Routes in Townsville

Open project. Starting at the base of the cliff. Traverse R out to join into Proud Fish.

Open project. Traverse out R and join into Proud Fish below the overhang.

Open project. Starting at the base of the cliff, this is the longest climb at Pride Rock. Smearing and awkward moves up the featureless slab.

This climb is named after the Proud Fish story. Side on, the rock looks like one fish with an underbite eating another fish with an underbite.

Open project. The slab climb leading up to Pride Rock.

Open project. Stemming up to crackline.

The obvious crackline

Open project. Cleaning and CPs have been done. Up mini-face, to slab and headwall. Up overhanging pocketed goodness passing cave and out L to harder ground.

crouching matched start on the larger crimp, SS is V5/6.

A forgotten project.

A couple of carrots in the middle of the Hardman Wall.

Starting on the arete. Horizontal cracks at start for small gear.

Further up the hill, this route is a 3 pitch project of Brad Mann's - 1998.

A major three pitch route. Starts 8m R of The Prime Directive in a gully. Access via rap station (multi-pitch abseil).

1. 35m 21 Up flake and step R passing 2 FH's to gain ledge. Up small corner to gain large sloping ledge. Psyche up then step L and pull into bottomless corner. Continue up, following crack system with a hard move to gain small stance and triple BB.

2. 20m 20 Up the obvious crack to gain a short technical corner (need a small cam), pull around this and follow crack to DBB.

3. 25m 21 Step R then up to welcome stance and FH. Up finger crack till its possible to traverse L across wall to FH. Up crack and flake to the top and DBB.

Follow the crack, sounds easy enough... Lots of fuss to get not very far. The crack all the way to Preapologised, finishing up it. Gets all day shade.

6-8 meters R of 'Tampa Proof' is a body width crack with 2 chock-stones down low & a roof before the top-out. Up past the chock-stones taking care not to deck out while slinging the 2nd block. Continue up & left following gear placements to a rest in the cave under the roof. A few inventive moves & a crucial camalot #4.5 cam (or equivalent) will see you through the crux to the difficult top-out. All natural, & all bomber gear was the highlight of this climb.

Starts 7m right of TLM.

1. 20m 18 Head up the black slab through the crux passing 3 FHs. Place gear before mantling on small ledge. Trend up and slightly right and continue about 4m left across ledge to base of 'V' corner and go up. Head right to small ledge with a natural belay.

2. 18m 21 Go straight up the steep yellow corner for 2m and traverse right above the overlap. Continue up right until you reach a ledge and FH. Up the thin slab through the crux with 2 more FHs and then into cave with rings. Escape via a 35m rap to the ground.

3. 17m 16 Head right out of cave (FH) and up past fin onto a ledge. Move back left and up onto slab then diagonally right to orange wall. Up this for 5m then traverse left to belay about 3m below a large spike.

4. 22m 21 Head left from belay along ledge then up short corner to large sloping ledge. Avoid the loose blocks while traversing right along ledge and lean out to clip FH. Up exposed corner (crux) then right onto ledge. Follow the heavily featured wall to ledge with bollard and tree - this is the PB pitch 4 belay. Walk behind the tree for 5m until you meet the rock again. Escape is possible via PB.

5. 25m 12 Up right to ledge and traverse 8m right. Continue straight up to ledge with orange thread. Take care with the loose blocks on traverse.

6. 50m 12 Up the easy slab for 25m to reach a ledge below an orange roof. Move up cracks to the right of the roof and then move back left onto slab. Up the slab then finish straight up steep final wall.

Start up Eye Of The Tiger until about 3.5m below the obvious chockstone and at an undercling flake/pockets in the L wall. Make committing moves L and follow the flake system (small wires) to join the final moves of Two Hands Are Better Than One at the last BR on that route.

1. Start as for The Last Post P1.

2. (2a) Traverse 20m R to SAS plaque and chains.

Starting 20m right of The Soldier King at a small pine tree.

