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Railway Cliff

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Summary

Super shady wall within spitting distance of super sunny Cosmic County. It's steeper and moodier and certainly pumpier.

© (mjw)

Description

This wall used to be infamous for the innovative and alarming bolting - (carrots inside pockets anyone?) but recent rebolting has fixed up about half the routes at this crag - and the remaining routes are either overgrown with moss or not classics. Take care on anything with rusty.

© (mjw)

Access issues

Due to changes in land ownership, some unnecessary angst created by climbers and the recent bush fires, the access situation to the Freezer, Cosmic County etc has now completely changed. The road down through the Buddist’s Monk’s Retreat must NOT be used under any circumstances. It is very important that climbers use the NEW access track (it skirts around to the eastern side of the Monks Retreat). Refer to Simon Carter's wesbite for new access details: http://www.onsight.com.au/bluemtns/

© (mjw)

Approach

Same as for 'Greenhouse Gully' at Cosmic County. Scramble down the hill below the ring bolted route 'Prussic Acid', cross the stream then head up the track to the left towards the cliff-line .

© (mjw)

Ethic inherited from Blue Mountains

Although sport climbing is well entrenched as the most popular form of Blueys climbing, mixed-climbing on gear and bolts has generally been the rule over the long term. Please try to use available natural gear where possible, and do not bolt cracks or potential trad climbs. If you do the bolts may be removed.

Because of the softness of Blue Mountains sandstone, bolting should only be done by those with a solid knowledge of glue-in equipping. A recent fatality serves as a reminder that this is not an area to experiment with bolting.

If you do need to top rope, please do it through your own gear as the wear on the anchors is both difficult and expensive to maintain.

At many Blue Mountains crags, the somewhat close spacing of routes and prolific horizontal featuring means that it is easy to envisage literally hundreds of trivial linkups. By all means climb these to your hearts content but, unless it is an exceptional case due to some significant objective merit, please generally refrain from writing up linkups. A proliferation of descriptions of trivial linkups would only clutter up the guide and add confusion and will generally not add value to your fellow climbers. (If you still can't resist, consider adding a brief note to the parent route description, rather than cluttering up the guide with a whole new route entry).

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

It would be appreciated if brushing of holds and minimisation/removal of tick marks becomes part of your climbing routine. Consider bringing a water squirt bottle and mop-up rag to better remove chalk. Only use soft (hair/nylon) bristled brushes, never steel brushes.

The removal of vegetation - both from the cliff bases and the climbs - is not seen as beneficial to aesthetics of the environment nor to our access to it.

Remember, to maintain access our best approach is to 'Respect Native Habitat, Tread Softly and Leave No Trace'. Do not cut flora and keep any tracks and infrastructure as minimal as possible or risk possible closures.

For the latest access related information, or to report something of concern, visit the Australian Climbing Association NSW Blue Mountains page at https://acansw.org.au/blue-mountains/

Tags

Some content has been provided under license from: © Australian Climbing Association Queensland (Creative Commons, Attribution, Share-Alike 2.5 AU)

Routes

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Grade Route

A bit mossy, but interesting. Still awaiting a rebolt.

FA: L.McManus & M.Stacey, 1991

Rebolted + new lower off, January 2017.

60m rope gets you back to the floor. A 50m rope just works if you swing right, use a knot in both ends.

FA: C.Baxter, M.Law & V.Kondos, 1991

1 25 40m
2 20 20m
3 22 45m

Great! Do all 3 pitches!

  1. 40m (25) - Only the first pitch has new bolts, first anchor only for cleaning if your rope is shorter then 70m

  2. 20m (20)

  3. 45m (22)

FA: M.Law & J.Holbrook, 1991

The major left leading line splitting the right side of the cliff. A well protected trad adventure - gear to #3 camalot.

  1. 25m (22) Up thrutchy crack to roof (BR), traverse right and up into left trending steep corner. Belay at small ledge.

  2. 17m (19) Keep following the steep left trending corner to hanging belay at rings. Well protected. You can rap from here (30m).

