Routes in Australia for selected grade

Steep fun

Start: Starts roughly in the middle of the cliff just right of 'The Riddler'.

Take some tiny wires and a few cams (including some large ones). Up wall tending right past horizontal breaks to rest around 4m from top. Find some good gear and head on up on steep committing jugs. Tricky mantle to natural belay

Start in the corner on the right, head up into the crack, move right then up the corner more easily. Up past little ledge and move left on slab to finish at rap station on ledge.

Pleasant.

Start: The big crack/chimney line at the left-hand end of the main cliff, just left of 'Amungme'.

1. 20m (16) Good holds and runners on the right wall. Belay at the big chockstone.

2. 10m (16) (Crux) Traverse left across the wall below the roof to the arete. Step left and up.

Start as for Black Feral Cat Goes Underground. Stay on the left wall, though the orange scoop, and step left around overhang.

Terrible rock. Climb the arête between Black Feral Cat Goes Underground and Dream Weaver, starting just right of BFCGU, and finishing at the top of Dream Weaver.

A bit loose or as Bangla would say "This is the worst route I have ever seconded." Midway betwen 'Spectre' and the right hand end of the cliff is a small descent gully. This route is 10m right of this.

Right arete of cave with sit-start

The right-facing corner 18 metres left of 'The Hard Days Night'.

Mossy corner 16m left of B.

Loose and poorly protected route up the proud arête right of Queen Bee. Pitches of 25m, 25m 15m. Start up Guillotine then move left onto the face. Back right at around 25 to 30m to belay in corner. Horizontally left onto arête proper, straight up to ledge. Bail here to avoid further complications. Traverse down and across to major ledge, rap from tree on Queen Bee.

Start as for 'Rollmop' in 'Abseil Gully' and up the slab just right of the wide crack for 5 metres or so then out left onto the wall left of 'Rollmop' and up the line to the horizontal fault of the first belay of 'Mission To Mars'.

Exposed and sustained, a worthwhile outing. Some suspect rock low down. It is possible to do one long 45metre first pitch but you will need a lot of gear and two ropes to avoid bad rope drag.

Start: The pronounced diagonal crack on the right wall of the 'Monkey Man' bay.

1. 35m (16) A break leads up and right into the line. Follow line up left to where the angle eases off slightly above a fairly fraught section. Small stance in crack.

2. 20m (15) Unlikely climbing up steep continuation of the crack then more easily up to large ledge below the 'Monkey Man' headwall.

3. 25m (14) Finish up 'Monkey Man' variant finish.

50m up the gully from Catch The Wind, below two left-leaning cracks, and just right of an undercut section.

1. 20m Head up right to a flake and then climb this until it’s possible to move left and up to a cramped belay under an off-width in the roof.

2. 20m Traverse right to a big ledge.

3. 15m Climb the weakness above the left end of the ledge.

4. 20m Head up the crack.

150m right of the descent gully is a major line splitting a prow.

1. 32m Follow a crack up to below an overhang.

2. 35m Climb the steep crack and the short difficult corner to a ledge.

3. 46m Head around right, go to the large corner, and then climb this to the top.

Approximately 50m right of First Blood, left of a prominent arete, is a major corner high up on the cliff.

1. 25m Start below the arete and head up the slab. Climb through the overlap at the flake and then move left to belay under the corner.

2. 25m Go up and along the major flake.

3. 25m Head up the cracks immediately left of the arete.

4. 25m Continue up the cracks.

Far left of The Worst Journey In The World and approximately 200m right of Coup De Grace (Epaminondas Buttress) is a recessed wall. The start is a thin left-facing corner that peters out approximately 15m up.

1. 30m Climb the corner then step left and go up an easy off-width into a belay cave.

2. 35m Climb past a desperate start into the chimney.

Head right from Haddock’s Revenge to the left end of a large crag. Continue along some broken buttresses until the crag steepens into a wall with two prominent crack-lines that are undercut. The left one splits into two thin cracks at about 20m, and the right one turns into a corner. This is the left crack.