1. 10 30m Up through ledges trending left to the lone pine tree.

2. 19 25m Continue up towards headwall and then left before it steepens. Continue on to join in with the finish of The Soldier King.

Follows the steep crack directly above to chains.

Start as per "Steeling Time" and finish right to "Out On a Limb" chains.

Starting just half a metre right of SIASSB in the corner. Climb R-leaning slab-corner with good pro throughout. Continue straight up the loose and dirty horrorshow to finish at obvious spiky tree. A variant finish escapes L up ramp before the chossy top.

Starting at the open book corner (initialized), step on the larged embedded rock climb up via the pockets and jams in the crack. Head slightly right using long slings, continuing up to belay. Belay at the three large boulders.

L trending crack on R of bowl.

Starts 3m R of detached block which forms a chimney. Faintly marked but hard to see the paint. Ascends pockets (protectable) and then an unprotected slab. Looks like it finishes on a grassy ledge below the overhang - uncertain finish & descent.

An exciting lead. Start as for Holiday but go straight up the deep dark line (GA) to the chockstones, step L onto the arete and take it to the top.

The thin diagonal line is a serious lead. Climb up R of the seam. First pro is at about 5m.

Starting at "JLC Project 3". Up slab to jug and trend left to join into Edibles and DRB.

Hand crack.

Chimney L of Deception

The diagonal offset fistcrack. It's not a warmup and it's not fun. I’m sorry about this climb.

Experience the occasional acid flashback. L of the bowl, unfortunate chossy start before a great orange corner crack. Rap off the tree, Dude!

Starts on the small boulder. Straight up flaky face with small holds to a hangerless bolt. Continue up featured face staying to the right of small orange caves. Place a crucial #10 hex into another pocket (up and L). A big reach for small pockets and up slab to the "binocular pocket" (#6 hex), then easy slab to top. Anchors for top roping can be set up.

Build a belay midway through pitch 3 of "Mira Nova" below the blood orange part of the short headwall. Climb up the headwall past horizontal breaks, then traverse R to weakness and ledge. Traverse R along the set of ledges to reach the top of "Master's Apprentice". Escape via the chains.

Start in the obvious corner and climb straight up crack with good moves. Once in the cave reach out to the right to the "Eye" hold then up to finish. (Can be top roped off double bolts above climb)

Superb sustained climbing up a beautiful line. Scotts finest hour. Starts 2m R of MC, 5 carrots (fully threaded and overdriven) to natural gear. Take a wire to clip the 2nd bolt if your short. It's about a 21 to the FH and the route gets morning shade.

Access is via a 25m rap from chains - the second set.

1. The route starts up the crack on your right. Step left into left crack and continue up, then step back right and up to ledge on arete to BB.

2. Up 2m then step left into short corner. Up corner to ledge then scramble to next ledge.

3. Up short but steep face (FH) to ramp then corner. Up corner, then ramp then veer right to below headwall.

4. Pull over overhang, then climb V corner.

FRV Variants:

Pitch 3a "The Final RV Variant 3a"

Pitch 4a "The Final RV Variant 4a"

Pitch 4b "The Final RV Variant 4b"

Starts at the saddle between the rap chains and the Termite Mound. Follow the major traversing crack along a series of slabs to reach a large curving corner with a high sloping crack (crux). Continue on to pass an extruded block and finish at a major ledge. Exit up the steep gully.

Starts from the large ledge on Pitch Black (the end of the 4th pitch). Up the short steep section a few metres left of pitch 5 of PB then follow ledges left until you reach the ledge with tree in the middle of the third pitch of Absent Friends.

Starts 4m R of the KIAG on the knife-blade-pillar-arête. Up this cracked pillar with reasonable pro in the first half.

Starting as for "Were-Rabbit" but stepping right under arête on small cams to slab. Climb up the slab and follow the crack left to belay as for "Were-Rabbit".

