Smiling Rock Guide

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Table of contents

1. Smiling Rock 16 routes in Cliff

Summary:

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Seasonality

All Trad climbing

Lat / Long: -35.774504, 148.990879

description

Smiling Rock is situated on the western slope of Hospital Hill and can be seen from most parts of the Gudgenby Valley and surrounding mountains. The area was visited by Lincoln Hall and Damien Jones and other prowling climbers over the years (as have most specks of granite in the ACT), but no serious development was undertaken until 1989. It consists of a main wall sixty metres in height, split by a roof of up to three metres, running for half its hundred metre length. To the south the main wall degenerates into a series of bluffs; only the second of these is worthwhile.

The rock is Shannons Flat monzogranite (adamelite) which has intruded quartz arenite, siltstones and shales of the Adaminaby Beds and which form the many scree slopes on the steep slopes of Hospital Hill. The crag has a delightful setting with superb views across to Gudgenby, Yankee Hat, Kelly and Namadgi, reasonable access and potential for new routes.

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access issues

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/

inherited from Australian Capital Territory

approach

Smiling Rock is about a sixty seven kilometre drive from Canberra, which takes about an hour. From Canberra, head south from Tharwa along the Naas Road past Glendale to Gudgenby, where the road turns to dirt. Continue on the dirt for about 200 metres to where the road forks. Take the right fork (signposted as the Old Boboyan Road) and follow this past two gates and two creek crossings to the (locked) gate on the edge of the pine forest (circa 2000, being logged and replaced with native vegetation). Park here; it is usually necessary to walk the three kilometres from this point. The Old Boboyan Road is negotiable by most vehicles, although after rain the second of the two creek crossings can be awkward.

The Cliff is visible to the southeast on the drive in. Cross the fence, turn left and follow the track past a hut to another pine forest. Follow the track south to the end of the pine forest and head upwards to the cliff, crossing Hospital Creek. The whole walk in takes about an hour.

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Hide Legend Edit Add item to topo Topo Admin Link to this topo Hide
		Route	Grade	Style		Selected ascents
1		★ Desperate Measures The classic of the cliff. Start six metres to the left of the fireplace. Sustained climbing up the fingertip crack which splits the otherwise featureless wall at the left-hand end of the outcrop. FA: Ben Jones & David Lyons, 1989	23	Trad 50m
2		Vandelous Behaviour A direct start to Pushing the Envelope; start at the fireplace five metres right of Desperate measures. Unpleasantly thin climbing up the friable slab past two bolts to join Desperate Measures. FA: Ken Luck, 1989	22	Mixed trad 15m, 2
3		Pushing The Envelope Start four metres to the right of the fireplace. Up the poorly brushed slab to the right of the arete to the horizontal crack. Continue upwards as for pitch two of Desperate Measures. FA: Ben Jones & David Lyons (both solo), 1989	17	Mixed trad 50m, 2
4		Bogan Gate Road Definitely not recommended. Start 10 metres right of the fireplace. Hard moves to start up the very thin flake, slap left, then walk up the mossy slab above. FA: Ben Jones )solo), 1989	8	Trad 45m
5		The Wanderer Follows a line up the middle of blocks on the front buttress, about 15 metres right of the fireplace. Balance traverse right then easily up onto block. Step right and hardish moves up crack followed by easy laybacking and final traverse right under roof to belay. FA: David Lyons & Ben Jones, 1989	13	Trad 20m
6		Burning Yams Start three metres right and up from The Wanderer on a large ledge. Layback up flake (unprotected) then easily up crack stepping right under roof to belay. FA: Ben Jones & David Lyons, 1989	12	Trad 12m
7		Small Girls Start on the higher part of the ledge about three metres to the right of Burning Yams below an incipient crack. Climb the crack (protection is desperate to place). FA: David Lyons & Ben Jones, 1989	23	Trad 15m
8		★★ Skyrider One of a kind. Awkward climbing in a superb position. Start three metres to the left of an obvious quartz dyke, below the right hand end of the roof which cuts the main wall. Take heaps of large camming devices or else! 30 metres (15) Climb the dark slab to the right of the moss, step left across the moss to the obvious crack. Climb this to a hanging belay in the corner of the roof next to large guano. 10 metres (20) Traverse left to hanging belay just to left of massive guano. 35 metres (20) Continue to ledge on top of block to belay. Scramble down block for five metres to track. FA: Ben Jones & David Lyons, 1989	20	Trad 75m
9		Guanoman Variant A better first pitch to Skyrider. The wide crack to the right of the original. FA: Anthony Budd, David Lyons & Ben Jones, 1990	17	Trad 20m
10		People With Chairs Up Their Noses Start about 50 metres to the right of Skyrider on the southern bluffs. Pleasant laybacking and hand jamming up the wandering crack which initially slants to the left and then goes straight up. FA: Ben Jones & Chris Holly, 1989	18	Trad 20m
11		Dirt Roller Definitely not worth the effort to find. Start 20 metres above the pine tree 30 metres left of the top of People With Chairs Up Their Noses. Climb the middle of the white slab. FA: David Lyons, 1989	8	Trad 15m
12		Rain Dance Another worthless crack right of Dirt Roller. FA: Ben Jones, 1989	10	Trad 20m
13		Slip Sliding Away Yet another worthless crack, on the second tier of the southern bluffs. FA: Ben Jones, 1989	10	Trad 20m
14		Scaffoid Injuries Part of 'Hospital Crag' to the south of Smiling Rock. Start at the northedn end of Hospital Crag, below a large ledge with a tree. 5 metres (10) Climb the short off-width to the tree. 25 metres (20) Layback and bridge up the thin leftwards leaning flake. Follow the weakness to the right and then finish up Ward 3B. FA: Ben Jones & Chris Holly, 1989	20	Trad 30m
15		Ward 3B Part of 'Hospital Crag' to the south of Smiling Rock. From the belay on Scaffold Injuries, layback the corner crack on the right, then follow the crack system to the top, squeezing under a tree branch. FA: Ben Jones & Chris Holly, 1989	14	Trad 25m
16		The Minaret The only climb to date at Turret Rocks. The easy fist crack and groove on the southern side of the boulder. FA: Chris Holly, 1989	10	Trad 15m

2. Index by grade

Grade		Stars	Name	Style	Pop
8			Bogan Gate Road	Trad 45m
			Dirt Roller	Trad 15m
10			Rain Dance	Trad 20m
			Slip Sliding Away	Trad 20m
			The Minaret	Trad 15m
12			Burning Yams	Trad 12m
13			The Wanderer	Trad 20m
14			Ward 3B	Trad 25m
17			Guanoman Variant	Trad 20m
			Pushing The Envelope	Mixed trad 50m, 2
18			People With Chairs Up Their Noses	Trad 20m
20			Scaffoid Injuries	Trad 30m
		★★	Skyrider	Trad 75m
22			Vandelous Behaviour	Mixed trad 15m, 2
23		★	Desperate Measures	Trad 50m
			Small Girls	Trad 15m