Routes in Australia for selected grade

A classic middle grade adventure. A lot of people get lost on the top pitch of this route. This is odd as at the top of this buttress there are two pronounced corner lines. 'Rum Truffle' finishes up the R hand one and MM the L hand. That's all you really need to know. Both of these corners are R of a large bottomless chimney [MM variant finish]. The only tricky aspect is that MM accesses the LH corner via an easier crack on the arete a few meters R of the foot of the main LH corner rather than climbing directly into the line [see photo below].

Start: Drop down from 'Epaminondas' and head around to the next major buttress. Starts at the back of the scrubby bay between the 'Epaminondas' buttress and this next buttress [the 'Rum Truffle' Buttress].

1. 28m (10) Begin at the toe of the slab. Climb the L edge of the slab then trend R past a distinctive pocket to easier ground and up to tree belay.

2. 36m (12) Climb the weakness in the overhang above then easily up to large ledge. Move 8m R to belay below the two corner lines.

3. 26m (14) Climb the shallow corner near the L arete of the wall between the 2 corner lines for 8m. Step L and up to climb main R facing corner.

Climbed numerous times by people lost looking for the top pitch of MM. This chimney is a prominent feature several meters L of the two corners of MM and RT. Written up at least once.

Start: At top of Pitch 2 of MM move 3m R instead of 8m to belay below bottomless chimney. Up short steep wall to chimney. Up this.

VCC Mt Difficult update has FA as Michael Giacometti, John Maher. 05.03

Some quite good climbing, however the unprotected start to the fourth pitch rather detracts from the experience.

Start: The front of the buttress R of the MM bay. Around R of TSOTH. Just R of a prominent pair of roofs low down on the front of the buttress.

1. 27m (14) Up wall until blocked by long, narrow overhang. Traverse L above lower roof then pull up onto a slab and move L a bit above the second roof to a break in the long overhang. Up though break to belay.

2. 30m (11) Continue up deep line to ledge. Move up L onto face and climb steep wall via a large flake into a chimney. Up chimney and wall to ledge.

3. 10m (-) Move L off end of ledge and scramble up to foot of obvious corner. This is the RH corner leading up to the roofs and the LH one is MM.

4. 26m (14) The difficult start on L wall has no protection and a very nasty landing. It is harder the shorter you are. With a bit of stuffing around and 2 ropes you can climb 6m up MM and place big gear in that climb to protect the start, the second then needs to climb up and down climb to get it out. After the start move R into line and up to huge roof. Traverse R around arete.

5. 4m (-) Up chimney.

5-10mins right of the B. Desh Memorial Buttress is an outcrop with some overhangs. Start at the main corner at the right end. Climb onto the undercut arete on the left and head up and right into the line. Keep left to avoid vegetation until it’s possible to climb the final corner.

Head up the right side of a cracked recess 10m right of Impulse.

A big boulder 50m out form the cliff marks the start of the climb. The crack line.

Start 15 to the right of the distictive waterfall on the most prominent part of the face.

1. Straight up with adequate protection to a good belay ledge. 50m, 12

2. Up the steepening red rock past three FH to ledge, then easier ground (1FH) to big ledge at DBB. 50m, 14

3. Scramble another 10m to place cams in a horizontal break for a belay.

Start at the left side of the left most of four caves. Pull onto wall, up to head wall, up right along its base to chossy chimney. Up flake in left wall

At the LH end of the cliff a R leaning crack/chimney line. Committing pull up into line then up more easily. A BD#3 in a shallow pocket to the L of the line protects the start.

Start as for Mithridates. Up, then step R to follow the right wall of the seam to the steeper headwall, up this on fragile jugs finishing up L.

Start at the arête R of Seamless. Up L of the arête, step L at a ledge to the thin juggy cracks, up these then L up arête to finish through break.

From behind the Pickett’s Charge block head uphill and L 80m to a pinnacle with a L curving crack. Up the steep juggy crack exiting L.

This climb is on the left-hand side of the outcrop. Climb up to the ledge, then traverse right under a block and climb the chimney.

This has lovely climbing, and is easier than it looks. Start at the small pinnacle immediately right of The Girl Of My Dreams.

1. 25m (Crux) Climb up the small pinnacle and crack above it to a ledge at 5m. Move 2m left to a right-slanting ramp and climb it to the ceiling. Pull up into the bottomless black chimney, then head right to avoid the next overhang. Climb up the short slab to the ledge.

2. 25m Move 2m left and continue as for The Girl Of My Dreams.

On the right side of the cliff, to the right of a cave low down, is a short right-facing orange corner below some steepenings. Climb the right side of the corner and then step left below the steepenings. Head up and left to finish up the wall above.

Good climbing on both pitches. Start at the toe of the black slab about 15m right of Blue Sky Mining.

1. 30m Up slab and crack in orange overhang to bushy ledge.

2. 25m Diagonally left up easy slab to steep crack in right arête of prominent corner at t op of cliff; up crack.

Approximately 15m right of Blue Sky Mining is a black slab.

1. 30m Climb the slab and crack in the orange overhang. Belay on an appropriate ledge.

2. 25m On the right side of the grey wall is a shallow corner. Climb this to a ledge then step right and continue up the wall above.

Starting at the LH edge of the main block is a big diagonal fault line which crosses the entire main buttress. Start at the foot of this

1. 10m 13. Up the surprisingly awkward R leading crack to deep ledge.

2. 15m 14. Step out L and up to ledge [escape possible down chimney]. Pull across gap [could be much harder for the short] and up to orange overhang. Take line through this and up.

