Routes in Northern Tablelands

Start: The seam/corner that goes straight up above the start of ‘Iron in the Soul’.

1. 35m Up corner system to belay on ledge with bolt and nut.

2. 15m (crux) Up corner to bolt. Step right and up slab past another halt to top.

Climbs in the central part of the cliff (other than multi-pitch routes which start from the bottom) are usually accessed by abseiling down the Stazewski-Killip ramp ( tongue in cheek Bob?) which is usually refered to as the 'descent ramp'.

Start: In the chimney on the NW side of the northern half of the King Pin.

Up in three way chimney and onto large chock block. Diagonally up around leftward spiralling traverse to top of blocks.

A classy 3 pitch arete

A bulgy slabby wall 50m right of the main wall

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Although not technically a climbing route, the abseiling/rappelling route of Wollomombi Falls deserves it's own description. It can be used to access any of the routes in the Gorge. Follow the walking track across Wollomombi Creek to the lookout overlooking the top of the falls, on the east side. Walk about 50m back to the start of the metal railing and scramble left down a small ridge to the main pool at the top of the falls.

Depending on the water level you can make a very exposed jump across the outlet of the pool as it drains over the falls or swim. Keep rock hopping/scrambling for another 30-50m towards the ridge, staying high. During high water levels, this may entail getting wet. You head down a gully off the back of the top pool and then down at least 20-30m to find the chains near a small bush.

1. 20m The first rap is quite short to reduce rope drag and ends on a decent ledge. From the Chains Rap on the Northern side (left facing out) of the small ledge below the chains.

2. 45m to chains at a semi-hanging belay

3. 20m to a hanging belay (spectacular position)

4. 50m over a large overhang to low angled terrain.

5. 30m Either scramble down from here or make another rappel (preferred if wet, which it usually is) from one of several anchors, to the creek bed.

"At Doctors Creek near Armidale, Killip and Stascewski were again active to force the bold route Crazy Critter 20 which could be an area classic"

https://youtu.be/M_dsnrSFUpg?t=598

A hard bouldery short route.

Start: From the top abseil down to the base of the chimney between the dome and the main cliff (on the left side). It is the steep slab just left of the chimney.

Up slab past two bolts

Mixed and varied climbing up the center of the main wall.

Start; From the descent gully go right to the bottom of the main wall. The clean layaway corner.

1. 20m. Up crack to join large crack on right, continue up to tree belay.

2. 10m. Walk right to tree and up thin crack below "cat's tongue block" to the ledge on right.

3. 20m. Up vegetated chimney/gully, right of belay and continue through fig tree to belay.

4. 25m. Traverse left along treed ledge to belay below two converging cracks with a large block wedged at top.

5. 15m. Up right hand crack, under block to belay atop the block.

6. 25m. (crux) Up to base of off-width then up thin left crack up to ledge and ramp to belay under small roof/cave.

7. 10m. Up through roof and follow crack left to large ledge and tree belay.

8. 50m. Leftwards up ramp over blocks and continue to start or rock ramp, then right to good ledge.

9. 30m. Move right and around corner to intermittent crack system. Follow this to obvious ledge.

10. 10m. Follow ledge left and up dirt slab to base of off width immediately right of huge orange roof, then left to tree belay.

11. 15m. Up small corner and crack trending left to diagonal crack and under cling and roof to top.

Start: Right of Hang Ten and left of the fig tree, a slabby wall leading to low angled cracks. Shares the upper section with Deviant Death. (Take a #4 Friend).

Straight up wall, then to the top of the flake crack. Move right approx. 2m. then straight up to thin, steepening crack corner. Step left into wide crack/cave, jam up to bush/vine, then pull over the bulge/roof and straight to top. Tree belay,

The most obvious looking line, a wide crack with a difficult start. Start below and right of overhanging flake. Move through and up. Exit R and finish at shared DBB.

Start: 3m left of the balancing table rock.

