Routes in Northern Tablelands for selected grade

Eliminate problem, flakes/crack out. Stand start with both hands on the fender like feature below the flakes. Move up to a high right crimp then move up the slab left to rockover/mantle the top slab direct without using the lower slab. You will want 2 pads or 1 with a spotter.

Wall on right side of Thirst Drop? chimney. Stand start inching your way to the break if you can't reach it from the ground (no standing on pebbles). Mantle the break and topout via the mossy slab and crack for the tick, don't fall here!

Sit start and work your way up the offwidth on the Free Willy side of MDB, classic!

Flared offwidth/chimney Southern aspect, brilliant technical climbing.

Access and finish the VB-Slab-Traverse from the start of S5.

Start at S5 and move right to finish up S4.

Start right hand on featured arete of S4 and left hand into flake system of S5, trend left then finish up S5.

Same start as S8, mantle sans huge flake via crimps. Up half a grade since the crux hold snapped.

Sit start to S2 from the break a hand either side of South prow apex moving right and up via crimps and slopers.

Sit start and climb as for Bu'ttons to gain the shelf then move left topping out via the small ledge of S3.

Start as for MAQBA! at the low smiley to gain the top-right of the plate, now traverse right across the slab into and up Rabbit Trap. A little contrived but very worthwhile

Climbs the slab right of the blunt arete next to NE10, bit harder and more sketchy than it's neighbor, careful with the landing.

Same as NE5 Indirect but the crack/large intermediate block is out. Sit start as per descent route, utilise break and crimps to traverse right into and finish up NE5. If your left hand dab/presses the intermediate block during the transition you must start again. Quite good despite being eliminate.

Start; The next major line right of Nightcap. A crack through a roof. A real adrenalin booster.

1. 25m. (crux) Slab up to left of roof, swing right and up to base of roof, surmount roof then up crack and then step right to belay ledge.
2. 40m. Up incipient crack directly above ledge to tree belay (trend slightly to left).
3. 40m. Right, and up vegetated gully to obvious wide crack, continue up to suitable tree belay.
4. 25m. Take the easiest line to tree belay (trending right).
5. 50m. Straight up wall, then scrambling, climbing to tree belay.
6. 50m. Take easiest line, scrambling and climbing to top.

Start: The next main line right of Total Control.

1. 22m. Slightly leftward up slabs to wall, traverse right around nose and up ramp to small ledge at base of large corner (protection poor).
2. 16m. Up corner and through short off-width to small ledge (crux).
3. 25m. Up corner 8m. then traverse right into smaller corner and delicately up over bulges (loose rock) to base of wall.
4. 40m. Up onto ledge, then up corner and onto wall on right,diagonally leftwards and up more easily to belay tree.
5. 37m Scramble up slabs to trees.

Swim Start or dry start from the slab at the end of U. Trend up and R following thin roof seam and solid L features. Mantle to finish at MET.

Traverse in from either side, then up to the pinnacle for a dry top out.

Start: Near the right-hand end of the main cliff, an off-width chimney corner.

1. 25m (crux) Off-width chimney leads to twin grooves. Take the left groove, belay on ledge.

2. 25m (crux) Up crack to ledge. traverse left to main exit crack which leads to a large ledge.

3. 15m Jam up sickle shaped crack (avoid the layback), move right and up to ledge. Scramble to top.

Only just qualifies as a route, or a very sketchy boulder. Up the nice jam crack

Start: Under sickle-shaped under cling in the middle of the wall.

Up under cling, then directly up to hollow flake. Finish straight up.

Start: At base of arête 2m left of G.A.S.

Up arête tending right onto slab and gear placements. Directly up groove to top. R.P.’s and small cams.

Route no longer exists. See Trajectory direct.

Start in the cauldron, mantle left, then diagonally right across the face to a bulging crux finish

The wall on the boulder. Up the wall and hand crack to top.

