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Description

A collection of distinct angular boulders with large, well featured and textured planar faces, nestled among the roots of draping fig trees and basket ferns. More typical, river washed boulders are found closer to the water. An idyllic and convenient setting, with very little walk in. Most problems are concentrated to a handful of boulders,however the opportunity exists for many mini-problems on the scattered smaller blocs.

Access issues inherited from Cairns

Be wary at any coastal or riverside crags for the potential of crocodiles and if you're in the water marine stingers.

Approach

Drive along Barron Falls Rd approximately 2.2km from the first national park sign until crossing a small creek with a concrete guard rail on the right hand side of the road with a waterfall above it (-16.856644, 145.658082).

This will bring you out on the river just upstream of Graphene Machine. The boulders are spread both up and downstream from this point, along the section of forest between the road and the Barron River.

Alternatively, park at (-16.8572031, 145.6584586) to access DAD and walk upstream from here for the other Zen Garden problems.

Park at (-16.854921, 145.656341) for Below the Surface, Soft wood, and Hard wood cave.

Boulders are listed in order from downstream to upstream.

Ethic inherited from Barron Gorge

Brush holds, respect veg, wildlife, and the rock as much as possible. Take all that goes with you back out of the gorge inc. fruit scraps. Please also take any rubbish you find.

Tags

Routes

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Grade Route

Crouch start at base of arête on slopey edges. Pull through big crux move to good hold on arête and top out with interesting blocky sidepull features on the L face.

Cameron Whycherley

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 4 Sep 2018

Traverse left to right and topout at far right corner. A good warm up for Graphene Machine.

FA: Jared Tyerman & Farid Borbar Yanez, 26 Jun 2019

Sit start with feet on detached boulder. Full dyno to far right lip and/or lower pinch. Smear and topout.

Jared Tyerman and Farid Borbar

FA: Jared Tyerman & Farid Borbar Yanez, 26 Jun 2019

Traverse upper lip right to left. Sit start. Finish at far left slab for topout. Coming around corner makes the grade.

FA: Jared Tyerman, 26 Jun 2019

Sit start far left on slopey lip. Traverse right through partly delicate crux and continue around corner along lip and slab. Topout at prow.

FA: Jared Tyerman, 1 Oct 2019

Sit start hanging or with foot on detached boulder beneath. Sloping arete, mid height edges, positive arete hold. Gain top feature for topout.

FA: Jared Tyerman & Farid Borbar Yanez, 26 Jun 2019

Start seated with flake feature and low/mid feet. Work straight up to edges or slopers and with higher feet gain lip for topout.

Jared Tyerman and Farid Borbar

FA: Jared Tyerman & Farid Borbar Yanez, 26 Jun 2019

Sit start left under-cling-catch right sidepull. Follow right into layoff features, then trend up through balancy section to lip.

FA: Jared Tyerman & David Erlfelder, 30 Sep 2019

Stand start central face and work up small holds to good high jug for topout.

FA: Jared Tyerman & Farid Borbar Yanez, 26 Jun 2019

Stand start right of face using arete and work up small holds and slopey edges to good high jug for topout.

FA: Jared Tyerman & Farid Borbar Yanez, 26 Jun 2019

Fun but weird. Start in low cave in far left side of roof crack. Feet on detached rock to knee bar along using crack all the way right to where you wedge into corner. No topout.

Using direct crack as a roof climb is awkward and slightly painful due to crack features. But if doable would be rad and hard.

Jared Tyerman and Farid Borbar

FA: Jared Tyerman, 26 Jun 2019

Crouch start L end of river side face. Traverse R, following the beautiful sloped lip around the corner and topping out above the steeper slab.

Cameron Whycherley Jared Tyerman and Farid Borbar

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 4 Sep 2018

Crouch start at R end of upstream face on slopers just L of vertical blocky edge. Traverse L along the face on slopers and poor feet to top out at the far L on better features.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 4 Sep 2018

Sit start in middle of upstream face with vertical RH edge and slopey edge for L hand. Pull on and make a hard move to the sloping lip. Traverse L and top out on good features.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 4 Sep 2018

Crouch start at L end of upstream face on lower good blocky feature. Up through good holds.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 4 Sep 2018

Stand start under arête with obvious high diagonal LH edge and assorted small edges for RH. Get established on the wall and pull big crux move to jug on the arête, topping out on good holds.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 4 Sep 2018

Sit start on small edges underneath obvious ledge on face. Using the obvious detached boulder for feet, make a large move to ledge before traversing L along holds on face into the arête and topping as for The Prow. Note: A harder alternative start without using the detached boulder awaits an ascent.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 4 Sep 2018

Start as for Prowler. From the ledge, top out direct or slightly R. Note: A harder alternative start without using the detached boulder awaits an ascent.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 4 Sep 2018

Stand start as far right on rail as possible and traverse leftward into holds of Plougher, same topout. Harder if you climb the full traverse ending of Prowler.