Muscle onto sharp flake, up incipient cracks to overlap and right-hand corner. Up corner and oat right past 2 bolts and up slab to top.

A classic.

Start: Opposite ‘Billericay Dickie’ on the left side of the gully (as you walk down) are some slabs facing out into the gorge. Start at the base of the obvious crack on the left side of the slab. Originally 20 M1 with a couple of points of aid, this was progressively whittled away by Stephens, then Bayne then eventually freed’ by M. Colyvan and E. Sharp I8/6/H

Up crack to where it thins down and goes diagonally rightwards, follow crack into gully and rap off chains atop of 'That’s Entertainment'. Al Stephens

Start: 7m right of S. A beginner’s classic.

1. 20m. Up slabs to the right of a large block, to a prominent horizontal crack.

2. 35m. Diagonally up corner/crack to top of large block, left and slightly down for 3m, then up wall to top.

Start: A ramp just left around the corner from Down On Creation. Scramble up the ramp to a short corner. Sustained and strenuous.

1. 10m Up the comer to a ledge at the foot of another ramp.

2. 20m (Crux) Up the ramp, continue left across a short slab, then blast straight up the crack, to the belay ledge of Wedding Bells.

3. 15m Straight up the open book corner crack (Crux pitch of Wedding Bells).

4. 30m Up corner cracks (last two pitches of Down On Creation).

Start:2m left of ‘Paranoid Primadona’.

Up the off width crack to top.

Start: Next line left of ‘Transactional Burnout’.

Layback and jam to top.

Start: About 4m left of ‘Amphetamine Annie’ (approx 10-15m right of ‘Fingers’).

Up thin crack, taking care with wire protection down low, then easier wide crack to top.

The wide crack 1m left of Heavy Metal. Scramble up to the base of wide crack, up crack an over block to top, step left an belay off Illusion’s chains.

Start down on very small ledge (build a semi hanging belay). Follow easy ramp slightly right to first rooflet. Short boulder through this and up easy slab crack into the big main roof. Bust out this through the lip turn (crux). Continue up pumpy headwall then tackle the final third rooflet boulder problem to topout at DBB.

Original aided at 20 M1 and exited left through vegetated alcove, must do third rooflet for the full tick.

Start: An off-width left-hand corner crack.

1. 15m Up off-width to tree.

2. 40m Up remotely thin cracks, right then left and out.

Start: The crack about 8m right of 'Magnifascent'.

Up the crack to overhanging section, then detour left up slab and crack to bush belay.

Start: At the bottom of the descent gully at the left end of the cliff. Scramble up to ledge left of big chimney with tree.

1. 20m Up crack corner to, traverse right to chimney, up this to ledge and tree belay.

2. 20m From tree scramble right up cracked wall to obvious crack. Up crack to top.

Start: The right-hand side of the large pool. A short face.

20m. Up and slightly left to the top of the short face.

A speleological encounter of the squeeze kind Start: Around the corner from "Raspberry Jam"

Easy crack/face for about 3m then 5m up chimney, the first move once in chimney is the crux if you're over 5'.

The inset corner inside the deep trench half way along Rockpool. A canyoning experience. Abseil down trench to water level and climb out with horizontal chimney moves to finish. Tree belay.

Start: The classic of the cliff. Many variants are possible. Start near the corner of Dreadnought at an old piton, a couple meters left of the orange column.

1. 30m. Straight up the steps. Belay on the most convenient ledge.

2. 50m. Continue straight up. You will eventually come to a slightly overhanging short crack corner. Up this, onto ledge then continue up to large ledge at the base of a layback crack corner. Belay.

3. 50m. Layback/bridge up the corner, then move across to the slightly vegetated wall above, and continue up the wall. Belay wherever convenient.

4. 35m. Continue straight up till you can move in right , behind a large block. Belay.

