Routes as trad in Illawarra and Shoalhaven

A classic crack.

Wall and roof right of Death, bad pro.

Chunky bouldery start over a series of ledges to the big cave to catch your breath then power on up to find the good holds in the vertical crack then move out left on the ledge to find a spider cave pocket to haul yourself up for a big finishing move.

3m right of The Great Gastric. Grovel up the V shaped groove.

Arete on right side of The Great Gastric. No bridging onto other wall.

God save the Queen, if she ever tried this one she would need good fingers and strong finger nails. Start about 1.5 meters right of the large V groove of the Great Gastric. Up to the bolt near the slope then straight up to top.

Start just right of the corner opposite Poxy Loxy.

Right of Pox Route. Two meters left of the arete. Up just in from arete trending left at the top.

Start about 1 metre right of Pox Buttress. Straight up to resting ledge. A one move wonder if ever there was one.

Scrape and grunt up the offwidth crack. Toprope or lead using Big Bro's. One old carrot at top, 2 newer carrots above PE / PP .

The corner crack. 2 or 3 number 5 cams. Pull onto the wall just left of the crack and slot the 1st cam. Up to the ledge, reach up for the 2nd cam and layback to the top (or stem off the right hand wall). Grovel over the top.

The pocketed wall to the right of CC. Dicey pro (#2 - #4 rocks, cams handy over the top). Delicate start to pull right on small crimps to find your way to a ledge, then lunge further to get a hand into the cave and haul up. Walk off to the left at the top. Watch the loose sand on the sloping edge! Can top rope using the 2 carrots from 'C'.

Easy climbing up a large hand crack. 2 x no3's and a 2.5 cam. One belay bolt at the top and one in the large boulder.

Straight up the crack to top out. A few easy moves then gets steep and thrutchy. Natural anchor to lower off

Thin hands and laybacking with bomber gear until the crack runs out. Find the key small gear and say your prayers. If the small cam comes sailing down the wall the belayer will know to leave the mine before the disaster.

One of the best aretes in Wollongong and a fine goal for the allround climber.

Start under the obvious overhang in a thin crack, up into a wide invert crack and then traverse the horizontal crack to the arete. Place some good gear and quest up the sharp arete towards the bolts and crux.

All the gear is good and can be placed on lead. A #6 is needed for the bottom.

A dirty hand crack in the middle of the cliff face somewhere, It's pretty obvious so get out there and look for it.

(1) The hand crack. Dirty dirty dirty.

Closed route - needs a bit more cleaning

Shared start with 'The last bolt ate my soul', or alternatively climb the direct thin hard finger crack (add an extra grade or two NB: as at June 2023 this needs more cleaning).

At the big block and start of the crux of TLBAMS, traverse left into the unrelenting loose fingers (#0.5 and #0.75)/tight hands(#1) subtle corner. Bring your best crack skilz yo!

A punchy little line. Up the initial easy crack, small good gear, U bolt, then techo moves protected by U bolt to switch into the next crack to the left. Hard moves into the corner, then even harder moves up the thin finger crack, technical bridging (use the right arete).

Double U bolt lower off

Named after a comically named old car tyre found at the base of the crag. "Double Happy" is a Chinese knockoff tyre that is the antithesis of how one would feel if these puppies were all that lay between you and the nearest tree.

NB: Can be accessed by rap in off trees at the top.

The left of two lines up an appealing little buttress.

Up the moderate shared start with Double Happy (Direct), with good small cams and options for small wires.

At mid-height clip the U bolt and traverse left with tricky moves to get established in the solid finger crack. Lock and funk with bomber gear to the double U bolt lower off.

The original anchors were insalled by Steve Varney, but the line was never climbed. Now has new U bolts for anchors.

The super aesthetic crack about 10 m left of NMTB.

Along with NMTB this is one of the best cracks anywhere. Astounding complex movement, a diabolically cryptic crux. Bomber gear.

Hard moves off the ground to reach the tenuous crack and complex bridging.

Bomber gear although fiddly off the deck.

Open V corner in the main northern Quarry. Over near the right side just to the right of the swampy section. Can be identified by the following pointers; Row of small dyna bolts up the right wall. Once used for Yosemite aid training by Reg, now rusted to blobs. Lower offs at the top, again by Reg. Top is clear of overburden debris. White painted square at bottom of climb and initials. First climbed as an aid route by Bill James this open book corner was later climbed in the typical siege ethic of the day. Hard stemming and finger locking with fiddly but good gear all the way up. Many falls were taken some with a loop of slack in hand while clipping. Expect a battle as Ferret was a crack master & The Man of Steel was the most powerful being to have ever graced the local cliffs with his presence. Will need a clean between the 37 year ascent cycle it now experiences.

