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Access issues inherited from Australian Capital Territory

If you have benefited from climbing access and infrastructure in the ACT, please consider joining the Canberra Climbing Association (CCA). The CCA spends considerable behind-the-scenes time and effort managing access for the climbing community to ACT climbing areas.

Membership is inexpensive and provides a great way to keep up-to-date with access issues, codes of conduct and general goings on in the ACT climbing community. Membership also provides discounts for local outdoor retail and climbing gyms.

For CCA details visit: http://www.canberraclimbing.org.au/

Descent notes

With a 60m single rope: find the top of 'In City Dreams' - a group of 50cm high blocks sitting at the top of the slab at the left side of the cliff (10m left of the top of Sickle). Scramble carefully down between blocks to rap anchor. 30m rap to top of 'Romantic Friction'; 27m rap to ground.

With a 50m rope, bush-bash down either side of the cliff.

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Routes

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Grade Route

On the main crag at the far right, 25 metres right of 'Andromeda', below a leftwards sloping crack.

  1. 18 metres - Up the crack, move left and up to a sloping ledge.

  2. 22 metres - Move right along the ledge, then up the slab.

FA: John Eiseman & Lincoln Hall, 1974

Now chossy. Start 45 metres right of 'Deep Space' at a groove.

  1. 20 metres - Crux. Climb the groove to a tree.

  2. 26 metres - Up the cracks to a ledge, left to a mossy slab and up to bushes.

  3. 44 metres - Up the easy cracks on the right.

FA: Norm Booth, Lincoln Hall (alt.) & Reed Dowdle, 1973

Start 10 metres left of 'Andromeda'.

  1. 15 metres - Crux. Up the leftwards leaning crack, then traverse right to a tree. Follow this and belay on it further up.

  2. 42 metres - Right up the slab to join 'Deep Space'.

FA: John Carlson & Matthew Larkin (alt.), 1982

Worthless but scary! Start 10 metres right of 'Deep Space'. Up the wall to a nutless bolt, then straight past this to a break. Traverse left and easily up the unprotected slab to the second belay on 'Deep Space'.

FA: Mike Peck & John Carlson, 1984

Start at the crack four metres right of Deep Space. Up this and beyond to a horizontal weakness. Traverse left to first belay on Deep Space.

FA: Lincoln Hall & John Elseman, 1974

Start as for Deep Space. Initially up the pinnacle and at 5m take the right-hand crack straight up. After the horizontal break go straight up the slab past a couple of carrot bolts. Another carrot then rejoin Deep Space at the steep headwall before the ledge.

FA: Wade Stevens

Add the final pitch of Sickle to take you to the top.

A good second pitch. Start at a flake pinnacle at the lowest point of the cliff.

  1. 26 metres - Climb the pinnacle and the crack above the apex, moving left to belay on top of a flake.

  2. 34 metres - Straight up the unprotected slab to a sloping ramp. Right along the ramp and up a short wall to belay on the ledge.

  3. 30 metres - Up the slab above by a shallow groove.

FA: Reed Dowdle, Lincoln Hall (alt.) & Norm Booth, 1973

The first two pitches of 'Deep Space', followed by the last pitch of 'Sickle'.

FA: Unknown

The diagonal thin crack a few metres left of Deep Space. Tenuous undercling slabbing with increasing difficulty, finishing at the first belay on 'Deep Space'.

FA: Joe Lynch & Tony Barten, 1984

"A silly route but quite good". Start at a fused corner 20m left of 'Deep Space'.

  1. 35 metres - Boulder the start, then more easily up the the dark water streak. Belay below a short steep wall.

  2. 3 metres - A one move wonder up the wall.

  3. 30 metres - Up the lovely grade 17 slab just right of the finish of 'Sickle'.

FA: John Smart, Mike Law-Smith & Paul Daniel, 1982

Sustained. Start four metres right of 'Mel and Kim Go Boxing'. Smear up the thin wall past four bolts to join 'East Coast of South America'. A combination with 'Icy Universe' is a really good route up the cliff.

FA: Andrew Bull, Tim Chapman & Craig Kentwell, 1990

Start 3m left of 'Romantic Friction' and just right of 'Sickle'. Up the slab past four bolts. At the flake slot in a nut and either step left to continue up 'Sickle', or continue up 'East Coast of South America' to rap point.

FA: Craig Kentwell & Tony Barten, 1989

From the top of 'Mel and Kim Go Boxing' continue delicately up the flake below and right of 'Sickle' to DBB. Rap off or traverse right to join 'Deep Space'.

FA: Anne Hastings & Ken McConnell, 1987

The obvious rightwards curving crack. Start in the corner at the left end of the slabs.

  1. 12 metres - Climb the left-hand (or the easier right-hand) chimney to the top of the huge block.

  2. 30 metres - Step off the block and climb the crack to a sitting stance.

  3. 15 metres - Constricted moves over the water runnel to a bush belay.

  4. 23 metres - Move back left past the bush for a few metres, then pull onto the wall above, and delicately along the thin diagonal to gain the handcrack (phew!). Cruise to the top.

FA: Steve Lumsdaine & Peter Riddy (alt.), 1973

Climbs the overlap and the slab to the left of the final pitch of 'Sickle'. Start off the spike left of the 'Sickle' belay. Two bolts.

FA: Adam Blizzard & Neil Montgomery, 1990

The following three climbs are on a small slab, left and around the corner from 'Sickle', finishing on the ledge at the start of 'In City Dreams'.

Up the curving corner, step right, then up the crack.

FA: John Carlson, Matthew Larkin & Mike Peck, 1982

Very dirty. The thin, sword-grass infested crack up the slab a little left of 'Unknown Pleasures'. Walk up the slab to belay.

FA: John Carlton, Matthew Larkin & Mike Peck, 1982

You'll learn that brushed slabs revert to lichen in 30 years. The slab five metres left of 'Schoolgirl Lingerie'.

FA: Matthew Larkin, Mike Peck & John Carlton, 1982

To access the slab up and left of Sickle, skirt underneath it past 'Unknown Pleasures' and slabs beyond until you reach 5m high block. Head uphill, through a cave and 5m above it, then head back right and down slightly to the spacious ledge.

It's also possible to climb MAKGB, Sickle P1, or Unknown Pleasures to the starting ledge.

Climbs the line of most resistence around In City Dreams. The direct start is described - below a bolt about 5m right of In City Dreams - but it's also possible to start as for ICD to its second bolt.

  1. 35m (22) Fingery climbing past a bolt and more easily up to the second bolt on ICD. Traverse right 7m to another bolt. Straight up to the 3rd bolt on ICD. Continue straight up to the "ledge". Dodgy belay on small gear.

  2. 25m (21) Climb out right to a bolt. Up to the lichenous corner with a rusty peg. Hard moves to get established. DBB shared with ICD.

FA: Joe Lynch & Tony Barten, 1984

A superb slab on the grippy rock up and left of 'Sickle'. Start below the shiny bolt (shared with CBaC). Pad up to clip it, step down then trend right along easy slab groove past the second and third bolts. Step right to a line of good holds. Up those to a stance (small gear). Straight up and past the final bolt to DBB below blocks at the top.

FA: John Smart & Mike Law-Smith, 1982

Another quality slab. Start as for ICD directly below the first bolt. Pad up past 3 bolts before drifting right to the 4th bolt on ICD. Finish up ICD.

FA: Mike Law-Smith, John Smart & Geoff Robertson, 1982

danger

Start below the water streak to the left of 'Corned Beef and Cabbages'. Cruise straight up (unprotected).

FA: John Smart & Mike Law-Smith (solo), 1982

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