5. 30m.+ (crux) Up the steep wall beside the water course, picking the easiest line to the top. The exit is awkward and exposed.

Start: As for ‘Bleat’.

Up as for ‘Bleat’, right past tooth, then traverse past off-width of ‘Blurt’ and further right to hand crack to top.

A death-trap, full of loose, crumbly rock.

Start: The left-hand crack in the chossy alcove immediately right of 'Portable Rip-off.

Awkwardly up hanging channel and up crack, keeping to the left.

Another good slab spoilt by a chippie. Take 4 bolt plates and #2,#3,#4 friends

Start: Left of ‘Country Bumpkin (about 15m), the water streak slab.

1. 30m (crux) Straight up the water streak, easy at first then hard after last bolt. #2&#3 friends for belay.

2. 10m Move left 5m then up last moves of ‘ Country Bumpkin’

Start: To the left of ‘Failsafe’.

Up short fist crack to small gully.

Start: Left of ‘Firestorm’.

Up the wide crack

Start: Left of broken Glass’.

Up the curving, leaning crack

Start: Left of ‘Recommended Retail Price’.

Up thin crack splitting protruding block then wider crack to top.

Start: Left of ‘The Plaquet’.

Reasonable hand jams to dubious hand jams. Out onto sloping ledge.

Start: Left of ‘Bottle Shop’.

Up crack, reach right into another crack. Bridging and jamming.

Start - Abseil from the gum tree at the bottom of ‘Orchadia’ for about 40m to ‘Broken Terrace’. Scramble right (facing cliff) past the obvious line of ‘Surprising Rising’ to the obvious corner crack, overhung at its base.

1. 30m up awkwardly into layback crack and up this to top.

2. At back left of the bushy terrace is an easy ramp leading diagonally left. Climb to top of this and traverse left to end of ledge.

3. (exit) Downclimb for a few feet until it is possible to move left to beneath a small overhang. Climb this to the Orchidview Terrace.

Start: 15m. right of S.I.G., a scoop leading to an arête. Another excellent climb. Unfortunately some of the organic substances have grown back and needs occasional harvesting. Great fun! One B.R.

1. 10m At the scoop, move right diagonally, via a short crack, to a group of small trees below the arête. Belay.

2. 35m Jug-haul up the arête , step right and continue up a crack which blanks out. Continue up the arête to a stance and a bolt, Clip it! (Stepping left off the arete here incurs instant disqualification, and an appearance before the Ethics Committee). Exciting layaways (crux) then lead to easier ground.

Grovel chimney up to the real start. Easy jams. Good short warmup route

Start: As for ‘Sticky Deposit’.

Up the left-hand leaning crack, along the flake, past bolt runner, into the scoop, then follow the seams in the final headwall to the top.

Interesting and well protected climbing up the ‘Bang Bang’ wall. start: About 3m right of ‘Bang Bang’.

Up onto large blocks to clip the first bolt, then step right onto the slab, up and past another bolt to the crack of ‘Bang Bang’. Cross this and head straight up the wall past 2 more bolts to the top. Belay/rap chains in place.

The second line you arrive at when walking into 3rd breakaway. Starts in thin obvious line above a ferny natural spring. Strenuous fingery moves, jamming and technical bridging. Plug away up twin cracks and use double ropes for peace of mind. Big tree belay 10m from edge. A hard route for short arses.

Start: 2m. right of L.R.T.B.M. is a large low- angled slab that goes through an overlap. Named after the very nasty wasps that used to live near the start of the climb. Nice moves through the overlap.

1. 36m. Straight up the slab, through the gap in the overlap, continue up, then move right to a groove and up this to a large ledge.

2. 30m. Straight up wall to top.

Start: Move round left of GMTTCOT, or a few meters right of Demon Dropout, at the base of a corner crack leading up to the obvious orange roof.

1. 25m Up corner crack with awkward exit left onto ledge.

2. 10m Traverse right to a ledge under an overhanging thin crack.