Starts 3m R of DBV. Faintly marked. Ascends the clean, low-angled orange slab on lovely flakes and pockets 7m R of large detached block. Possibly no pro or bolts - uncertain finish & descent.

Start at the marked "RH". Follow crack in the middle of the wall to finish (loose blocks at top)

Looks Gruesome. Start as for for H but go straight up the ugly offwidth past the chockstones through crack (crux) to top.

Thin face climbing with 4 FH up the face. Belay off the trees at the next ledge.

Just to the right of "JLC Project 3". Up slab to corner weakness over lip to Edibles DRB.

Open project. Follow the crack up to the hole and then out left.

Up the pleasure crack until it ends, then step right and up to the groove. pleasure yourself up the groove past a bush and large chock stones to fig tree, belay here. To get down either walk off or scramble a few meters up and right to DBB of Currawong Song.

Straight up the crack just R of Agababymemnon.

To the L of the main block is a clean leaning layback corner that splits into two cracks on the top wall. Jase provided excellent entertainment on 2nd. #7 Hex goes in well.

Starts 2m right of "Binocular Pocket". Climb up past a hangerless bolts (missing it's nut) to horizontal break. Then up past pocket and second hangerless bolt then slightly left through bulge with optional #2.5 SLCD. Finish on run-out but easy slab. Anchors for top roping can be set up.

#missing_nut

Initialised.

One of the best crack routes on the 'Playground'.

Start: The obvious crack 2m R of "Eye of the Tiger" good placements for "pro" throughout. (Can be top roped off double bolts above climb)

Well protected and sustained. Start by scrambling (roped) L from below PMs start to a 2 bolt belay on a tiny ledge on the arete, or do The Monsoon. Step L from the belay then up the face passing 8FHs and optional cams near the top. Still awaits the connection to the Monsoon to make a super sustained 50m pitch.

Access is be walking around the west side of the rock and up through the cave.

Up the crack to squeeze through narrow top section. Natural belay.

Can also be done as a 19 - only face and crack climbing.

Up the obvious crack to traverse right to mantle. Tree belay.

Thin crack 3m L of corner.

This two pitch route is the obvious corner you first reach when walking to the watchtower along the track.

1. 33m 16 Pull up onto slab and follow to the base of corner. Continue up the corner to sloping ledge and large tree. Up the wide crack on the left wall to ledge with a DBB.

2. 30m 18 Step right around the arête to the face. Climb up and slightly trending right to a right traverse to avoid the large blocks towards the end. Move back left and up dirty ramp to ledge at the top of block. Escape is possible from Blackened lower off.

Set the belay further L of the original below two obvious corners. Up the R corner and onto ledge then trend R and easily up to top.

A seriously delicate climb starting at a broken slab 7m left of KOTSW keeping left of mini-corner to undercling slot (protection). Over this to chossy slab and top.

The was the first climb on Juicy Buttress. An awesome climb, especially for beginners learning to trad. It has a tricky start, beginning below the left facing corner (initialized). Follow the layback to turn the roof (crux). No hand rests to place gear helps before hitting crux moves. Then follow the right leaning cracks to belay and rap off the tree at the top left of the cliff.

Starts 4m R of Fembot. Faintly marked but extremely hard to see the paint. Slab route up nice-looking crystally rock. May have some gear a few metres off the deck, but then nothing until right up the top. Uncertain finish & descent (Maybe a walk off L and then a tree rap).

Rock face 2m right of "Rocky Horror" climb straight up to finish (MINIMAL PRO)

A slabby adventure. Start as for Holiday to the pedestal. Step across the void to the R (FH) and crank up to the slab (crux). Now delicately up the slab passing two more FH's.

The conspicuous line right to ledge and continue.

Start climb off the tall flake leaning at the base of the crack. Tricky move into the groove and up passing one FH. Follow the crack/groove until it ends. Climb the slab to the anchors passing 2 FH. Slab section is runout on easy ground.