The crack 6 or 7 m right of NMTB that cleaves the left side of a pillar.

It's now pretty much clean from dirt and loose rock and sweet to go.

THhe crack begins above a small ledge about 2m off the deck.

Easy solo scramble to the ledge then up the crack beginning with small fingers and continually increasing up to fist jams at the top. Bridging and stemming to get established then into the crack.

Excellent gear all the way with the usual precautions for this place to make sure your gear is seated in solid stuff.

Direct start to Surf Solar. Bring some tiny gear, and confidence. Bold through the middle until where the original joins, but the climbing is easy

The face crack 1.5 m right of DISB. Shares the same start off the ledge.

The usual cautions that the loose rock and blocks have been cleaned off with gusto and it's now mostly good and sound, but until it gets a few ascents be aware.

A double bolt belay are located a few meters back from the top in a small boulder/shelf.

Start up DISB and after gaining enough height for gear for the next moves, make a tricky move right to gain the arete.

Moderate climbing up right through the broken looking, but quite solid rock for a couple of meters until gaining the thin crack and thin good gear. Great gear from here on.

Getting established in the crack will keep you honest then locks away to the top.

Follow the short line of chipped holds and 3 bolts to the anchors on ledge.

Since the chipping has been done, it now takes some perfect gear. Tagged as a project, but I reckon if you don’t clip the bolts it’s fair game. A couple 0.4s and a small wire will see you safely to the ledge

Starts just right of a “project” with chipped holds and unnecessary bolts.

Up to ledge with anchor on it (?) then up the obvious corner crack. Like hollow man, bring your gear and ignore the bolts until the line has been restored. There’s absolutely no doubt that this is a gear route

Open open open! Someone come a tick this classic crack! Bring your A game. It's propa hard.

The double bolts at the bottom of the line should be chopped as the line goes on gear the whole way.

A hard and varied line.

NB: Can be accessed via a rap from two star pickets in the scrub above.

Stick clip the first bolt. Intense laybacking right off the deck up a shattered face flake. Good gear but absolutely desperate to place. Take care to choose solid placements as the rock at Bombo can be friable.

Clip a second bolt at the top of the Guillotine - this is the thinnest part of the shattered flake and there's no way you'd want to tempt pulling it off with a cam behind it

Take a breather, where the flake joins the main corner crack to its left.

Desperate finger locks and bridging to the top of the pillar on great small gear to a double U bolt lower off.

A classic trad line ruined by a line of bolts and an anchor set too low.

Small but bomber gear the whole way, do your best to ignore the bolts until this line is restored. Keep going past the anchor to the single hanger at the end of the good rock, then back-jump to the anchor to clean

8m left of Self isolation. A short scramble up to a 6m crack. Crack is well protected. The rock surrounding the crack is quite weak and will crumble. Climb with caution and jam as much as you can. Caution: Top has been cleared of loose rocks but there is still some weak rock on top that might dislodge. Top out to the left of the crack.

Named after my first climbing partner and friend Justin, who took his own life in 2018. Hopefully a good reminder to check in on those we care about.

Start at obvious hand crack then trend right past 3 rusty bolts to double FHs (no mailons or biners on these - so no way of lowering off).

Traversing line starting off the ledge. Can lower of TTOTUA Anchors

Easy lower crack, then straight up the fine steep corner crack to trad belay.

Nice fun climbing up to the cone then an thin crux on small gear! Trad Belay

(1) Up the tallest cleanest looking central crack in the wall.

The first of the three main cracks on this compact little wall. A stiff little lay back crack with not many snails.

(1) Up the stiff little layback crack taking care not to doom to many little blue snails to their deaths when they try to attack you.

The next one along the line, a sort of open corner finger lock crack, good protection and interesting little blue snails.

(1) The open corner climbed on nasty flared little blue snails.

The left crack, two metres right of STEB. This climb ascends a pair of cracks in a wall, crossing from the right crack to the left at the start and back to the right crack at the top.

(1) Up criss-crossing like a mad man.

What a bloody awful name for such a fine route. To get to this baby, walk around the reef on the headland looking for a large pillar with a couple of cracks splitting it up the sides, this route is the right crack up the biggest pillar.

(1) Up the crack watch out for seagull shit on some of the ledges.

At the top walk back as many meters as the rope length allows. Find a bush to tie onto or do what D Radical Thomas did: sit on the grass dig your heals in and hope the second doesn't fall off and take you with him. Thus you should see why we sent Dave up first. Thats what I call trad climbing!