3. 28m (Crux) Avoid the thin crack by moving left onto face, climb face onto large ledge below open book corner. Either belay here or blast up open book corner.

4. 37m Move into hand jam crack with awkward orchids to bypass, then continue up finger crack in wall to small ledge- Traverse left to another crack, up this to ledge, then short, hard off width corner to finish.

Start: 1m left of ‘Boulder’.

A bit of bridging leads to a textbook hand jam crack.

Start: Left of ‘Part of the Scenery’.

Bridge and jam to top.

Start: About 10m down left of ‘Potato Picker’. A small tree is growing out of the crack at half height.

Up crack to top.

Start as for layabout and climb the nice hand crack; gear up to 2". When the hand crack ends follow right leading crack to the arête of "Going Steady" and finish up the arête past one bolt. Abseil off chain anchor.

Follow this down until you are looking down a gully, high up on the left hand wall of which is a large dead tree. Above this is the start of the climb. Abseil down from large block, tending left(looking outwards) around various trees. If you end up under a 3m roof tangled up in a tree you are in the right place. (To the left, facing the cliff, is a double roof. That is not the climb)

Helmet strongly recommended for belayer.

1. 25m Start short flakey offwidth, and up hand/fist jam crack to rest under roof. Place #3 camalot in vertical break, take deep breath, hang off knob, commit to rounded horizontal break (no footholds) 2-3m traverse to pair of nice arm bars and something for the feet. After pausing for breath, haul up into corner & a good no hands rest. Then up around a couple of blocks, slow down after these, as the natural momentum of the climb takes you past a good belay ledge to your left.

2. 20m Climb to right of trees, avoid large loose flake (the ugly chain here is to sort of stabilize the flake. DO NOT CLIP) , once above this, comfortable layback to bottom of 8m slab.(pleasant belay here if you feel like it) 4 bolts & comfortable edges, which diminish towards final body smear and top out.

Start: Some 30m left of ‘Deceit’ on terrace.

1. 7m Up crack to belay on trees.

2. 43m Straight up undulating rock to top (probably little or no protection).

Loudly marked 'D.D.D.' (Originally named 'Debbie Detour Direct').

Start: As for 'Debbie Detour'.

Straight up the line, ignoring the detour, and on to the Gnome tree.

Start: The edge of the Chimney/Passageway.

Layback the chimney and on up to top.

Start: about 30m right of the northern descent gully, two chimneys intersect at right angles.

Up chimney intersection, then up the thin crack, traverse right across slabs to tree.

Abseil off or scramble to top.

Start: Just left of Klettercide (?) , the middle of the wall.

20m. Up fine line in wall to top and then right to tree belay.

Start: Just right of the sting. Not really recommended. The first pitch has no runners on hollow rock!

1. 36m. (crux) Up short corner (on hollow rock and no runners) then step right and straight up to belay ledge as for The Sting.

2. 30m. Straight up wall and slab to top (as for The Sting).

Left of the HR start is a thin seam to 2/3 height then 3 FHs to the DBB over ETL. Lots of RPs and microcams

Start: Can only be done when the falls stop flowing. Left of Action is a rib, then a channel the main water course. Goldfinger goes up this channel, then swings right to join Action at approx. 2/3rds height. The grade may be much harder as no-one has yet done a second ascent. The original description, like this one, is very vague. Good luck.

1. 40m. Up the channel left of the rib.
2. 30m. Slightly steeper now. Sparse protection. Continue straight up choosing the line of least resistance.
3. 20m. Continue upwards till you are able to move right to join the last three pitches of Action. 4.5.6. 110m. As for Action.

Pertaining to champagne of high quality, not the nasty animal.

Start: The fine layaway crack left of ‘Bleat’ and 'Ambrosia'. (not the horrible offwidth).

Fine jamming and layaways to top.