1. 25m Climb up into the undercut, overhanging chimney and then bridge up until it’s possible to climb up steeply on large holds (crux). Continue up to where the crack splits and follow the cracks to a small stance.

2. 15m Climb the slabs to an abseil tree.

Climb the crack to the right of Gariwerd Dreaming.

Just to the right of the caves are some shield-type features. Climb up to the right of these.

A grand adventure across the length of POW at around 2/3rds height provides mostly easy climbing a spectacular position. The sense of adventure is enhanced by spaced protection and some fragile rock. Although bolts have been used to supplement protection on harder sections and some belays, the easier climbing can be quite run out. And while it is mostly possible to climb on good quality rock, there are many thin flakes and fragile features that should be avoided. The leader and seconder should be equally confident at the grade and be prepared for a long day. POW gets full sun for a large part of the day.

Escape can be made from a number of double bolt belays along the route, although rings are only installed at the end of pitches 11 and 13. It is also possible to escape upwards after the first waterfall (pitch 7) by joining the second pitch of Whacko Jacko (14). It is possible to re-join the route from any of the other routes described on the cliff.

The route involves crossing two waterfalls which are usually dry by late spring through summer to early autumn, but are obviously weather dependant. It is easy to check the condition of the waterfalls by continuing along the walking trail.

Start at left end of the main wall see topo.

1. 60m, Grade 6 - Up, trending right of ledge to belay off cams in groove.

2. 50m, Grade 10 - Up easily to the red tide line, then start traversing. Pass one bolt and belay at the next on the blunt arête.

3. 56m Grade 6 - Continue traverse past one BR to a 3-cam belay.

4. 55m, Grade 8 - Traverse right. Belay 2-3m past a corner using cams.

5. 55m, Grade 8 - Traverse right. Step down onto a bushy ledge for a cam belay

6. 55m, Grade7 - Follow the plates right to to a DBB before the waterfall.

7. 55m, Grade 13 - The Waterfall - follow the bolts across the waterfall, then step up and around the arête for cam placements. Cam belay when the rope runs out (you should be able to see your belayer)

8. 58m, Grade 3 - Easily R to DBB

9. 58m, Grade 8 - R past shallow corner and DBB before runnel.

10. 60m, Grade 14 - Step down and across the runnel. Easily to bolt on arête then run-out to next arête for SBB + cam/nut.

11. 35m, Grade 16 (crux) - R past shallow corner and around pillar. Step up onto dinner plates to clip next bolt, then step down and R to next. Move up and R again to get to clean slab. Mantle down a body length to easier traverse, then clip higher bolt to protect the second. DRB belay.

12. 58m, Grade 11 - R around the arête. Slightly down and R across the bowl, then down and R again to DBB on a big horizontal fin just before the waterfall. Note at this point there is a line of bolts that crosses the waterfall at a higher level and leads to a rap station (grade 18). This line does not continue. Instead, Red Tide now loses some height to follow easier ground to the base of the smooth Kon-Tiki Face.

13. 60m, Grade 10 - Second Waterfall - Climb down L side of ledge, place a wire and traverse into and easily across the waterfall, losing a couple of meters to gain an easy traverse line on the next wall. Continue R (FH) to reach the base of the Kon-Tiki face. Continue past DBB (Ripples, 20) to belay at DRB (Ra Ra Ra, 20)

14. 56m Grade 15 - The Fragile Pitch - R 8m then step up (bolt?)and continue R another 12m. Step up again (FH) and more easily R to DBB

15. 59m, Grade 8 - Climb down 2-3m, then right across a runnel (FH). Continue easily to good sloping stance, SBB + cam.

16. 59m, Grade 2 - Obvious traverse line to SBB (+ cam)

17. 59m, Grade 6 - The Horn Pitch - Sling the phallic horn on your way to the large bushy ledge. SBB + cam.

18. 52m, Grade 12 - The Turret pitch and some vertical climbing! -Up shallow groove (no pro) then between the horns to a shallow corner (FH). Up the rounded arête to the final, well protected exit crack.

Descent - The Grampians Peak Trail is approx 50m back from the edge of the cliff.

Obvious clean-cut corner at the left end of the face. Start immediately under the corner line.

