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Mersey Cliffs

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Description

The Mersey cliffs are situated along the south rim of the Mersey river gorge as it passes through the Gog range just northeast of the town of Mole Creek. The cliffs are a type of high quality quartzite similar to that found at Mt Arapiles.

Access issues inherited from Tasmania

Many locals continue to use community run website thesarvo.com for crag/route updates and noting any access issues. The associated app can be downloaded and used offline!

http://thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/Tasmania

Gerry Narkowicz also produces hardcopy guides to numerous venues across the state via the 'Climb Tasmania' website

https://climbtasmania.com.au/collections/frontpage

Approach

Follow the track to the lookout (15min walk) until a sign about birds (last sign before the lookout). Turn right down an obvious track for 150m

Ethic

Crag Stewards

Rock climbers please contact the Crag Steward (mersey@climbersclubtas.org.au) if you have any queries or concerns regarding social or environmental impacts of rock climbing at this crag.

Do not email regarding general travel, seasonal advice, or lost property - this is not the Steward’s role. If you have important safety information to communicate (e.g. risks due to recent and large rock falls) please also consider updates on thesarvo forum, Facebook group and/or online guidebooks as appropriate. Please copy in cct@climbersclubtas.org.au if you feel you have a high-level concern which may imminently impact the crag or climbing community.

Non-climbers, other users, land managers: please also contact cct@climbersclubtas.org.au if you have important climbing related queries at this location.

Other

• The operation and use of drones by park visitors on reserved land including national parks is not permitted

• Peregrine Falcons nest from July - December each year. It’s important that climbers don’t climb near active nests during this period. Known sites (non exhaustive) are: Sand River (Far East, The Panopticon), Bare Rock (R of the Boneyard, L of Bisso of Orange), Rocky Cape, Pubic Wall/Duck Reach, Hillwood, Gunners Quoin, Lowdina.

• Please note that Tasmania has notoriously patchy phone reception for particular service providers. Telstra is the most reliable. An emergency Personal Locator Beacon or similar is recommended kit when climbing in remote locations.

• For more information - follow the link below for some local tips + tricks on how to better reduce your impact during your next Tassie climbing holiday https://www.cragcaretasmania.org.au/learn

Tags

Routes

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Grade Route

Short buttress that extends East from entrance trail. Routes described from R to L

Blunt arete on RH end of cliff with a tricky crux. Single bolt lower-off.

FA: Polinski, 2012

Climb past two small bulges through bouldery moves to a thin vertical seam and a brief respite at a side-pull jug before a final few strenuous moves back left to gain the anchors. Climbing straight up from the jug via the dirty crack knocks off a grade and the star.

FA: Polinski, 2012

Start up easy terrain to gain a high first bolt. Continue up with increasing difficulty to a final crux at the finish. Single bolt lower-off

FA: Polinski, 2012

Large overhanging orange and white cliff at the bottom of the approach gully

Bolted arête left of Tomohawk buttress.

Best route at the crag, the left hand line of bolts on Tomahawk Buttress. Crank up the overhang to a crux about 1/3 height, then all way to anchors via a technical face below the victory jugs. Awesome route

FA: Williams, 2004

A link up that climbs first 3 bolts of Unrequited going right into Tomahawk

FA: Thorp, 2012

A very hard boulder starts off this route on the polished face below the first 2 bolts, then straight up to top as climbing backs off a little nicely to the lower offs

FA: Polinski, 2012

Link up that takes the start of tomahawk and crosses into and finishing up Unrequited

FA: Polinski, 2012

Powerful thin climbing through the bulges

FA: Polinski, 2012

A few hard moves off ground to obtain the low break, into a hard crux section after the first roof, into easy ground to the lower offs at the top.

FA: Polinski, 2012

This is a crux section dodge around for Art of Deception, which traverses slightly right after the first roof along the flat jugs, up arete and back left at the next roof to continue to the top. Good climbing.