Start on same ledge/rail as TBP but a little to the left and two hand dyno straight up to good positive hold at top.

FA: Jared Tyerman, 21 Apr 2019

Sit start to the classic Samsara on left side pull and right edge. Move up on left slopers to get into the start of Samsara.

Callum Mather Arlen Breeze

Start with lower left slab edge and good layback rail. Head up rails on L of river side face, climb up and R, following the rail before topping out on good holds high and right. Can also go direct to top with slopey undercling pinch above rails. Great but landing is almost always underwater due to river height - Sunday mornings in the dry season are best due to no hydro discharge.

Cameron Whycherley Kieran Pates Callum Mather

FFA: Cameron Wycherley, 8 Sep 2018

A little gem of a climb - Powerful, steep climbing on good edges. Sit start under the clean 40* overhung face, matched on the low good edge. Power up the steepness on incut edges and top out. Reminiscent of a powerful steep woody problem.

FFA: Cameron Wycherley, 3 Sep 2018

Crouch start with good hold on LH arête. Climb up and R along arête to top out above Feng Shui.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 3 Sep 2018

Sit start then up to rail, traverse right and up.

Stand start matched on jug, follow line of holds up and out of the hole via big committing move. Rock behind is very dabbable, controlling the swing is a great lesson in core movement. Landing needs rebuilding after floods.

Sit start just to the R of the middle of the face on trio of holds, just L of the mini roof. Traverse L and low along good holds and top out at L arête.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 3 Sep 2018

Stand start with RH crimp and LH on arete at the same height as the crimp. Up through weird balancey climbing.

Start on flat hold, up to slopey holds and mantle.

Starting from the start holds of Fontain Of Youth, traverse left on slopey holds and finish as for Wish You Well.

Start at RHS of river side face on obvious large sloped ledge on the bulge. Directly up on slopes and edges.

Cameron Whycherley

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 3 Sep 2018

Sit start at base of downstream face, matching the obvious low rail. Climb directly up using arete and good pocket on face. A delicate jump will gain you good holds at the lip. Top out using the unavoidable fig root system which cover the top surface.

Kieran Pates

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 1 Sep 2018

An easier, but just as enjoyable variation to Planes. Stand start with arete and pocket, finishing as for above.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 1 Sep 2018

Sit start at base of downstream face, matching the obvious low rail, as for Planes. Climb up and left, rounding the arete and top out on left face of boulder.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 1 Sep 2018

The easier, stand start variant of Crossing Borders. Stand start on river side face of boulder. Up and slightly left using arete and features on the face.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 1 Sep 2018

Start left of tree, follow flake feature to top. Don't dab the tree.

FA: Jared Tyerman, 7 Nov 2022

Sit start at base of subtle overhung arete on the lowest sloping ledge. Move up through next sloped ledge, before gaining high features on the face and mantling to top out.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 1 Sep 2018

Sit start at back left of roof on the furthest obvious edge. Climb out and right along the steep roof, following good edges into large flake, before throwing to the lip and mantling. Enjoyable steep climbing.

Jared Tyerman

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 1 Sep 2018

Direct start to Below the Surface. Start on low crimps with big right bulge for foot.

Glen Hayford Kieran Pates

FA: Glen Hayford & Suhas Sharma, 4 Jul 2020

Start as for Well, then move left into Soft wood.

Callum Mather

Start in pocket and undercling, do a big move to good edge and top out into the garden.

Sit start, up arete and mantle.

Crouch start at RH end of downstream face, just before the drop off. Traverse up and L, topping out at peak.

Stand start on rightmost obvious jug on the lip. Traverse L before gaining high, downward sloping large rail on face and topping out up the slab. Worthy of more stars if not for being so short.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 1 Sep 2018

The extension to Intuition. Start ~2m underneath roof with good undercut edges above the freestanding boulder below. Using this boulder for feet, move through series of edges on roof to gain the sloping lip. Traverse L through crux into -and finish - as for Intuition.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 20 Sep 2018

Stand start in front of small boulder with good holds above lip (Big bloc is out for feet, unlike From Within). Directly up with sidepull around corner and good holds up high.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 22 Oct 2018

Stand start on the small downstream face of boulder with good holds on the arete and features on face. Up via obvious ledge and arete, topping out among the unavoidable fig roots.

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 1 Sep 2018

Start in the middle of the overhang on sloping edge. Come out through a variety of regular and sloping edges.

Located on the upstream face of the next obvious large, undercut boulder, upstream of From Within and Intution. Sit start, matched on lower, right leaning, sloping shelf. Up via big moves on good holds on right and left aretes.

Kieran Pates

FA: Cameron Wycherley, 10 Aug 2019

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