This route was first climbed by Jill Kelman and Richard Curtis in 1976 but was not recorded because the prevailing ethic locally at the time was that a climb had to ascend the cliff from bottom to top to be a legitimate ascent. As Jill subsequently died in a European mountaineering accident I suggest that the climb be called Jill's Climb as it was a fine lead for the time. I mentioned this to Brian while he was still with us and the idea was received favourably.

A real gem, with a secret jug to dangle off and pose for photos.

Start: Corner crack 10m right of 'Portable Rip-off.

Jam and bridge up crack to belay off gum-tree further back.

“I’m a country member.” - “Yeah I remember”.

The direct line to the layback of ‘Country Bumpkin’.

Start: A few metres right of ‘Skid Row’.

1. 30m Straight up to layback flake via 3 bolt runners. Up layback to tree belay on ledge (take care the tree is dead!).

2. 10m (crux) Straight up slab past two bolt runners, and wall to top.

Start: In a recess 5m left of ‘Mignionette’.

Bridge up twin cracks.

Start: About 2m left of ‘Wake In Fright’. The arête.

Up the arête past 2 fixed hangers and some wires to double bolt belay on top (about 5m back from the edge of the cliff- difficult to find).

Start: Twin cracks left of Dynamicus.

Up the twin cracks.

Up the hand crack on left side of face, up to horizontal crack, then right to far corner & up. Gear to 5". Gear anchor required.

Start from same belay as 'Surprising rising'.

1. 17m Climb the right-hand crack below the huge chockstone. Squeeze behind the chockstone and belay.

2. 5m Descend to tree belay.

3. Up curving crack to leftward leaning ramp. Climb nearly to the top of this but exit up short finger crack on right wall to ledge.

Exit right. Finish by pitches 2 and 3 of Sailors of the Sun.

Start: At the extreme right-hand end of Slab City. A crack onto a ledge, then a slabby wall. One BR plus other gear.

"How do you feel?"... "Better.... better get a bucket!" - M. Python.

Up the crack, step left onto the slabby wall, past a bolt, then up to the fig tree, step left again, then easily to the top.

Starts thin line up the slab. Up to overlap and diagonally right before heading up and left to finish at shared DBB

Start: In the small alcove 15m left of ‘Higher Purchase’.

Follow the rightward leaning crack to offwidth and up to top.

Originally had two points of aid, the first being the second bolt. The aid was almost eliminated by Paul Bayne and was eventually freed by Giles Bradbury May 1983. It is now one of New England’s it most popular hard free routes.

Start: Sm right of ‘Bang Bang’ at rightward trending groove.

Follow groove right, then back left past bolt runner into corner, up to second bolt and on to ledge and belay/rap chain. Note that both bolts are usually clipped with wires first these days.

Starts 6m L of CFWTPB. Up finger crack to hands where crack widens. Follow obvious line up to a short, broken, featured head wall. Up and out to finish. Big tree belay 10m from edge.

Start: 15m. right of T.S. slabs that lead to a crack.

1. 39m. Up slab and crack to the first major ledge.

2. 21m. Straight up wall to top.

For several years this was considered one of New England's best routes.

Start: On the slabs to the left of Wedding Bells.

1. 45m (Crux) Trend left on slabs to beneath converging cracks. Up left side then into squeeze position. Up onto ledge, then up coarse crack to the top of a huge flake against the main wall.

2. 43m Up thin diagonal crack, trending right. Keep going to a roof, then short off-width/chimney to top.

Start: 3m left of 'Seizure’.

Up initial crack and then an awkward move to turn the overlap on its left and get established on a small slab. Finish up chimney/corner.

Start: Left of ‘Nasal Drip’.

Bridge and jam to top.

Originally done with a single point of aid (19M0) at the start of the crack, this was eliminated on the second ascent by A. Legler, M. Colyvan, and E. Sharpe Nov 1980 ]

In Feb 94 Dick Baker aided the direct start.