10 metres further around the headland. The next detached pillar. Climb crack until small roof. Round roof on right to loose top.

The Obvious Arete seen from the lookout. A single rack should be fine. Be cautious of loose rock.

A tricky little shit that should cause some trouble if all you can get up at home is a 21.

Word of advice from an aspiring ascensionist; rap down from the top off a couple of friends and give the climb a lite brushing before trying this unit as it quite often silts up with dirt from above. HA HA HA

(1) Start at first crack on the left side of cliff. Climb the crack until a quick exit can be made out to the right, don't go up thru the choss on the top.

A short thin hand crack that just loves 1.5 friends.

(1) The next crack along from COS, belay on the ledge and scramble up to the right to get off.

Go on a diet, stretch your leg tendons and stem your way up this baby, it has a thin section two thirds of the way up that'll eat your brains out.

(1) The groove to the right of NP go for it sucker

'What's wrong with a mind of my own'. - Dead Kennedys. For those runts without hte genetic gift of reach or crankability, this climb could possibly feel quite hard. HA, HA, HA,

(1) The next groove along from MR more of a face climbing problem than a crank exercise

Ripped off from Muir by the blood sucking Sydney parasites when he was so close to the top that you would have cried if it was your climb. Still those parasites aren't completely to blame, as Chunder and I would have stolen it, but we had better things to do.

(1) The very thin crack in the wall to the right of HC. A fixed two R.P. can be found in the most wanted position as the last piece of pro.

'We're so pretty oh so pretty - we're vacant, and we don't care', Vacant you may be but small hands and tight arses are needed to get up this.

(1) The hand crack to the right of KT tight hands in the middle. Tight arses at the top.

'And she fell out of the sky like a piece of seagull shit'. - Thoughts from a red headed puindit as he was bombed by the second ascent team.

(1) The thin layback crack to the right of PV. Up the thin layaway crack plugging in number one friends on the way up and imitating seagull shit on the way down if you happen to come a gustsa.

Fell down in rainstorm (Screamer #13 May-Dec 83).

Easiest climb at the quarry. Watch it as it is probably dirty. A nice thin hand crack with a sprig of laybacking in it.

(1) The crack in the other side of the pillar from SS.

Fell down in rainstorm (Screamer #13 May-Dec 83).

He lay on the ground like a piece of prostrate shit wandering if his ankle was still attached to his leg and what happened to the three pre-tested runners that were now wrapped around his head in a disgruntled mess. This worthless paragraph describes Chunder to a tee after decking out from ten metres up Prostrate Shit, spraining his ankle in the process.

(1). The classic looking bit of pox that has a pile of rubble to start, twenty metres right of T. Climb the rubble pile and step right into the main line (fixed wire), cross once more to the big expanding flake, up the big loose flake sticking pro in it as you go; but watch out sucker seconds as the last runner the flake can sometimes be impossible to remove as the flake will jam it tight as the runners beneath are pulled out. From the flake cross over left to the main crack and have fun scurrying up this to the top.

Another featureless groove by Claw packed with fixed runners, all three of them. Done complete from innovation to degradation in less than an hour or so, basically a stemming problem.

(1). The groove 3 meters right of PS.

A new brand of synthetic hydraulic oil if that's any use to you, or just another good crack in groove climb to keep the kiddies amused for hours.

(1) The groove to the right of BAA. A combination of small hands and chimney climbing

'K.C. sux, 3st, & peg scar' are the highlights of this climb. There are also two fixed wires to be found in the groove, one is a Moorhead and the other is a turd, these two pieces of pro plus the associated graffiti make this climb a real classic, worth doing even if you hate the sight of it.

(1) The groove ten metres right of PS.

The big time route of the quarry. First cleaned by Hill until he got bored with it and gave it to Ralph who finished the job. the climb was done over many weekends as the bumbling Ralph pushed the standards to the min. Apart from all this shit the climb is absolutely worthless and has the 'very' chopped look about it. if you want to fuck around for days trying to get up this mother then you're quite welcome to it, some of the locks are pretty sharp and there aren't many footholds on the whole climb so forget about good boots.

(1) The groove to the right of C. Climb the shallow groove on finger locks. As you would expect the runners are pretty tricky to get in and this will probably consume most of your time and flesh.

'The best route in the quarry' - Claw commenting to Dick-prune-heads on his latest horrorshow in the quarry. Another shallow groove with a few pieces of fixed protection and a bent though sturdy looking bolt. This route is typical of those put up by Claw in that it just bristles with fixed gear all of which looks good but is generally manky to the shithouse.

(1) Up the groove to the right of H. Follow the bristling junk growing out of the crack.