3m right of Good Morning Little School Girl. Supposedly better than it looks. Up staircase to ledge, hand-traverse left to hand-crack to top.

Start: The best line on the boulder just down (approximately 40 m) from the car park.

Up crack, through overlap to ledge, then up offwidth crack to top.

Start: 1m left of Reunion. A series of boulder problems and ledges.

Up little wall, step left, up left diagonal then clip BR right past BR to ledge, clip another BR then up (crux) to top.

Start: The flared crack left of Hope. Bridge up the corner left of Hope, or do the jam section of Hope. Take a #4 Friend.

Up the corner 1m left of Hope, to the ledge, step up (crux) into the corner and jam to the top.

Start as for WWOS then diagonally right up the slab

Delicate slab climbing linking into the 3rd bolt of 'Cross wired'

Clip first bolt then head slightly right and up over the flakes, a good #1 placement (avoid gear on the detached arch). Onto the slab (crux) past 2 bolts, then a short unfortunate dirty wade through some lomandra then onto a short crack up to the anchor.

The crack 1m left of Illusion/Going Steady. Up blocks to thin crack, up this to wide crack and top.

Start as for layabout and climb the nice hand crack; gear up to 2". When the hand crack ends follow right leading crack to the arête of "Going Steady" and finish up the arête past one bolt. Abseil off chain anchor.

Start: The arête right of S.B.

Up arête/wall past two bolts and some natural protection to the top. Belay off tree further back.

Start: The very obvious horizontal line that traverses the length of the buttress.

Quite a classic, that is undeservedly rarely climbed due to it’s obscurity. Traverse left along obvious horizontal roof crack until a few powerful moves put you on a good ledge. Continue left and down a few moves to belay at water level.

Start around the right corner. Boulder problem mantle onto the ledge then easier to top.

Start in the gully crack, up left through some thin moves and link into Sideslip

Up to low angled crack slab to a stance. Then a fun move through the roof and up the next crack / slab deep into the back of the roof.

Start: 25m left of “The Chop”.

1. 28m Up over flakes then into the back of a chimney (strenuous). Then up to a large cutaway ledge.

2. 12m Traverse right and up to crack. Up crack to top.

Start: At the large tree under two roofs.

1. 25m Up over swiveling boulders and vines, pass to the right of a large roof, then up ramp/corner to more roofs. Up through roofs into crack with orchids, exit to the right.

2. 15m Up to roof then left at ledge.

3. 15m Up chimney to finish as for C.N.P.

Start: Mossy corner 20m down right from “The Chop”.

1. 25m diagonally right up series of corners and small rooves to belay at good stance in corner capped by a big roof.

2. 10m Exit right through the off-width onto the ledge to belay at the start of the beautiful flake.

3. 15m Up splendid crack then slab to belay at tree.

Follow this down until you are looking down a gully, high up on the left hand wall of which is a large dead tree. Above this is the start of the climb. Abseil down from large block, tending left(looking outwards) around various trees. If you end up under a 3m roof tangled up in a tree you are in the right place. (To the left, facing the cliff, is a double roof. That is not the climb)

Helmet strongly recommended for belayer.

1. 25m Start short flakey offwidth, and up hand/fist jam crack to rest under roof. Place #3 camalot in vertical break, take deep breath, hang off knob, commit to rounded horizontal break (no footholds) 2-3m traverse to pair of nice arm bars and something for the feet. After pausing for breath, haul up into corner & a good no hands rest. Then up around a couple of blocks, slow down after these, as the natural momentum of the climb takes you past a good belay ledge to your left.

2. 20m Climb to right of trees, avoid large loose flake (the ugly chain here is to sort of stabilize the flake. DO NOT CLIP) , once above this, comfortable layback to bottom of 8m slab.(pleasant belay here if you feel like it) 4 bolts & comfortable edges, which diminish towards final body smear and top out.

A little contrived - try to ignore the temptation to step on the ledges.

