unprotected overhung arete right of 'Historic Events'. A rope would serve only to stop a plummet all the way down the gully below.

FA: Geoff Weigand (solo), 1985

Hard dyno up the overhanging line onto the wall. Rather than following easy crack (Gardener's Delight), go left across wall and around arete to finish up flat-tops.

Start: Start at the cave about 3 metres right of 'Historic Events'.

FA: Glenn Tempest & Steve Lassche, 2000

Start up the second pitch of Gardener's Delight and finish up Spanish Eyes.

Start at the arete 3 metres right of the cave of 'Spanish Eyes', the start of the second pitch of Gardener's Delight. Pull up onto wall and drift right and up sharp arete. The wall between this climb and Gardener's Delight has been top-roped from the rappel rings.

FA: Kieran Loughran & Meg Sleeman, 1998

Nice line with fiddly pro.

Thin line up face just around right of Cundall's Arete.

FA: Glenn Tempest & Steve Lassche, 1980

A bolted boulder problem. The holds are generally good, but seeing as they are all vertical - guess what that means for the feet? 'Dynamic' and very powerful.

FA: Nathan Hoette

The first route established on this wall. One bolt. Hard start from pockets leads to an easier mid-section.

FA: Tom Greenwood, 1989

A direct start to 'Anus Horribilus'. Start as for that route but go straight up through a small undercling to the 2nd bolt. Cruxy moves lead into the finish of the original route.

FA: Steve Kelly, 2004

A classic at the grade. Bouldery start leads to quite continuous climbing on good slopey holds. Steeper than it looks!

FA: Dave Jones, 1998

Climbs the direct start to Pooh Sticks and links that route into Anus Horribilus. Despite being slightly contrived, a brilliant conception. Two distinct halves offering Blue Mountains like crimping to start, followed by gritty slopers.

The original start steps off the pillar at the 2nd bolt (left hand in pocket), and is a couple of grades easier.

Toby Pola - pulling on above the direct start... but below the original start!

FA: Nathan Hoette, 2004

Nowadays largely ignored but still worth doing in it's own right. Originally started by stepping off the pillar into the line but now incorporates the direct start from the ground. Where the connection moves left into 'Anus Horribilus', continue straight up via the traditionally protected arete.

FA: Roland Foster, 1989

Tweaky

Climb the bulging arete to the right of Pooh Sticks - beware the tweak factor!

FA: Ingvar Lidman, 2008

Good route but runout.

Start: Slab route immediately right (around corner) from Pooh Sticks.

A few jugs then run-out to first RB, which is clipped while leaning well L off poor handholds and facing a possible groundfall. There's another RB then DRB lower-off.

FA: Andrew Martin, 2004

First pitch doesn't get a lot of traffic so can be dirty. Great second pitch.

Start: Start at the rounded arete, about the same place as Eeyores Thistles.

  1. 26m (12) Diagonally up wall to short left-facing corner. Up this, over the small overhang and up the line to the terrace.

  2. 18m (11) Pull up onto the undercut wall 3 metres right of the cave (Spanish Eyes starts at the cave) and traverse left to the prominent crack. Up this to finish right of the overhang.

FA: Jerry Grandage, Rob Taylor (alt), Daryl Carr & Andrew Smith, 1966

A fun novelty, involving some airy bridging between two aretes.

The arete left of Mohawkman, pulling onto the pinnacle for the final moves.

FA: Keith Lockwood & Kieran Loughran, 1 Feb 2019

2 rings plus a handful of cams to summit loweroff.

Start: Lefthand slab route on detached wall just right of Gardener's Delight.

The natural line on the face, avoiding the hard bits of the other two routes. Quite sustained. Take a few cams with a couple of #1 and #3 in the mix.

Has a ring with a hard clip for the hard start then drops off several grades. Summit loweroff. Righthand slab route with hard start just right of Mohawkman.

Looks good but poorly protected, somewhat contrived and generally not much fun. The best bit is that the first ascent team got to the top, found they were on a pinnacle and started bemoaning that they would have to leave gear behind. Then HB poked his head over the top on the short side...

Start: Down right of the 'Mohawkman' face on a narrow south-east face just left of a wide crack.

Climb wall just left of wide crack and go up to ledge on the left. Step up and right into left facing flake-crack and follow it.

FA: Chris Baxter & Dave Moss, 1983

Sustained face climbing, spoiled a bit by the big ledge at half-height. Wires and cams up to #1 plus #3.5 cam.

Start at black face just right of 'Beached Wails'.

Up face past 2 FH then move right and up to ledge. Step back up left onto the face, up and left to middle of face. Up past FH to break, step left and up to anchor. Some people have had trouble pulling the rope so be careful where it runs over the edge.

FA: Kieran Loughran & Meg Sleeman., 1998

Good first pitch but be careful to avoid the dangerous hollow flake immediately left of the start.

Start: Start below a crack about 10 metres down right of A Goat\'s Song.

  1. 12m (19) Climb past the bolt to the crack, avoiding touching the flake that is on your left. Finger-crack and thinning seam to large ledge.

  2. 18m (14) Move right and up to next ledge. Climb the wall to ledge with abseil anchors for A Goat's Song.

FA: Kieran Loughran, Keith Lockwood & Norm Booth, 1998

Ultra technical face climbing.

Start: Attractive orange streak at the very base of 'Mysteries' 'Gully' (downhill from Goats Song).

FA: Steve Kelly, 2004

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Selected Guidebooks more Hide

Author(s): Simon Mentz, Glenn Tempest

Date: 2016

ISBN: 9780987526427

This selected yet in depth guide, in its third edition in 2016, is a must for first timers or regulars to the "Pines". By Simon Mentz and Glenn Tempest. It features 1200 routes over 23 different areas as well as bouldering, history info on flora and fauna, plus heaps more.

Author(s): Gordon Poultney, Simon Carter

Date: 2013

ISBN: 9780987087461

444 of the best routes on the best stone on earth? Yes Please! Who has time for all those other wondering pitches anyway when Gordon Poultney and Simon Carter have picked out the classics and printed it in a pocket size handy guide with string attachment. You'll take it on the multipitches, you'll take it to read in the toilets, you'll take it everywhere!

Author(s): Lindorff, Goding & Hodgson

Date: 2011

ISBN: 9780646529387

Get ready to fully experience the rock climbing scene in Victoria with Sublime Climbs, a comprehensive guidebook authored by Kevin Lindorff, Josef Goding, and Jarrod Hodgson. This full-color, 380-page book covers the best climbing locations in the region, including Mt Arapiles, Mt Buffalo, and the Grampians. It features descriptions of over 700 routes, topographic maps, and breathtaking images. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the sport, Sublime Climbs has everything you need to make the most of your climbing experience in Victoria and experience all of it's classic routes.

Accommodations nearby more Hide

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Fri 19 May
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