FA: Polinski, 2012

3m right at the right end of tomahawk buttress, climb the last line of bolts on the wall then join into Art Of Deception and finish at its lower offs

FA: J Trainer, Oct 2015

Continue past Tomahawk Buttress up the hill to clean vertical face

The first sport route uphill from tomahawk buttress on its own small buttress. Unknown origin

FA: Steve climber

Shady Grove sector, right wall on the main cliff line, furthest left route on wall. Climb past bolt to ledge, then up the face with nice sustained climbing towards easier ground at the top.

FA: polinski, 2012

Best route on the wall, third from the left. Classic line on top quality polished rock, sustained face climbing to the anchors on the hanging block.

One of the bolts for the loweroff is shockingly rusty and needs to be replaced.

FA: Polinski, 2012

A worthy link up combining the best of Mumble Bee and Kansas City Shuffle removing the corner start of KCS taking the obvious line up the wall, start as for MB to the third bolt a powerful move to start traversing on good holds left to the KCS jug, back out right to 4th bolt of KCS continue as for KCS however finish up crack and mantle over to the anchors of MDB

FA:

Third on left, Shady Grove Wall. pleasant face climbing with distinct crux sections at half height and near the top.

FA: Polinski, 2012

Excellent climbing up to rooflet. Crux near the top of the wall.

FA: Polinski, 2012

Starts up the easy corner 3m right of Hue Bris, commit to the wall and make your way up past the 2 orange streaks pulling through the bulge onto easier ground. Continue up the face avoiding the ramp and then onto the upper headwall and anchors.

FA: Mitchell Crowden, 5 Dec 2021

Starts just left of Room With A View. Thin start, and try to stay off the ramp to the R at the second bolt.

Start up the grey face 1m right of the corner. Best to stick clip the first bolt or climb the easy corner and lean across and clip the bolt to start. Can be done with a variant start at grade 18, which climbs the corner for the first 4m (clip the other bolt) and joins the action at the second bolt.

Start on the furtherest right edge of the the buttress. Climb steeply at the start and stay on the left face of the arete upto the corner and then face above.

Head down the hill between Shady Grove and Tomahawk Buttress past a few cairns to a small overlook. Abseil from the anchors in the corner down over the face to the large vegetated ledge below (25m). BE ADVISED that if you pull your rope and can't get yourself up a 20 at least bolt to bolt then your prospects of getting up off the ledge would be fairly grim.

20 metres walk downhill from tomahawk buttress the route faces directly downstream. Abseil bolts on the top of the crag closest to the river.

Start in the orange corner making your way right into the overhanging jug haul. Continue up through the small roof with a tricky move to gain the upper crack system. Deceptively steep and sustained with good protection. An imposing line with an amazing position above the Mersey River.

It is a good idea to hang a bail rope if you are unsure about getting up the route and directional gear is required if planning to top rope as you will end up 6m off the start of the route on abseil

FA: M. Crowden, 24 Apr 2022

Start in the obvious corner just left of the abseil. Climb up the vertical crack feature and just before the top head bravely out right to the ledge and anchors of the abseil.

FA: Polinski, 2012

Climb up the well bolted face on the lower tier. Great sustained technical climbing, 11 bolts plus rap anchors.

FA: Gerry Narowicz, 2012

Access to anchor via the fixed line at the top of the crag. Starts at the overhanging bulge moving up into easier climbing with the final crux towards the top of the route.

FA: M. Crowden/T. Cramp, 19 Nov 2022

Climb up the corner of the nice open book dihedral right of the abseil. Place your last piece at a horizontal break, take a deep breath, and head up the face (crux just above the last piece) and a committing run out to anchors.

FA: Polinski, 2012

Did you know?

Did you know that you can create an account to record, track and share your climbing ascents? Thousands of climbers are already doing this.

Selected Guidebooks more Hide

Author(s): Gerry Narkowicz

Date: 2021

ISBN: 9780646841946

Cracks, sea stacks, big walls, remote exotic locations, volcanic columns, no crowds and your choice of the predominant dolerite, some quartzite and a little sandstone to remind you of the mainland. Many a wilderness climbing experience can be had within a 2hr car trip from the main centers. By Gerry Narkowicz. This guide features 1280 routes.

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