Start: The incipient seam that goes up just right of the Kitchen ledges. 2m left of “Lean Cuisine”.

Up the seam with some tricky gear to the final moves. Reach left onto the ledge for a siderunner before committing to the final belly-flop.

Start: At river level, at a cascade at the end of a small pool. The line wanders, hence the short pitches.

1. 23m. Up steps, a ramp and a corner to a large ledge.
2. 17m. Left, up flake and into strenuous bottleneck chimney.
3. 13m. Up body crack. Move right below long curving crack.
4. 20m. Start up crack then move inside, chimney up and out to ledge.
5. 10m. Up steep wide crack and wall to top.

An absolute classic, best of its grade in New England!

Start: The obvious water streak that cuts a curving crack/flake at 2/3 height. Nicest is to rap in, or traverse about 30m down left along the narrow ledge from "C'mon everybody", or if approaching from the river climb an easy short pitch directly under it.

Take five brackets and a rack of cams. Straight up blocks to water streak. Up this, through overlap and up the easy finish. Belay off hangers.

Start: A leaning corner crack.

1. 30m (crux) Up the shallow crack, over block, then up the off width to a ledge.

2. 26m Straight up the crack to a small roof. Out and around this to belay ledge.

Up the fierce looking crack on the main face with a ledge at half height.

The crack on the main face. Up the fierce looking crack with a ledge at half height.

Start: Overhung crack line opposite ‘Country Bumpkin’.

Up crack trending to offwidth.

“I’m a country member.” - “Yeah I remember”.

The direct line to the layback of ‘Country Bumpkin’.

Start: A few metres right of ‘Skid Row’.

1. 30m Straight up to layback flake via 3 bolt runners. Up layback to tree belay on ledge (take care the tree is dead!).

2. 10m (crux) Straight up slab past two bolt runners, and wall to top.

Start: The rather unprotected groove 4m right of ‘Path of Destruction’.

Up wall and into groove to top.

Start: The obvious corner on the buttress (and visible from the left-hand end of ‘The Pagoda’).

Jam and bridge up to top.

Start: The obvious offwidth splitting the east face of the boulder. Up jam crack to ledge, step left into offwidth and struggle upwards. (The only protection is stacked tubes and hexes!).

A Classic looking crack.

Start: The obvious diagonal crack line on the left hand side of the terrace.

1. 30m (crux) Strenuously climb the diagonal crack, (After about 20m the crack rounds a corner and becomes vertical). Up for a few metres and belay in sentry box.

2. 12m Up open groove, small roof and easier crack to top.

Start: As for ‘Prehistoric Sounds’ to ledge above tree. Follow the off-width crack on the right up through a bulge and then more easily on to top.

Start: The obvious hand/fist crack with a small roof just to the left of ‘Aisle of Deceit’

1. 10m Up crack through small roof to belay on left.

2. 20m As for final pitch of Bunker Hill’.

Start: At the base of the hand crack 2m left of ‘Pregnant Paws’

Rightward trending crack to small ledge, then straight up large ledge and tree belay Finish up 'Tipsy' or 'Bunker Hill'

Start: Up and left of ‘No Strings Attached’. Scramble across into corner, hand traverse under roof, around roof and up to top.

Start: Below crack with a large tree growing in it.

Up crack until it expires then step right onto ledge, up short slab to roof then step right again to another ledge. Up corner crack to finish.

Start: Around to the right of the the base of La Cucaracha. (On the upstream side of the buttress).

Up thin cracks to join ‘La Cucaracha’ near the top, continue up crack.

Starts at either JB or LC depending on your fancy. Unlike the first ascensionists it's best to break this route into two pitches to avoid rope drag and snagging ropes under sharp flakes.

1. (crux) (30m). Up to obvious overlap and traverse L through top/bottom cracks to beginning of vertical crack. build semi-hanging belay.

2. (15m) Up vertical crack and through off-width chimney to finish. Tree belay.

Start: About 12m to the left of ‘Brut’, the obvious flake crack.