1. 28m 14. Start at the foot of the wide crack as for Six Cents. Head up the steep flake on the R finishing up juggy groove to ledge. 2 18m 12. A wild traverse along the lower break though the overhangs to the crack. Up this. Could be hard to start for the height challenged. Best to place a high runner before starting.

2 interesting pitches. Start at the L arête of the slab, down and R of Six Cents.

1. 20m 13 Up past FH to ledge/ramp. Up short flake then slab between 2 left most seams to steeper headwall, up this exiting slightly L onto easier ground. Belay at half way ledge.

2. 15m 13. Up into break behind ledge. Step out L and up steeply to below roof. Step L and up at break. This is the best of the finishes above the half way ledge.

Very nice first pitch.

1. 20m 14. The seam 1m R of Antioch, small wires needed. Step L below the ledge and finish up steeper wall to below overhangs.

2. 15m 12. Follow easy line up R for 6m. Pull over gully onto steep wall on L and up.

R of the main lower slab of the cliff is a black slab. Start 2m L of the blocky corner on its R.

1. 20m 14 Up just L of corner to horizontal. Climb up to second grassy horizontal. Move 2m L and up sparsely protected slab to big ledge.

2. 15m 12 Step out L around overhang. Up flake finishing just to L when it runs out.

Takes the L arete of the square cut corner with an energetic pull around the roof. Traverse R [roped] to abseil as for JJ or L to abseil from trees.

3m R of EN corner. Up thin crack to below bushes, step out R and head up slab past 3 glue-in bolts [take flat brackets] moving R at the top to join Jihad Jack. Up this to DBB. Abseil descent

Line on R edge of buttress trending L ward to join Shatila. Finish up this. Some suspect rock. Descend as for Shatila.

1. 35m 13. The chimney line on the L of the Blackbeard buttress [2.5m R of BG]. Once above the chockstone move into the crack on the R wall and follow this through the steepening to large ledge.

2. 15m 10. Up RH crack in wall above, then R to abseil bolts.

This route as described seems to be a bit contrived. Up for 5m from RH end of black slab with large gum tree half way up, then step across offwidth. Up to roof then L to gum. Off width to bush then exit L across slab [no pro] to belay as for JL etc.

You can just climb the wide crack at the R edge of the slab direct at about grade 12.

Buttress about 20m right of Moonee Ponds has a hanging corner on its front. Up to and up corner.

Clean and pleasant face, cairned. Climbed on the day that Steve Waugh completed the innings of his record-equalling test century. There is a clean and attractive face below CZ. WH Climbs the blunt right arête of this.

Centre of face around right of Upstanding.

Front of clean slabby buttress right of Carry On Regardless. Exit left before the dirty rock.

Narrow buttress between Bimbo Bender and the Rhino pinnacle.

1. 12m Up the middle of the buttress to large ledge and tree.

2. 10m Crack with steep start.

Attractive rib leading to the highest point of the cliff. Up right of the buttress with The Garden of Tears et al is a huge landmark red roof/cave. Climb the crack starting below and just left of this. Where it thins to incipient and curves left at 18m, step left, then go straight up middle of buttress.

Straight up crack 2m right of British Marmite.

Right of LD is a broad descent gully. Right of this is a face with three cracks. Climb middle one until it peters out. Step right, then up.

Climb the corner and hand-crack at the left side of the grey wall under the summit.

Chossy for a Grampians route. New South Wales climbers would call it classic. Starts 15m right of Rodger Over and Out on the vague arete opposite The Infinite Sadness. Weave your way through line of least resistance, taking care not to remove all the holds.

The original route on the cliff. A classic corner. The final pitch is like an extended Resignation.

1. 30m (11) The major corner then up and left to belay under the left end of the roof.

2. 20m Up the left side of the roof, and step right onto the face above.

3. 50m (14) Step right and climb the steadily overhanging headwall, which eases.

Climbs the highest, slabby west face with limited protection.

Start at the chimney flanking the left side of the impressive wall with bolts.

1. 30m (14) Up the chimney. At the first chance step right onto easy angled slab and belay on twin rings above 'Felix'.

2. 40m (14) Finish up juggy corner above.

Megaline. Good climbing. Start up S (which soon wanders off right). Continue up corner-chimney passing three big overhangs and through a hole behind the fourth.

Right angled corner.

Up small crack system, with a bolt protecting the crux. Topping out is currently mossy, but will clean up over time. Fixed hangers to belay from about five metres back from top.

Belay bolts service this climb, which are around 5 metres back from the top of First Offence.

Crack with a small cave at its base.

"Interesting and thought provoking climbing up slabby rock. Start 3m right of horrible chimney at rightward curving crack. Move up and left to faint crack, follow this until it fades, then step right and up." (Simon Mentz, Glenn Tempest; Grampians Selected Climbs)

"An interesting variant start to Bagatelle. Takes the low angled crack in the grey slab 5m left of Bagatelle before moving right and finishing as for that route." (Simon Mentz, Glenn Tempest; Grampians Selected Climbs)

Lovely well protected slab climbing. Follow the right line of bolts very slightly leftwards towards the lower off. Enjoyable moves the whole way.

Start 2m right of Derelict. Up channel and over tiny tree following the delicate line up to finish in V between boulders.

The body swallowing crack 1m right of Toucan.

Bound straight up the wall starting just right of the large block.

The central line (slab then crack) between Wigg Mistress and Lower Hawkesbury.