Routes as trad in Hunter Valley

Splitter crack to an old carrot bolt (protrudes 50mm with bomb-proof cams adjacent and above), then follow finger crack over roof to an awkward exit.

Steep corner crack, BB marked on the right wall

Directly up wall, 2m left of the Battle of Rahmizies to an old carrot bolt, then follow slabby corner left to tree belay.

Wide corner crack, 2m left of Rabies, through a blocky roof, finishing past 2 carrot bolts on the upper right wall to a bolt belay (2 bolts with fixed hangers set back from the edge)

Obvious, overhang wide hand-crack with a difficult offwidth section. Either finish on broad terrace (tree belay) or step left and continue up the 2 bolt finish to the Battle of Rahmizies

Boulder the right side of the Rhinegold wall past 3 bolts, moving leftwards to join Rhinegold at it's final bolt.

Climb the Scotch and Dry crack all the way. Easier approached as a pure trad climb, avoiding the old bolts

Originally a straight forward aid climb with an exciting free section for it's day. The aid was the initial bolt ladder and a sling aid on the final bolt.

1. Climb the wide crack next to the bolt ladder to a bolt belay at half height.

2. Follow the flake / ramp rightwards to a bolt belay. Climb the short final wall past a bolt to a final bolt belay.

The diagonal thin crack right of S&D after boulder start.

A serious climb that remained the hardest climb in the Hunter valley well into the mid '70's. It's original grade of 12 ensured that Hunter valley climbers travelling to the Blue Mountains were quite competent at any grade 12 they cared to try (originally called E&S after the bank whose logo was a sheep, suspended from a rope). Start at a vaugue flake below a bolt, 3m left of David's Hangover. Climb the pocketed wall past 2 bolts to the cave / ledge. pull up and right passing a bolt to David's Hangover's top bolt belay

Climb the first pitch of David's Hangover then continue directly up the arete (devoid of protection). May now be a fully carrot'ed sport climb?

Start at the the short crack below the western arete of the main buttress. Climb the short crack then up the blunt arete past a bolt to a bolt belay in the cave. Traverse 10m right to a difficult move to a large ledge and tree, bolt belay well back.

Offwidth flake, then slab passing a bolt with several shallow chipped holds

Chimney then overlap / chockstone and crack

Chimney, to chockstone, then climb easy wall to the right.

Climbs the slab between Noel’s Masterpiece and the corner of Pee Wee’s slab. Good rock but a no gear... so solo or toprope.

Classical slabby corner with awkward overlap.

Layback to break, step right, then up gully. One of the Hunter valley's earliest climbs, now a largely vegetated gully line.

The RH Corner and jamb crack start to the M1 to gully.

Splitter Jamb crack through some painful conglomerate

Climbs the large, deep, hanging chimney. The access pitch follows the long right leading ramp. The Hunter's second recorded climb, M1 being the first climb, graded "Moderate", D2 being the second climb, graded "Difficult" in the pre-Ewbank system, British ajectival grading

The first pitch of D2 lies below the track and is a worthy climb in its own right. The easy splitter hand crack

Climb splitter crack right of D2, traverse right and finish up crack to tree. NB there is no longer a potential belay tree on the half way ledge.

Climb the crack and chimney system 10m right of Heart failure past a peg to a bolt belay.

Steep corner 5m right of Bakers Chimney. Fingers to thin hands.

Easiest line to the summit, from the west

Crack and chimney line at the LH end of the north face

P1 : Up chimney an bolt over chockstone to belay. P2 : "Toohey's Traverse" traverse right to bolt belay.

The chimney/cleft on the dark side of the central buttress.

Possibly the chimney left of "Astro Turf" (2013 guide noted it had been top-roped)? DBB

Despite the name, this is a fun, short, clean hand-crack

Short under-vertical crack (possibly a guide typo at 17?)

The ramp left of the arête on small gear then past 2 RBs to DBB

The great looking crack with 2 variants on the top pitch.

Extension of the Great Arch, up flake system onto arête and up

Climb the arching crack to the left of the Great Wall (red C4s are useful)... Finishing at a single ring above the corner (can be backed up with cams)

Wall / slab past a letterbox slot and bolt a metre or so right of Deamon.

The slabby corner.

Wall and crack leading to a diagonal line of holds right to a groove.

Continue directly up wall after Photogenic's bolt

Hanging corner to an arete, carefully up the corner (peg missing) to the grainy arete.

Slabby corner and left leading ramp, used as access.

Corner / flake above Solo One.

Wall and overlap 15m right of Snake. Climb diagonally rightwards to gain the cave, then over the bulge past bolt

Unprotected wall to join Oxymoron at it’s cave.

Up wall 5m right of Oxymoron Direct passing 2 bolts and a small overlap

"It's 16 going on 17". The wall at the right hand end of the overlaps, 3m right of Menstration Day.

Up wall past a slot & 2 bolts, 5m right of 'Von-Trap'.

"a different type of jug?" the rotten corner at the left end of the main slab.

Climb the slab just right of the prominent tree 6m right of Kettle.

The slab 4m right of Flip Side.

The loose slab 3m right of Holy Dirt.

19m right of Kettle, blunder up gully to walk off ledge.

Climb the slab and vague corner 10m right of Choss.

Easy open book corner 30m right of Flack.