Up flake crack, swing right when crack runs out; slab climbing to terrace.

Pertaining to champagne of high quality, not the nasty animal.

Start: The fine layaway crack left of ‘Bleat’ and 'Ambrosia'. (not the horrible offwidth).

Fine jamming and layaways to top.

This route was first climbed by Jill Kelman and Richard Curtis in 1976 but was not recorded because the prevailing ethic locally at the time was that a climb had to ascend the cliff from bottom to top to be a legitimate ascent. As Jill subsequently died in a European mountaineering accident I suggest that the climb be called Jill's Climb as it was a fine lead for the time. I mentioned this to Brian while he was still with us and the idea was received favourably.

A lot harder than it looks.

Start: At base of orange cracks to the left of chimney/culvert.

Easy climbing to hand jam crack. Awkward and strenuous from there to top.

Start: Chimney to the right of 'Master Blaster'.

1. 25m Up chimney, then crack to smell ledge. Move right to small ledge and belay.

2. 25m Up crack, move right to face and delicately move left again a little higher.

A classic case of fine crack climbing.

Start: At the bottom of the slabs quite a way right of ‘Uncertain Future’ .You can either walk across from the previous routes or walk down from the top via the upstream descent gully.

1. 15m Up chimneys and wide cracks

2. 15m More of the same

3. 10m Up rightward trending diagonal behind bush.

4. 20m From open slabs, up right hand flake then up left to small ledge.

5. 20m Across wall on right to tree, then right under roof; off-width and fig tree on right.

6. 20m (crux) Out under roof to lip and up to one inch cracked roof, then up to scooped ledge.

7. 10m Steep crack to slab and -jut to left.

A variant to ‘Face Value’.

1. 15m As for ‘Face Value’

2. 15m As for ‘Face Value’. belay under overlap.

3. 10m (crux) Move left, under-cling then jam to large ledge.

4. 25m Up easy looking chimney and exit onto the Flight Deck.

Start: As for ‘Overkill’

1. 20m As for Overkill’

2. 20m (crux) From belay head out diagonally left onto wall (no protection) and up to horizontal crack, lip past bolt runner to top.

Start: To the right of the chimney; on the wall.

1. 10m Up to flake then jam onto chock stones.

2. 20m As for ‘Swivel’

3. 6m As for 'Swivel'

Start: This route is on the slabs between The Flight Deck and The King Pin.

1. 12m Wander up to roof.

2. 18m Through roof, up leftwards and over to the Kurrajong tree, then up offwidth to top.

Start: On the very lowest 'mini-buttress' way down the hillside below the Kingpin, on the face facing the river. The climb is the thin intermittent crack on the left front of the buttress. (left - facing the rock).

1. Up the crack to the top.

Line following the system of layback cracks and under-clings on the downstream end of the slabs. Originally done with one or two points of aid in the top corner hut was freed by A. Legler and Ed Sharp in October 1980.

Start: At the far left of the slabs.

1. Up wall, traversing left at about 10m to gain a large ledge? at the base of the first layback crack.

2. Up flakes to small ledge.

3. (crux) Up cracks to fingery corner then exit to tree.

Details unknown, mentioned in 'Screamer' issue 9, 1981

Start: 2m. left of A.T.O.C.

Traverse diagonally left up slab, step left, continue up slab, then right to base of chimney/off-width. Up this and exit right to ledge.

Start: The first line on the left-hand end of the wall, a crack. Enjoyable (so we are told) but harder than it looks. You decide.

Up crack under small roof, then up thin crack onto blocks and through small tree.

Start: From the belay at the end of the second pitch.

1. as normal

2. as normal

3. 30m Step right from belay and follow flake up to corner and follow this to small ledge. Belay.

4. 10m Up black slab to scrubby ledge, and up leaning crack to top.

Start: At a layback crack leading to a large yellow roof approx 50m. right of Timeless Realm, and approx 5m right of Peasant Uprising.