1. Scramble to ledge at 6m, step left into crack for protection and follow until level with the base of the corner. Traverse right 2-3m along the rib with hands or feet to reach the corner. (30m, 14)

2. Bridge up the elegant corner to the roof. Move right (FH) and carefully up the next little lichenous corner to another FH before moving left onto the arete to finish. (30m, 16)

From ledge above crux, follow curved corner on left.

Reasonable climbing but the rock is only fair. Start 120m left of Silk Road and 10m right of a cave. (This is about 50m left of where the cliff direction turns from north west facing to north east facing). Look for a small grey corner that starts about 20m above the ground and a cairn.

1. 35m Up wall for 18m then move left to below corner. Up corner to large ledge.

2. 30m Up left to left end of large roof. Traverse left along horizontal chimney and ledge to a small vertical chimney. Up chimney.

3. 30m Up crack system through bulge then easily to top.

Very good face climbing but a bit run-out on the second pitch. Take lots of small and medium cams. Start roughly 10m left of The Way of All Flesh, just left of the next cave down. (Note that Marco Polo is about 30m further left).

1. 45m Step left onto juggy rib then up the left hand line on the steep face above the cave. Belay at tree.

2. 35m Straight up black wall then take the flake through the pale bulge. Wander up the wall above. (Run-out though there are some runners up left).

3. 15m (Crux) Boulder through the roof then move right and finish about 2m left of the corner.

About 40m left of fixed rope in scoop. Up scoop to ledge. Traverse L 3m up crack to roof. Out right and up wall.

A clearer shade of choss? The first route done on the cliff. 'Steep' bold climbing on outrageous holds and quite a bit of bird shit. Starts at very small section of "brain" like rock at right hand end of small white cave about 30m right of 'Left Hand Black'. Straight up to left hand side of buttress. Up flake on left then up and right to top of buttress. Straight up wall above.

3m R of Republicans two wide cracks start 5m up. Up and L past small orange triangle to foot of cracks. Up these exiting L to finish up narrow buttress between chimneys.

5m R of Tories is a wall leading to some deep wide cracks. Pull up onto small ledge, up past 2 FH to deep R leaning crack, up this. Good climbing and protection.

About 50m uphill from Conservative Crag is a small steep orange wall. It has a distinctive white quartz streak towards its LH side. Up blocky groove L of this streak to ledge. Step R onto face and up to below the large protruding block below the overhangs. Exit L. Care needed with rock and protection.

The LH arête of the Suez Crisis block, the route struggles to stay out of the dead tree and is hard to protect.

Uphill and L from Conservative Crag about 80m are some more South facing blocks. The LH of the bigger blocks has an obvious deep wide R leading crack towards its LH side. Hard entry to crack then up to summit block, traverse L beneath this and up short chimney crack.

Nice corner with good gear, just beware of a few loose blocks at the start and finish. Starts approx 40m N (RHS) of rockfall, at slabby corner.

Three lines lead through the lower roof on the front of Split Pinnacle. This route takes the right hand one.

1. 20m 15. Up the crack and its right wall around the roof, then up to belay as for The Rush Variant.

2. 15m 10. Traverse left over the flake to finish up the chimney.

Walk left for 40m below the broken crag which continues from the left edge of the main pinnacle, to a right-facing corner with large boulder at base, just right of prominent overhangs. From the top of boulder, get into corner and climb it.

This is the black left-facing corner at the left end of the worthwhile area of the cliff. Climb past the steep start and finish up jugs to abseil from a tree.

Climb the major black right-facing corner 3m right of The Silent Miaow. Head up to the roof, exit dramatically up left, then up easily. Head left to the abseil tree above The Silent Miaow.

Start at the major line 13m right of Farewell Freddie and 10m left of Easy Options. Be careful with the rock. Head up the line to the ledge, then climb up more steeply in the same line. Go up easily until you can traverse horizontally left to the tree above The Silent Miaow.

5m right of Buckley's Brigade is a major crack with a cairn at its base.

1. 25m (Crux) climb the crack to the ledge where Easy Options finishes.