  3. 7m (15) Very short pitch straight up to shale ledge. Can be linked easily with pitch 2.

FA: G.Bradbury & G.Moore, 1992

First 10m of 'The Five Forty Five' (on bolts) then veer left once you have your feet above the lip of the roof. Full value at the grade.

FA: Megan Turnbull, 2018

Start is marked "GA", left of 'The Five Forty Five' Mikl was and IS a genius but clipping the rotating 'hanger' on the slab below the roof used to require as much energy as it took to do the climb! A new reachable bolt has been added under the roof but the first ring needs to be removed. Fully rebolted 2016.

FA: M.Law, 1992

Steep, Thin and now with fresh bolts.

FA: M.Law, 1999

Now with its own punchy direct start right of 'Locomotion'. Finish at first anchor or for the full tick finish up either 'Locomotion' or 'Edward Chiselhands'. 20m to the first anchor or ~45m to either the GA or Locomotion anchors. New bolts 2016.

FA: G.Bradbury & G.Moore, 1993

The left of the 2 obvious seems

FA: M.Law, 1992

Left of 'Locomotion'. Streno start, thin moves to big flake. Maybe just a touch harder then TBTB.

FA: Jason Lammers, 5 Nov 2016

Single bolt extension to 'The Send Train'. Thin move past the anchors, then jugs. Finish as per TBTB.

Easiest and least mentally demanding route here. Still quite thin and tricky at the crux. New bolts and lower off, or up to chains and belay second.

FA: V.Kondos, 1992

Start: Around the arete on the wall to the left of 'The Belles, The Belles'. Old bolts, awaiting a rebolt.

FA: M.Law, 1992

Start right of TT initials. Fun 24 to first anchor (25m) or continue past drilled holds to the top for a hard 25.

FA: M.Law, 1992

A tricky and demanding wall route with a couple hard boulders. Now with new start off the ground just left of Traction Thrash.

FA: M.Law, 1992

A new Grkovic master piece of glue and pins to create a steep and bouldery direct start to Suction pump. A sling on the second bolt helpful.

FFA: Steve Grkovic

A steep start thought a small roof and onwards to a vertical wall with a desperate finish.

FFA: Steve Grkovic

A superior version of an old Giles 22m1, now starting from the ground with a bizarre opening sequence. Rest up through the middle sections and brace for the thin top crux.

FA: G.Bradbury, M & Colyvan, 1982

FFA: Steve Grkovic, 2018

Step right after the 5th bolt on Sludge Belly and prepare for a thin, confusing and sustained head wall above.

FFA: Steve Grkovic

One of the best of Steve's new routes. Tricky, hard and full of memorable sequences.

FFA: Steve Grkovic

One of the original classics on the wall, now freshly rebolted. Route to the right of the arete.

FA: G.Bradbury & J.Smoothy, 2000

Cool arete, all rings now (a big improvement!)

FA: M.Law, 1982

Start left of Porcelay Negra then left and up. Wanders a touch - bring long draws if you have them. 14 draws + anchor.

FA: Eugene Mak, 3 Jan 2019

2m left of Porcelay Negra

FA: M.Colyvan & G.Bradbury, 1982

Mixed. Need #1, 3 and two #4 Friends.

FA: G.Bradbury & M.Law, 1982

20m left of Vergigris, wide crack.

FA: G.Bradbury & M.Colyvan, 1982

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Selected Guidebooks more Hide

Author(s): Simon Carter

Date: 2019

ISBN: 9780958079082

The latest comprehensive, latest and greatest Blue Mountains Climbing Guide is here and it has more routes than you can poke a clip stick at! 3421 to be exact. You are not going to get bored.

Author(s): Simon Carter

Date: 2019

ISBN: 9780958079075

Simon Carter's "Best of the Blue" is the latest selected climbing guide book for the Blue Mountains and covers 1000 routes and 19 different climbing areas. For all the sport climbers out there, the travellers, or just anyone who doesn't want to lug around the big guide that's more than 3 times the size - cut out the riff-raff and get to the good stuff! This will pretty much cover everything you need!

Accommodations nearby more Hide

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