Routes in New South Wales and ACT for selected grade

Do Mr. Marsupial, but instead of topping out as for the V1, traverse the entire upper slab of the book boulder to top out as for TBBOE.

Packed full of fun from start to finish. Top of route is GPS -33.6413, 150.2514 - look for large cairn about 10m back from cliff edge - then walk towards cliff edge to find two Ubolts on shelf. Fix rap rope (not possible to pull down) and rap down ramp and then down orange wall. Clip a couple of bolts on the way to stay connected to cliff. Belay is a small cave about 15m above the ground - it's semi hanging when belaying but ok to sit down in between shots. Best to put on draws on as you rap as some clips are a bit tricky on lead. Route climbs a series of reachy shelves and edges - then traverse right a few metres then one of the best moves ever - the crucifix pocket dyno. Finish up sustained orange face.

Sit start as for 'Escape room' but traverse all the way right then up into shared topout.

Sit start, hands on left arete and pocket, traverse right through pockets to dyno on on face and top out.

Start under rooflet, marked '25' in chalk.

1. 25m (25) Start as for Thrustblock, traverse out across left wall to arete. Hard moves on arete then around L and up to DRBB.

2. 25m (22) Follow rings diagonally R to small ledge and DRBB.

3. 20m (20) Up left side of arete to DRBB.

On the left end of the wall, climb the arete.

Use the low break to gain the big hole in the middle of the wall. us this to get to some quite slopey holds and rock on. There is a diagonal incut to help you at the end. Feels hard but once you work it out it's pretty good fun.

Start as for TW. Then up and left.

Finishes off what THC started. From the big scoop at the 4th hanger, climb leftwards past 2 more fixed hangers up to double U bolt belay.

Fixed hangers and rings. Starts 2m right of Vulcanian, 2m left of Toast, out independent line to join toast at it's last bolt.

The last route in the area, easily up the striking black arête to around half way where balance and movement is required to get your way to the DBB up high.

A big wall adventure in a real jungle. Epic access, some loose rock and wet weather make this one of the harder long routes in Australia. This route was originally aided at A2+ 17, then freed shortly after at 25. The route description is for the aid ascent. There was once a track cut through the thick jungle to the base of the wall, but this is most likely long gone. The walk-in was 3+ hours with the track. Without - expect to double that time or more. You cannot see the cliff until you are standing right under it.

Aid Ascent Gear Required: 2x60m ropes, double rack of wires + cams (up to size #5 SLCD), Slider nuts, 2 x regular skyhooks, 1 size each of short knifeblade pins + a few lost arrows, no bolt brackets are required - all bolts have fixed hangers.

There is much loose rock still on the route. From pitches 5-7 the route weaves around some seriously big widow makers. The pitches in this area are short so that the belayer is safe from falling rock. All of the belays, apart from the top of pitch 7, are hanging or semi hanging. The only area suitable for an uncomfortable bivi on the wall would be the vegetated ledge midway through pitch 8. Rock quality varies along the route with the rock improving in hardness above pitch 6.

1. 15m (8) Traverse diagonally left from spear-lillys across very easy slab to crack. Up for a few moves to single ring-bolt belay under bulging roof. FA Phil Box.

2. 35m (A2 14) Aid past 2 bolts to gain pocket and then crack. Up this overhung crack to stance. Continue up wide crack to DBB. FA Phil Box.

3. 15m (15) Slab up and left for ten metres, then back right to belay at spear-lilly and DBB. FFA Neil Monteith

4. 30m (A2) Up short slab to corner and FH. Up and right onto stance then bat-hook and bolt left two metres to crack. Up this onto slab and DBB. FA Nick McKinnon

5. 20m (A2+ 14) Straight up slab to climb thin cracks. Trend left and up blocky hand crack. When this blanks out aid up then move right to bolt, bat hook and finally free up to DBB. FA Neil Monteith