'Think of a gross name Chunder?' - 'Fuckbars, mate.' Another absolute classic of the area, not too hard but not real easy. It has plenty of scope for fighting with the pro and for making quick progress while doing so.

(1) The crack and groove twenty metres right of RMIV. Up the crack thin laybacking to start then jamming, the crux is getting into the jam crack where good progress can be made to the ledge on the left.

Cruising for casual, haunting for the fuk bars and rotating on your rings - the finer points in Sydney, a day on the rock might also be in order.

(1) Start at the crack just to the left of FB. UIp the crack until standing on the obvious foothold, cross over into FB on the left and cruise to the top, thrusting your hands deep into the smooth brown crack?

Probably the best climb on the cliff, it has all sorts of jamming in it as well as face climbign by a good bolt, what more could you ask for. This line was previously inspected on abseil by a Sydney Dick-Prunehead, and condemned as another fucking useless line that will require hours of chopping before it's any good. HA HA HA HA HA ...

(1) Start at the same crack as CFC but this time proceed straight up the crack and face above.

The classic layback pump out of the area cos it's the only one ear. Good climbing up a steep corner crack and just when you thought you have had it - BLAMMO? - up comes a good rest.

(1) The next crack along from Sex, as the crack degenerates into worthlessness cut out right to get into the wide top chimney.

The name aptly describes the style of climbing at the quarry. Whilst cleaning this route Ferret was heard to mutter 'I don't like frigging climbs, I just do it out of habit.' This baby rears it's ugly bum with the major problem of not having any footholds where it counts, i.e. on the rock. Apart from that little drawback it's quite a good climb up a very thin finger crack, creeps with fat digits: better pound them down with a hammer or blow them off with explosives if they want to get up this unit.

(1) The next crack in the wall to the right of SS.

Not a bad little 1 1/4" chimney, a very hard to jam size that required an extensive tape job on the arse to protect iti from abrasion. This crack is made for 1 1/2" friends and is a bad fit for twos so gather up as many as you can and suck on it.

(1) The well defined crack to the right of AS. The chossy stuff at the top is avoided by easy climbing in the left groove.

'You who electric spew that's the colour of my room.' - David Blowy. One of the easier climbs in the quarry but this has its disadvantages in that it's probably the worst looking climb as it doesn't follow any striking lines as do all the others. the rock is generally sound after Don the Cockroach ripped off two mega sized blocks on the second ascent, as well as nearly splitting himself on a sharp flake lower down on the climb; sucked in Don.

(1) The wall and the odd looking cracks to the right of ST. Up the initial easy rock to the top of the flake, then climb the crack to the ledge and then the next crack to the next ledge (crux), hence up the easier stuff to the top.

One of the most popular climbs on the cliff, it has already had at least four repeats. Pretty easy for its grade but remember that it was graded for technical difficulty which means you have to think about the moves before you do them so falling off automatically lowers the grade to around 19. So stoogehead, if you didn't flash it then you haven't climbed a 22 but only a pissfart 19.

(1) The crack in the alcove with the words 'A CLASSIC BY CHUNDER', written on it. Climb the crack in the wall (easy) then traverse right under the roof and up the thin crack to the ledge. Climb up the big flake on your right and step left into the clean looking groove with the tree in it.

This is really only a wall climbing start to SC. Protected by two good bolts it gives good face climbing on very slippery holds until it joins slope city at the roof. If you think you're climbing this route and you've got one hand in the crack of slope city, then wankers, think again, this is a totally independent contrived face climb so stick to it.

(1) The wall to the right of SC.

A ghastly piece of shit by the Young Prehn team more suited to the Blueys than here at the quarry. These pair have what's known in the trade as new route fever and will stop at nothing to put up a new route, no matter how worthless it may be and this is just the case with this climb. No real attention has been paid to cleaning the crack out properly and what remains is just a pile of shit.

(1) the crack right of SOT. Up the pile of crap excreted out of God's arse, fixed el-cheapo angle near the top promises early death.

Another gross name by Chunder, quite a good climb actually until it joins Ants turn On Top, whereupon it becomes a real shit farm and really off. As well as tempting you with a booma gutsa fall it will fill your face full of dirt in the top section. This part of the climb could easily be avoided if you continue straight up until the small ledge-cum-foothold is reached and then traversing left from this.

(1) The next corner to the right of ATOT. Up the corner on good jams and bridges until the small roofy section of ATOT is reached cross over into this and instant death or go straight up.