1. 25m Up crack in corner to ledge below roof. At the fig tree move left 3m to a ledge below a chimney.

2. 30m Crux, Up the chimney then move left to the base of an off-width crack. Up off-width and jam above, move around tree and continue to a manky ledge,

3. 25m Up chimney/groove then crack , onto a ledge, then up off-width to top.

Start: On the scrubby ramp 50m. right of Timeless Realm, either at the base of a vertical off-width or 5m. right at a corner. 5 B.R/s. plus other gear.

1. 10m Either up offwidth to large tree, or small corner 5m right, trending left to large tree.

2. 30m (crux) Up right-trending ramp to black wall (BR). Move left and up past bolt to grassy ledge. Up shallow corner, past 2 BRs to a series of left trending ledges, past last bolt, stepping right to base of corner.

3. 30m Up corner over small slab trending right to tree and ledge.

4. 10m Rightward diagonal corner crack to top.

Start: Just around the corner from Bananas. A curving, hanging crack. Great atmosphere and friction experience. When you're firing caming devices into this exciting little route, spare a thought for poor Joe who did it with Hexes. Highly recommended.

1. 15m Up into scrub and over it lo belay above a tree to the left of where the obvious underhung crack starts.

2. 20m Crux. Hang on tight and follow the underhung crack.

3. 10m Over blocks and scramble through to tree belay.

Start: Right of Hang Ten and left of the fig tree, a slabby wall leading to low angled cracks. Shares the upper section with Deviant Death. (Take a #4 Friend).

Straight up wall, then to the top of the flake crack. Move right approx. 2m. then straight up to thin, steepening crack corner. Step left into wide crack/cave, jam up to bush/vine, then pull over the bulge/roof and straight to top. Tree belay,

Start: In a slight alcove right of Deviant Death, 1m left of Silence Is Golden. The description is a bit vague but it shares the same start and part of the first pitch of Unholy Trinity.

1. 47m Crux. Up in slight left-hand corner to fine cracks, up these and left to the vegetated corner. Across(?) left on wall to hand crack in left-hand corner. Up this onto an arête, joining a crack from left under a wall (?).

2. 6m Up off to right.

Start: 15m. right of S.I.G., a scoop leading to an arête. Another excellent climb. Unfortunately some of the organic substances have grown back and needs occasional harvesting. Great fun! One B.R.

1. 10m At the scoop, move right diagonally, via a short crack, to a group of small trees below the arête. Belay.

2. 35m Jug-haul up the arête , step right and continue up a crack which blanks out. Continue up the arête to a stance and a bolt, Clip it! (Stepping left off the arete here incurs instant disqualification, and an appearance before the Ethics Committee). Exciting layaways (crux) then lead to easier ground.

Start: 2-3metres left of Pavlov's Dog. Broken blocks lead to a thin crack corner. Technical and sustained,

1. 21m (Crux) Scramble onto blocks, then hard moves to start the crack, followed by a series of layaways and an exhilarating finish onto the tree-ledge of Pavlov's Dog.

2. 10m As for the second pitch of Pavlov's Dog.

If you like over-hanging off-widths, this is the climb for you. Bob Dog (Brian) couldn't do it, so his apprentice, who had never climbed before, wearing Work Boots, said "Give it to me."

Start: The next line left of La Paloma, near a tree.

1. 25m (Crux) Up off-width to ledge. Up flake on right to ledge and then up short chimney to belay.

2. 18m Up obvious flake to small ledge (crack runs out) then right to top of pillar. (Alternative finish is the 3rd pitch of M.E.M.)

3. 10m Easily up gully in right corner to top.

Start: The first line near the top of the gully (marked). A good warm-up for 'Spectre' or any other off-width you want to try. You will need big gear. Technical. This climb has defeated many wide-crack experts.

25m Up crack to ledge, move to the right, then back to the wide crack, then up to the top.