2. 25m Head up right on the black wall to a line. Follow this, moving right past the final overhang.

This is the huge line 25m right of Isis and 5m left of Dream On.

1. 30m Climb up to the foot of the chimney, then head up the line to a small ledge on the right, below the overhangs.

2. 25m Climb the wall immediately right of the line, then step up left to the first cave. Climb the overhang to a second cave, then follow the line through a second overhang. Finish at the abseil tree above Dream On.

This is another mega line that starts about 30m right of The Girl Of My Dreams and about 15m left of the cave at the right end of the cliff. It has a cairn at the base.

1. 30m (Crux) Climb the line with a small eucalypt at 3m. Head up to a distinctive black and yellow overhang at 25m and belay on the ledge just above.

2. 20m Climb the bulge and continue up the line.

Climb the black streak just left of Straight Arm Overhang, and head pretty much straight up the wall above.

Near the centre of the cliff is a large orange scoop/overhang. Climb the weakness through this overhang, then up to the ledge. Head right, then up to abseil from a tree.

7m right of Straight Arm Overhang is a large chossy corner that leads to a recessed orange patch of rock. Climb the wall just left of the corner until at the same level as the orange rock, then move right and climb the corner at the left end of the orange rock.

Good climbing on both pitches.

1. Up line 2.5 m left of Freestone, passing the first loose block on left arête and bridging around the second one. Swing around right arête just below overhang at top of shallow chimney. Go up right across Freestone and step right around arête to small stance at foot of corner.

2. 20m Attractive seam leading up right to top of Together Alone.

This is the exposed and steep major line immediately left of the huge ceilings near the left end of the cliff. Climb up the undercut start, then up the corner-crack. Avoid the left wall.

An enjoyable face with adequate protection. 1.5 R of Holy Hand Grenade

1. 20m 15. Up slab to bottom of ramp, step out R to FH and up face to 2nd FH. Straight up steepening stepping L to belay on big ledge. Small cams useful.

2. 15m 14. Up and R to horizontal crack below overhang, traverse R to nose. Pull over steeply then finish on easy rock.

Enjoyable slab and face route. Takes a direct line up the centre of the slabs, 5m R of Druze.

P1 (30m, 16, 2 bolts) Up and L to FH, up past 2nd FH to crack. Follow this to DBB. A bit run out on the easy ground.

P2 (35m, 16, 4 bolts) Thin crack then L past FH to short corner. Up corner and face above to R curving flake and FH. Up to horizontal [good cams and wires] and on up middle of face past 2 FHs to DBB. Abseil descent.

P1 (35m, 15) Climb shallow line with seams 4m R of CO then white streak above bearing L to JJ belay.

P2 (35m, 15, 2 bolts) Up thin crack as for JJ to FH, up R onto bushy ledge. R 5m on this then directly up wall passing 1 FH. Move L at the top to the DBB on JT. Abseil

2m L of MiB is a shallow groove/seam up an arete, up this to join MiB.

P1 (38m, 14) Large black corner 4m right of JT, then continue up easy slabs to large tree on bushy ledge just below the steep headwall.

P2 (32m, 15) Up R leading seam, where it finishes head L to short L leading dyke feature. Up this to just below bushes then traverse L to join JT, up this to DBB. Abseil descent.

Nice clean slab route. 10m L of Hezbollah. Up slab past 2 FHs to overlap and belay. Traverse off L or R [belayed] to abseil trees.

This route is on a separate small cliff 40m up and L of the descent route from the main cliff. Middle of cliff [or start up obvious crack and step L] past horizontal breaks.

Start at the LH end of the main cliff at the left side of the yellow roofs. An obvious little thin flake. Up flake to overhang then traverse L to belay in gully. Good climbing but the pro is a bit dodgy.

1. 20m Up offwidth crack 10m right of Loose End, then slab to overlap. Treverse right and join Puff The Magic Dragon just below its belay.

2. 15m Continue up Puff The Magic Dragon.

1. 35m 15. Start 1.5m R of UN. Up seams [fiddly small cams and wires] and good cracks to below the overhang. Step L and up to step back R and swing through the overhang at an obvious crack. Up to ledge.