From the half way ledge, climb the flake and corner directly below the lookout.

Cracks up a square cut groove 7m right of Flake

Short open book corner, from ledge at left hand end of cliff

Short wall, left through the roof then corner.

Exit right at Septic's roof.

The thin friable wall 3m right of arete past 2 bolts and a letterbox type hole.

The thin friable wall just right of Blank Sabbath.

Crank the wall left of Joe's Climb past 2 bolts to the roof then traverse left to follow a crack to the top

Climb 'A Void' to the roof, clip the third bolt over the roof, then climb the wall left of the bolt to belay as for Joe’s Climb.

Follow "A Void" to the roof then continue through roof just right of a bolt.

The thin crack leading to a roof and hanging chimney. This was the hardest climb in the Hunter Valley for some time in the late 70's and early '80s. Climb the crack and swing into the roof/chimney which is followed to a double ring bolt belay, right of the tree.

Joe’s Climb is followed to the roof, from where a short traverse right brings the lip of the roof and a bolt to hand. Lunge through the roof via a flake to finish at the tree belay of Joe’s Climb or continue directly up the wall above passing a bolt.

Clip Dynamo's bolt then lunge the roof from the right hand side.

A long traverse from the start of Once is Enough leads to the roof of Joe's Climb

Starts at the weakness 10m right of "Joe's Climb", moves up and traverses above the roof to the left.

Climb the corner system at the left end of Turkey Wall. Climb 'Once is Enough' to the base of it's V groove then move left to stem the prominent corner

A start in the vaugue corner right of Joe’s Climb leads to the obvious chimney, the exit from which and final wall constituting the crux.

The centre of the wall right of the “Once is Enough” chimney contains Quasimodo. Climb the cracks to a horizontal break and overlap, which is surmounted, past a bolt to gain a wide ledge. 2 bolts and a hard move lead to jugs at the small roof. A final bolt leads to double rings.

A classic wall, thin crack to rooflet and awkward mantle finish. DRB lower off. The upper part of the loose pillar has been removed in 2021, unearthing a good hand crack for gear. The lower part of the pillar vibrates but seems solid. Considered a sandbag at 19 by most people, was a test piece of the 80s.

Start up Killer clowns direct to clip its third bolt then step down and traverse left into Bereska at the thin crack and finish up that route.

Very thin climbing up a blank section of wall. Leave Bereska at half height and climb the thin right wall past 2 bolts

An easy bold start, leads to the crux of Killer Clowns from Outer Space

The finger crack 4m left of the right arete of Turkey Walls. Climb the wall and intermittent cracks (wires for protection) then launch up the superb finger crack. DRB lower off.

Climb cracks and corner system right of "Turquosine" which is on the left side of the "Central Gully" (ie opposite side to "Chutney"). Used for many years as a training route for scouts. NB it is not where it's shown in "Newcastle & Hunter Valley Rockclimbing 2013" (which is Easy's Arete, harder and less protected).

Boulder up the arete with no gear until half height, to join "Centennial"

Climb the centre of the wall past 3 carrots, outflanking the overhang on the left.

Solo the bouldery wall between Centennial and Chutney, stepping right into Chutney below the summit block.

The obvious corner with a tree root at half height. Named after a repeat ascent by David Pickles.

Start up Chutney until the lowest traverse line can be taken to the centre of the right wall. Climb the wall with pockets for protection.

Follow 'Fragile' but traverse to the arete, where chimneying between the arete and tree allows progress to continue.

Traverse right from the Chutney tree to finish up a groove just left of the RS cave.

Climbs the undercut, honeycombed corner right of Jacob's Ladder continuing to the left of the large windblown cave.

The wall and groove left of RS, finishing up Weetbix.

The striking corner on the centre left of the Big Banana Buttress.

1. 18 Up overhanging corner to belay in groove where angle eases.

2. Easy bridging to windblown cave with UB belay.

3. Up wide roof crack and corner to UB or tree belay.

Best if pitch 1 and 2 are combined or done as one monster pitch saving small cams till the end.

Climb RS for a few metres then lunge right, across the hanging wall to a wide break, and join Apple Arete near it's first belay.

Climb the right arete of RS for a few metres then swing right to belay. Step back left and climb the arete past 2 bolts, then follow the groove to a pedestal belay on the left. Take medium cams. Abseil off.

From the top of 5 Finger Exercise, traverse left to climb the thin corner, followed by a groove to the a double bolt belay on a pedestal.

Climb the orange wall past a bolt left of the left arete of Stopper, to join The Future's So Bright.

A low level traverse across the left wall of Stopper leads past the arete to horizontal breaks, from here, the wall above is climbed direct past 2 bolts to an exit crack and bolt belay

"A close shave", climb the juggy arete right of New Horizons, traversing left above a friend break to easier ground. Exit to the terrace.

Boulder the wall to a bolt and mantle then continue via a second bolt and thin crack.

You used to able to bridge up the tree but it's a bit harder now that the tree is dead. Move up then move left past a bolt and flake to a pocketed traverse line. Step right to a large flake, which is followed to a groove and wall to finish at the large tree.

At the Five Finger Exercise traverse, move left to a ramp system, which is followed to rejoin FFE.

The cracked arete just right of 'Five Fingers'.

Wall past a bolt.