Nodes in Cascade boulders

Gara gorge is part of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and access is open:

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/Oxley-Wild-Rivers-National-Park

How did such quality problems get ignored for so long? Great quality rock in a shade area with the shortest walk in you could ask for.

The first boulder after the gravel beach on the left, climbs are on the downstream side.

This silly one

The one with the big eye

The serious one. Project

Stand start with jam then wrestle up. An alternate start further back might be possible

5m downstream from the Minions, facing upstream

Sit start on left face, up without touching the right boulder leaning on it.

Instant classic, not exactly Sharma but still very tasty. Sit start in the corner, up through crimpy side pulls then reach to right gaston and mantle. Eliminate the face side pulls is around V5.

Up horizontal rails and mantle.

Long, fun, just the right amount of spice to keep you on your toes. Sit start on the side pull, non trivial traverse over the water without a mat, then link through more rails into 'Turbot St Exit'

On the ... southern bank?

Directly across the river, an easy arete, taller than it appears as the start is hidden.

SDS under massive jug and up. It sets you up for a weird crossed arms move.

Traverse over to the crack

Start in the crack then left up the rail

Old fashioned thrutching, or a fun layback with jugs. Choose wisely.

Sit start the through two sets of slopers and up

SDS through the sloper steps, then traverse right and around the corner to the rail and then either up or across the face

Follow the track to the cement stairs then drop in just before them

Just 5-10, right of the cement stairs, on the way towards the 'Space Mushroom'.

Stand start with high right pinch up gritty slopers. A much harder sit start may go.

Directly 4m is an easy low problem which can be under water at the 0.2 level. Start jammed low, then jug and up

Only possibly when the water is fairly low. As you walk along the walking track when you hit the first set of a dozen cement steps, drop down into the creek.

Sit start on ok holds, then traverse left along the holds on the rim without going up to the lip and around.

This area of heavily sculpted boulders is yielding a lot of great little gems.

Blocs are listed from downstream to upstream.

This almost subterranean area had been long overlooked or dismissed but yields a number of quality contorted unique problems. It is immediately in front about 20m as the track turns to slab, under and around the tallest boulder in the area.

A cruisy little layback problem

Sit start and slap up the right leaning short spire

The left deep pit. Layback / offwidth / chimney out of the pothole.

In the right side of the pit facing north, sit start and up the arete, duck under the chockstone without touching it or the back wall and up to freedom.

Start jammed in the chockstone and up the back wall without touching the front wall.

Short crimpy problem that feels more exposed than it is over the void above 'Octopus asylum'

This start further back / down / under the first 2 pits. Up jam crack and then grovel through the triangular exit.

Starts 1-2m of Evacuation station on the great flake. Up flake, into horizontal roof crack and then grunt around the rooflet into the open. A stellar jamming test piece.

Just right of space jam?

In a pit with a wedged tractor tire. Poor feet, good crimpers, line up the top out.

Start on and mantle through the chunky knob. Beware of the slippery casuarina needles.

Directly in front of where the track comes to

Sit start and easy traverse left

Harder than it should be

Thin crimps

Sit start left hand on the sidepull, traverse onto rail and up

Start on the obvious head height jug. Slap up left on bad feet to the top corner, then a weird tricky mantle out.

Sit start with left hand on good arete and right spanning to poor sidepull sloper (the lowest 'hold' on the right side), slap up for jug off some pretty bad feet. Stack pads at your discretion, obviously gets easier with more pads.

Start on the sculpted under slaps, up through weird big features and high step

Super delicate slab moves

A sketchy landing over water which we built up using logs. Up the arete onto the right side.

3 stars of fun absurdity. This needs logs to build up a pad platform. Up the same arete as Gravity Well but head left through the blunt saddle with a finish you will gush over.

Just 5m upstream of where the track pops out

Just off to the right as the decent track drops of the dirt into the cascades is a stacked boulder forming a roof with some unlikely jugs.

About 20m upstream is a nice flat spot to have a picnic surrounded by problems with a good mix of grades.

Easy warmup, up rail and rock over

Sit start in the mud or squat if you prefer. Up corner crack various features along the way.

Sit start in the corner and body jam up bewteen the two boulders.

Stand start. Up arete finishing on little jugs at top.

Left on the arete, right opposed on the sloper, up the face avoiding the jug to the right.

Start on the jug, into crack. Warm up and also a descent

Step up on obvious block and trend up and L then to top.

Up the crack then delicately step past the slab to the right high side pull. Easier with long span.

Stand start on some marginal crimpers, set feet and punch to top.

Up obvious features trending R and L to finish. Don't have a RUD into the water

Sit start under large rail above entrance. Use small feet on opposite boulder. Up layback until boulders meet & into crack/mantle/jugs etc.

Sit start and avoid the crimpers on the face to the left & jam your way up the hand/fist crack like Gollum would want you to.

Sit start the hand crack on the opposite side.

Stand start on one of Gollum’s many faces & chimney & bridge your way to freedom while doing your best Gollum impersonation.

Only use the face jug to mantle (A tall persons problem).

Use smears on all sides to get to jug before mantling.

10m upstream of the Landing Zone

The obvious finger crack line L of Xray. SDS and up the crack.

Up the left ray crack

SDS and up the right leaning crack, sketchy landing

Sit start and climb the left side of the scalloped arête.

Behind 'Gamma ray', up the right side of the scallop thingo

Starts on a crimper. One hard pull & it's all over.

Sit start at base of flake. Up, around & mantle before you reach the next boulder.

Sit Start in corner L of MB. Up crack & through wedge.

Using the woody debris footer press up & lodge your torso in the offwidth. Wriggle, crimp, jam & squirm your way to victory.

A large feature that looks like a wineglass shape was removed from the rock.

From start block chest jam up, transfer L & ride the L pony (lobe). Follow arête up & out

From start block chest jam the void mantle & ride the R pony (or simply mantle the R lobe direct). Step up & bridge across the void out L to small chip. Reach out high & R to seam & work up to assist with the final mantle

A sweet, mossy & soft little finger crack line complete with chocks.

Start on The L side of the mantle piece, campus around & move under L lobe to L side of Washbasin. Ride the Shetland pony (small hidden lobe) then follow obvious seam around to the beginning of the mossy crack & then up as for ACITWB/SP.

Same as for Seahorse but once you arrive at ACITWB/SP span across the void & out to the lobes. Once successfully across and established complete the circuit by topping out LD or BB.

Start on the mantel piece and make your way to the Shetland pony under the L lobe (as for Seahorse). Mantle L lobe and finish up arête as for PR.

Start as for LD. Up arête using R seam, L high crimp & not much else. Dangerous landing.

Stand start. Trend R, delicate mantle to finish.

Start with hands on the mantle piece and use the L lobe to help mantle the mantle piece.

Start with hands on the mantle piece, throw a left leg over.

Start with hands on the mantle piece, throw a right leg over.

Pick a side & press yourself up and out.

Gara gorge is part of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and access is open:

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/Oxley-Wild-Rivers-National-Park

This area is full of large water sculpted rocks, some of which are only possible during drought.

Same approach as Moonscape area, but when you drop into the creek everything is immediately in front and to the left / downstream, while moonscape is to the right / upstream.

About 10m north of the Palatine Uvula Bloc and slightly downstream, on the way towards the Holy Land.

Lean / jump across the water to the jug, one move mantle. For full effect do it in approach shoes, and if the puddle is dry it doesn't count

If you can't commit to the mantle bail right

Downstream 20m from where the track pops out is an iconic boulder shaped like the "palatine uvula" aka the dangly thing in the back of your mouth. Uvula rhymes with groove-ula.