Once the MEGA line of the cliff it was tried by D. Radical Thomas for the best part of a day but no progress could be made off the ground by more than a few feet. Ralph tried it after Ferret gave the line a going over with his trusty hammer and eventually succeeded before becoming benighted on the top part of the route. The last ten or so metres are slightly poxy but an easy escape can be made by cruising left after the main crack. The climb itself is a thin crack that's climbed using chimney techniques against the opposite wall, the crux is probably near the deck, there is a harder bit higher up but you feel vaguely immortal after the start but not before.

(1) The crack in the alcove to the right of SF. Up the crack escaping out left at the choss.

Another really great route from the Chunder, Hill stables. Good entertainment from the ground up to the obvious escape ledge halfway up the face. This climb comprises mostly of strenno layaway moves and some straight out finger locking, the climbing ovly gives up near the top on some great jugs. 'A ten star classic if I've ever chiselled one.' - The great Chunderous one.

(1) The thin corner to the right of A. Abseil off a bolt at the ledge.

A good face climb with a long reach that can't be very easily cranked out. Two bolts protect the initial easy face and a good 'TURD' can be used to protect the crack passage. This climb is a must for runts to throw themselves at, who knows you might even find a way up at only grade 18.

(1) The blank looking wall to the right of EMP with the 3 top bolts in it.' Rap off the bolt as for the previous climb, remember CLAW put this bolt in so don't trust it it could be fatal...

The festival of bladders - do you eat them or just take them along to piss out of?? A Claw route previously protected by crackenups but now by a good bolt in the previous climb. What grade this is, is still a mystery as Claw busted off some holds with a chisel after he done it; improvements he says.

(1) The wall and groove right of the previous route.

Not much is known about this route except tha Muir wrote 'DEAD' at the bottom of it and included an arrow to show you just what is dead, which turned out to be a tree or hunk of lantanna. The route itself appears to be a badly cleaned out Rod Young Ant Prehn crack that looks slightly sus in the solidarity department. To put it another way, I am trying to tell you that the route is probably the second biggest lump of shit at the quarry; the first being Ants Turn On Top.

(1) The next obvious open pile of crap to the right of B.

The name is sickening though the climb doesn't look too bad. Another Ant Prehn Rod Young mix of talents in creating the worthless. The crux is laybacking the drill holes at the top, the climb should provide you with as much excitement as a dead rat in your jockstrap.

(1) the crack to the right of D.

The name is nauseating and the climb looks horrible, it's an offwidth, so what more can I say.

(1) The big offwidth in the middle of the wall over there in the choss somewhere.

Easy black boulders moving onto a multi hold face. Any way to the top.

Crack on the left side of the pillar.

central thin crack of the pillar

Thin face to right of pillar

large crack and ledges

Face and then left side of the mini roof.

Thin face to the left of the mini roof. Friable.

A short punchy problem, not conventionally difficult but will test your head game and ego. Wouldn’t recommend but it’s very unique.

Links the 1st half of 'The Furburger' into the 2nd half of 'Blister In The Sun'.

Climb the crack right of 'Blister In The Sun' and finish at the anchors of 'Something For Kate'.

Climb the wide corner crack at the back of the gully just left of the obvious orange streaked wall. It may be wise to supplement the RB's with natural gear.

Up chimney tending left under the little roof and up the left hand groove to the anchors on 'Lucifer'.

Inside corner crack, going left through carrot bolt beneath roof to anchor.

Start as for Ceiling Your Fate though go right at the roof and through the anchor of Orca. All trad, avoid the temptation to clip bolts of Orca. In the roof theres a block with jugs on top, i chose to avoid this because of unknown rock quality, climbing the seam below this. Make your own assessment

Up the wide crack, then right around small roof to ledge. Trad anchor then scramble off the top or walk carefully left to Lichen/Mossy Climb anchors. The middle is a bit runout without big cams (5+). If you do have big cams you could also try taking the crack through the roof, looks fun.

Up chimney, continue up as narrows. Can either set a trad belay, or continue up face and use lower-offs for Heathen around the arete to lower-off

Major crack line splitting the face starting just right of 'Vanderholics' - a great trad route. Up crack for 10m to horizontal break, traverse right across 'Gina Hardface' and continue up corner crack above (ignoring the bolts). Rap off rings above 'Gina Hardface'. Medium to large cams.

don't be silly it's been Done 10 Years ago it's Thompsons Point for gods sake

The chimney - on trad. Rock quality and gear questionable until the last 10m

Trad start to Sloth. Head up the crack in the ramp with good pro, 2 metres right of Sloth to the first bolt on the headwall of Sloth and finish at Sloth anchors.

Steep big hand crack from top of the pedestal, gradually widening up the slab and through the broken caves above. Top out and walk off or stop at Couch Potato anchor.