Start; Just left of E.D. in a sentry box. Creep and Golden Age share the same start.

1. 20m Up easy cracks and ledges to large grassy ledge, below chimney corner.

2. 15m Move to the right-hand side of the ledge then power up the jam crack, stepping off at the top to a small ledge.

3. 20m (Crux) From the small ledge move right 2m., then layback up crack and large blocks to a large ledge.

4. 20m Walk right along ledge, a short hand traverse, then up final moves of H.O.T.D., jam and scramble to top.

Start: At the bottom of the descent gully, as for FTF, An interesting adventure climb into the unknown. Excellent pro.

1. 45m Follow the diagonal crack corner left over bulges to a ledge, continue up the line to a large ledge with several trees.

2. 15m (Crux) Climb the flared corner crack to gain access to the next major ledge.

3. 40m Move left into major corner, up corner trending right to a small ledge at the base of two final short cracks. The left crack is the easiest (only just).

Some unique and committing moves into the unknown. Good fun.

Start: A few meters left of Spectre. A thin crack in a wall leads to an obvious Kangaroo tail flake.

20m Up thin crack and onto flake, then move left, following the crack around the corner to a small ledge. Up crack onto another ledge. Climb wall to the right of the groove and continue up to belay.

A dirty crack start, that wanders all over the place. Start: 4m right of P.R.

30m Up crack to spacious ledge, traverse left across Pop Realism, and a face to large flake, trending left to bushy ledge, then up, right, around flake to top.

On the downhill side of the boulder splitting the top of the descent gully. From Industrial Experience keep moving around right until you come to a fine crack that splits the boulder. (approx 5m)

Originally graded 17. Upgraded to 19 in Al's guidebook so I have settled on 18.

1. 15m. Straight up this fine crack.

Continuing down the gully below Lady Finger's Boudoir Biscuits there are three crack climbs on the right.

Start. The first large open corner.

1. 25m. Tricky start, then up the corner, some bridging.

Start 1m left of Just an Old-Fashioned Girl. Tricky start then good climbing. Use double ropes.

1. 1. Up fig-root crack to ledge, then up jamb crack in the arete, then traverse left under small roof into the main crack and straight up this.

Start from a cave up on the ledge, belay off fig roots. (Nice one Simon)

1. 16m. From the cave, swing right into the base of the crack. Then straight up - varied climbing.

On the ledge left of the cave of Misspent Youth is a nice layback crack.

A serious lead.

1. 15m. Put your heart in your mouth and up you go! Place your first runner at the top of the layback and be sure to clip it.

The corner crack left of The Rough Diamond.

1. 20m. A hard start then up to the roof. Out and around left, then up hand crack to top, wall exit on right. Tree belay.

Start; Fine climbing up a finger crack and wall. Harder than it looks. Take lots of wires.

15m Delicately up the crack to a ledge, then up the wall/corner to the Currajong Tree

Between East Gully and the Third Sister is a boulder with a detache flake which has a beautiful razor edge top

If you can find it, it's obvious where it goes.

1. 16m. Up the flakes.

Start: At the bottom of the descent gully at the left end of the cliff. Scramble up to ledge left of big chimney with tree.

1. 20m Up crack corner to, traverse right to chimney, up this to ledge and tree belay.

2. 20m From tree scramble right up cracked wall to obvious crack. Up crack to top.

Start: Horizontal recess some meters right of 'Intersection'.

1. 30m Traverse rightwards out of recess to below corner. Awkwardly up into comer and up to roof, exit left up crack to slab. Traverse left around arete to good ledge.

2. 10m Traverse left to off-width. Up this to scrubby ledge.

3. 30m Climb up through tree, step left then up to ledge on arete. Up trending left to jams below bulging wall. Traverse left until it is possible to climb a corner which leads to a large flake. Up this to top.

Start: About 30m left of 'Inception'.

1. 20m Up corner then left to small chimney and up onto ledge.

2. 35m Bridge and jam up crack to top.