Start: As for ‘potato Picker’.

Up to ledge as for ‘Potato Picker’ then traverse 2m left around the arête to a crack. Follow crack to top.

2m left of the normal start. This avoids the fine crack. Up the wide crack.

Start: Below the left side of the giant flake / block.

1. 20m. Diagonally right up crack and pull onto ledge.

2. 16m. Easily right across ledge and up jamb-crack.

3. 13m. Up crack on left then up scalloped wall to large ledge with trees (the Sundeck).

4. 30m. Left along ledge over blocks, to offwidth and into flaring roof (crux) then up to trees at top.

Start: At the very top of the cliff above the finish of ‘Use Your Face As An Ashtray’

Up wall to right of crack to huge flake, around flake to top.

Start; Corner off-width just right of 'Gnome Tree'.

Strenuously up off-width to awkward exit onto ledge.

Start: The diagonal seam to the right of the passageway as you walk out.

Follow the seam out to the arête, then up the arête to the top.

Start: Horizontal recess some meters right of 'Intersection'.

1. 30m Traverse rightwards out of recess to below corner. Awkwardly up into comer and up to roof, exit left up crack to slab. Traverse left around arete to good ledge.

2. 10m Traverse left to off-width. Up this to scrubby ledge.

3. 30m Climb up through tree, step left then up to ledge on arete. Up trending left to jams below bulging wall. Traverse left until it is possible to climb a corner which leads to a large flake. Up this to top.

Start: An old water-level aid line, M1 from Right to Left. It has been freed from Left to Right at grade 21.

10m. Aid from right to left M1, or free from left to right, either way its good fun.

A really pleasant pump with good gear Start 6 metres right of "Alpine Wobblygong".

The thin crack in a scoop that leads to a block in the roof.

Up the wall and crack to the horizontal under the roof. Slightly right to the block, grunt up and cruise the wall, trending left to the belay tree. Use first fork rather than base of trunk (easier to pull rope).

Start up Shapeshifter and take the thin left-leaning crack to finish

Start: Moving left from Goldfinger the next obvious feature is a major corner. This is the start for Slippery When Wet (goes diagonally right) and Toecap. Dangars Falls dries completely usually once a year. This climb, like Goldfinger, can only be climbed when completely dry.

1. 33m. Up rib (15m) then traverse right (6m.) and up to ledge below steep wall (rusty piton).

2. 18m. Diagonally up and right, then traverse right and up corner with thin crack to very large ledge (another rusty piton).

3. 22m. Diagonally up and right, then straight up to belay in small corner (yet another rusty piton).

4. 28m. Diagonally up and right, then straight up corner, then right onto nose, then right into second corner, up corner then traverse right to belay on ledge 6m. left of Action.

5. 30m. Diagonally up left across slabs then to base of wall, traverse left and down slightly, then up fine, left diagonal crack to belay in sentry box.

6. 23m. Up diagonally right crack line, then diagonally right again to corner, left around projections.

7. 18m.The line of least resistance to top.

Start: About half way between ‘Agrippina’ and ‘Brut’.

Straight up wall which steepens at the top past four bolts, moving off left or’ the slab at the top.

Just brilliant. Thin and technical face climbing.

Start: The thin flake and wall 2m right of 'Wee Dangler'.

Up the thin flake past the first B.R. Clip the second B.R. and step out right onto the wall, then move up to clip the third B.R. off a good stance. Step slightly left and haul on up to the top. Belay off gum-tree further back.

Shit Hot! Take 3 bolt plates and some small friends and wires.

Start:5m right of ‘Country Member’s’ last pitch. Abseil in to tree.

Up water streak slab, step up onto the arête, then up the arête / slab past 3 bolt runners and a wire placement to the top.

Up the obvious right trending crack

Start: 10m left of ‘Failsafe’.

Up the manky chimney until it narrows. Traverse left to fist jam crack and follow this to top.