One of the two corner cracks. Just left of Rosebud.

As good as it sounds. The broken corner R of NWJ.

The thin mantel move between the boulders then finish on "Small Wonder".

Follow the obvious, well-protected dihedral for a tree belay. A must do for the crag.

An airy face with some lovely flakes. There is a bolt on the lip of the first overhang. R though this then L to another bolt, up to the hole and ledge. Follow the carrots up the arete to finish L up the crack past a bolt. Up and R at the ledge to the thin crack to the finish.

Pleasant face climbing. Start 4m R of SP below a FH and L of a thin seam. Arc L past 3 bolts to join the original.

Starts at the crack in the shallow chimney, 2m R of the NW arête (L of TENE) - the next one past the offwidth. Take the crack to the FH then Traverse R to TENEs belay.

Open project. Crack climb.

Climbed ground up in true Mount Stuart style. U bolt anchor.

Up the left leaning crack to join in with Oxygen Cascade at traverse. Tree belay.

Undercling wide diagonal crack.

1. (25m 20) As for FOTW, move L after cam placement, through rooflet to ledge, up L facing corner to chains.

2. (42m 23) L for 4m (cams) til possible to move up and clip FH. Over ledge and up steep wall past 2 FH to awkward rest below overlap (gear). Exit on L past FH to gain easier wall above. Move R then up slab to large ledge.

3. (25m 18) Up obvious crack a few metres R of large detached block to ledge, then R to large ledge with tree. Up featured corner to perfect crack below cave.

4. (8m 22) Up 45 degree wall past 3 FH then slightly R up slab to natural belay.

5. (20m 12) move diagonally L below scrub toward L side of large block. Finish up last few metres of AF.

1. 15m 19 Starting at the belay of MA p1. Head straight up through the orange rock and crack to a belay at ledge.

2. 30m 17 Follow the path of least resistance sticking right of the orange corner of Terra Nullius. Continue right to the vague arête and natural belay on the ledge.

A popular, nice slab climb. A good workout for your legs. Start at the bottomless, left-facing corner 30m R of arête. Finish up the loose exit to a boulder belay. Three FH's, wires at top.

Starting on a thin layback crack 2 metres left of "Plum" at obvious wide-ish crack (initialized). It's a lovely climb with great gear. End up just above the "Were-Rabbit" belay using the same exit.

As you look at the RH face of Castle Hill you'll notice a big traversing bite shaped crack across the lower section. Start on the LHS of The Big Bite.

1. 40m 8. Up face slab on minimal gear, avoiding the tree & widow maker in crack, till you reach a fig tree root with an old sling on it.

2. 40m 14. Across tricky section on choss (fun) to easier but run-out section which leads to some great rock, then a long ledge. (Remember to protect 2nd.) Belay at end of ledge.

3. 30m 6. At last, heaps of gear & absolutely no stress. DBB on ledge.

4. 40m 16. Down-climb crack & slab back-clipping all the way so the 2nd, who will effectively be on lead, will be protected. If this doesn't appeal, then rap off DBB.

The Overhang provides shade all day.

Up ledgy rock face 3m right of "Rocky Horror" move up and left to root filled corner.

As for S but keep traversing R to the thin crack and up it.

The just just right of FCAGEA - 2m R of TR.

The main crack running up the slab. Up through large pocket follow the crack to it peters out. Switch to crack on right up over bulge (crux) to natural belay.

One of the two corner cracks. Just right The Cleaner.

Walk towards the backpackers until it is visible, the route is in the middle of a wall facing the resort, and follows the obvious flake that stops at half height.

Starts 2m right of "Small Wonder". Climb up short corner crack (medium-size cam) to ledge and corner to break then straight up to big pocket (large cam). Undercling and up staying right of the fixed hanger, traverse up lip of large cave a few moves then over lip of cave (crux) into large corner. Finish on run-out but easy slab. Anchors for top roping can be set up.