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

The best way to climb this buttress is as described, stepping L at the 2nd bolt for an excellent sustained outing at around 14/15. A good selection of wires and small/medium cams required. Deserves to be popular. Start: 1.5 R of CS. Up cracks to ledge. Up wall past 2 FH. Step L at the 2nd FH [continuing direct is 17, but less pleasant] and up to stance near arete. From here up and R climbing the middle of the sustained buttress following the best gear and holds to a ledge at 35m [possible belay]. Continue up more easily to belay bolts. Abseil off.

Note [and mea culpa] This buttress was filthy and dangerously unprotected for the first third with no evidence that it had ever been climbed. We abbed down, cleaned it and placed a couple of bolts low down. We then climbed it direct past the bolts at about grade 17. We had assumed that the Blackbeard’s Ghost buttress was that of Blackbeard and that this was a completely new route. In fact we seem to have climbed a direct version of Blackbeard [PA].

Takes the crack and L arête of the big black slab. Up the initial crack to ledge, L along this [possible belay]. Climb the corner/flake and up slab near the arête until angle eases. Head up R to the belay/abseil chains [2x50m].

Start as for JL but continue straight up crack system and nose of slab. Not as well protected as JL

Deep crack/groove up left side of buttress about 15m right of where cairned track climbs through lower cliff to upper cliff. Up wide crack [loose rock], then crack through bulge, traverse right to middle of buttress and up.

Three metres right of Moonee Valley, wide shallow groove up front of buttress. Up groove on suspect rock to bulge, right up diagonal line to ledge, up short crack, bulge and face to top.

Enjoyable, sustained and well protected climbing. Buzz Aldrin and the next two routes are all on an attractive buttress of good rock 5m right of Mare Crisium [and about 30m left of Pommy On The Moon]. Start at the lefthand toe of the buttress. Seam to bulge. Up and right over bulge. Step back left and up seam to ledge below overhang. Short [roped] pitch to top or abseil off pillar.

Short buttress at far righthand end of cliff with a distinctive closed flake up its right front. Nice climbing but fiddly to protect [it is worth finding and placing the one good small wire that goes in the flake around half height].

Sustained, with lichen and some loose rock.

1. 20 m Up line, past a steep section, to overlap with horizontal breaks just below and above it. Step R to ledge.

2. 20 m Step back left. Over overlap. Right round overhang above, then up and left (poor rock) to exit through hole to good ledge.

3. 20 m Straight up line above.

Right one of a pair of major cracks facing north-east on buttress 80m left of Pressure Cooker. Cairned. Blocky crack to short chimney. Crack above overhang.

Crack immediately left of LRC. Up left wall to rest below overhang. Up right into crack then up.

Nice short problem. Just beyond the left hand edge of the main cliff are 2 smaller buttresses. The left one. Climb short steep flake on right side of buttress above alarmingly loose block [which seems to be quite firmly jammed in place]. Pull over bulge above flake then up and left onto front of buttress, up.

Arête on buttress starting 20m down left of Rhino.

Shallow cracks and grooves up the centre of the face right of Oh to Be in England.

Behind top of buttress with next three routes, and 12m right of OTBIE is a major wall.

1. 12m (crux) Pronounced left leaning crack on left side of wall. Exit up right over big blocks (take care) to scrubby ledge.

2. 15m Bottomless corner above, then on to left arête. Up this on a fine position on good holds.

Start just left of toe of the narrow buttress reaching furthest downhill at the right end of the cliff. Up and right to crest of rib. Up it (easing).

Lovely seam and face 2m right of Our Auld Man. Finish direct up middle of face.

Attractive face climbing up right of WK.

Exciting stuff. Clean, undercut crack at the right end of the south-east facing red wall near the left end of the outcrops. Some dubious rock. Up to roof, right on obvious break, then up three metre crack to terrace with blocks

Brushed slab 10m up right of SS, at right end of lower cliff.

Left side of gully up right of Light of Day. Up thin crack around overhang to ledge. Step right across gap between blocks to the next wall. Nice moves up thin right curving crack to arête, then up this.