Help

Spellbinder Area

Seasonality

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Description

Emergency Location: Mount Arapiles, Pharos Gully Area.

The routes from 'Young, Old and Amputees' to 'Is It About A Bicycle?' are accessed via a scramble on a boulder, from the track. This area from the ledge is called Angel Buttress.

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

Add route(s) Add topo Reorder Bulk edit Convert grades
Grade Route

Deceptively tricky. Start on the track at the next little face up the hill from Traffic below a diagonal ramp. Up ramp then tiny corner just left of arete. Swing right around arete and up wall. It is also possible to start the climb a metre or two further right and go up to the end of the ramp. The climb has also been started much further right.

FA: Kieran Loughran & Meg Sleeman, 1988

Scramble right from the base of "A Short Crawl in The Pharos Gully" to a terrace. There is a rap anchor above Angel Black.

Up the centre of the left-hand face on the terrace.

FA: Pat Ford, David Spike, Norm Booth, Keith Lockwood & Kieran Loughran, 1997

Start at the left hand of two corners where the two walls on the terrace meet, a couple of metres right of "Young, Old and Amputees". The corner.

FA: Keith Lockwood, Jack Ford & Tim Lockwood, 1997

Commemorates an artistic disfiguration. Wall between 'Jack-a-Dandy' and Angel Black. Protection sparse on bottom bit.

FA: Richard Smith & Greg Pritchard. Noughties., 2000

Good wall which is harder than it looks. Up centre of south-west facing wall, right of 'Jack-a-Dandy' to DBB

FA: Kieran Loughran & Meg Sleeman, 1987

Good rock, protection was thought to be a bit funky. Wall just right of Angel Black has a prominent flake starting a few metres up. Climb diagonally right up to flake and follow it.

FA: Kieran Loughran & Meg Sleeman, 1987

Start on low prow of rock 1m right of 'Act In Haste'.

Gambol upward to the low roof (possible low cam if desired), and clip the first bolt. From the second bolt, a blind move to the right, around the arête (for a grade 21 move right again and up 'Is It About A Bicycle?'), then head straight up with a foot on either side to clip third bolt and up to finish.

FFA: Robert Mudie, 5 Mar 2017

More good rock. Starts around the arete right of 'Angel Black'. maybe wear a rope for the scramble around. Follow flake diagonally left to fine crack just right of arete and follow this.

FA: Kieran Loughran, Peter Mack & Heather Phillips, 1991

Back to the walking track

Short, steep and well-protected. Nice line just left of 'Drivetime'. At top reach back right to lower-off shared with 'Drivetime'.

FA: Kieran Loughran & Meg Sleeman, 1987

Short, sharp pump, almost always in the shade.

Continue up track beyond 'Spellbinder' to a steep wall right on the track with a couple of fixed hangers. Steep wall past 2 BR leads to an easier finish (medium cam, red Camalot or similar) and lower-off.

FA: Kieran Loughran & Norm Booth, 1997

Arete left of Spelbinder, starting from right.

FA: Mark Moorhead & Jim Thomas, 1983

Great, clean-cut corner just a few metres off the track. Take some big gear. Bolt anchor at the top.

FA: Phillip Stranger & Rob Taylor, 1967

Desperate.

Start as for "Spellbinder".

Go up Spellbinder for 8 metres to ledge. Move right, up short, left-facing corner and over bulge to bolt (#4RP placement en-route). Move right again then up to easier climbing. rap as for Spellbinder

FA: Kim Carrigan, 1986

Great line with vicious crux.

Up arete right of Spellbinder past a bolt, finishing up crack left of summit block.

FA: Mark Moorhead & Jon Muir, 1981

Supposed to be desperate. Start as for 'Adios Amigos' then move right and up past 2 BR

FA: Mark Moorhead & Chris Shepherd, 1983

Up the Lockwood Slot! Hopefully not it's final name. Has nothing in common with its namesake. The inverted funnel just right of Twinkle Toes. Climb the initial wall and move back into the depths of the Hardly Slot and up until possible to chimney horizontally back out. When possible pull onto the right arete and bridge up (as for finish of Antiquity).

FA: Keith Lockwood & Kieran Loughran, 2012

Interesting climbing, and a bit of a soft touch for the grade, but gets little attention. Another shady option for a warm day.

Right of Spellbinder and just right of Adios Amigos is a narrow chimney. Just right of this is a left-leading crack.

Take left-leading crack to a rest just right of chimney, below obvious hanging block. The block looks quite dodgy so swing up into crack on right and up right side of the slender buttress until able to move back left and go up, to finish at the top of the chimney on the left. Abseil from large tree (25m)

FA: Peter Cunningham, Andrew Webb, Glenn Donohue & Iain Sedgman, 1984

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): 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

Share this

Thu 25 May
Check out what is happening in Spellbinder Area.

Get a detailed insight with a timeline showing

  • Ticks by climbers like you
  • Discussions of the community
  • Updates to the index by our users
  • and many more things.

Login to see the timeline!

Deutsch English Español Français Italiano 한국어 Português 中文