6. 20m (A2 16) 'Phil's Traverse' - Climb directly right to below overhanging left leaning ramp. Aid through overhang with bolt and pull over this to spear-lilly. Climb wonderful hand and fist crack for ten metres to DBB. FA Phil Box

7. 25m (A2+ 12) Aid thin seams off belay for three metres to super hand crack. When this finishes go right through bulges then easily up and left to DBB on good ledge. FA Nick McKinnon

8. 40m (15) Free climb on slabby ground up and right below overhang. Back left and up hand-crack then onto bushy ledge. Up a few more metres to DBB. FFA Neil Monteith

9. 50m (17) A rope stretcher! Straight up to gain left leading crack. Lay back up this then onto slab with bolt. After this run it out heading slightly left for ages to arrive at last DBB. A further 100m of slabby vegetated rock is above this. Unless you like evil bush-bashing, it's recommended to rap off here. FFA Neil Monteith

Descent: Pitch 9 to 8 50m Pitch 8 to 7 35m Pitch 7 to 4 50m Pitch 4 to 2 40m Pitch 2 to 1 40m Pitch 1 to ground 60m+ (walk off possible if slab is not wet)

Starts to the right of "Slippery When Wet" on two small bad crimps, cross left to a two finger pocket then a mono and you're at the first bolt. Continue on up from here.

Start at the first belay of CtW. Easily approached by abseiling in and walking 5m R on the ledge. You only need 1 or 2 red camalots for the belay if also using the rap rope and the first bolt. Climb 4m up right, then up the excellent steep prow in a great position. Lower off the last ring, or take brackets for a cramped top belay off carrots.

Eliminate, but pretty good! Same start hold as the Expectant Fathers, traverse using the low feet and middle holds only then finishing as for Will It Ever End. Probably harder than it too. Top holds out for hands and feet.

Highball pillar in the cave, vert to slab, can be rehearsed on tr using trad gear to rig a line

Chris

Start as SB. Straight up and over the bulge.

Start 5m R of MMR, one high FH in grey rock then the orange headwall on rings. A bit more sustained than MMR with an exciting overhanging dyno to finish. Beautiful rock. Add a grade if your reach is limited. Although latest guidebook states an attentive belayer is required, no amount of attention avoids the nasty crux fall. Instead fix a 120cm sling to next bolt and clip where the bolt should be.

The mega link of Second Wind into Mekong Dreaming. Climbs the best of both routes. Take some long draws for the traverse.

From the two perfect slots in the middle of the roof, come out and match on the broken slopers.

Mantel the vague scoop right next to the 'Bow You Bastards' (and many variants) boulder.

First two pitches are sport on rings, gear is needed for the third pitch.

1. 20m (22)

2. 18m (20)

3. 22m (25)

Start: At left end of the crag.

Start right of "The Big Day Out" - after a couple of bolts move left under the lip and continue as per BDO

A monster sport route, with great exposed arete climbing on every pitch bar one. If you want to do the full route, rap in via Mirrorball and walk along base of cliff past Bucket Bunny and Hotel California' You can also just climb the last 4 pitches if you rap in down Yesterday's Groove. Equipped on a rainy night, the bolts seemed too far apart in the light of day, thus 4 more were added after the first ascent! If it's been raining avoid this route for at least a few days as a temporary waterfall blows onto the arete at pitch 5. Bring 20 draws, prussics or an ascender, double ropes and enough time!

Start: Starts aprox 100m right of 'Hotel California' below major arete.

1. 15m (21) Little corner then right onto rounded arete. At ledge walk right and step across gap and up short chossy crack to belay under main arete.

2. 17m (25) Bouldery and powerful. 'Monkey' over roof and swing left across lip to gain arete. Up this to comfy belay ledge.

3. 29m (25) Up arete with devious moves for 15m, then traverse right onto face away from arete for several metres, then trend left back onto the arete at flake to finish. Bolts up the arete direct are an open project. Belay in large slot under roof.

4. 25m (23) Thug over roof and up aretes to belay on vegetated slope at DUB.

5. 50m (5) Scramble up hill side to 7m fixed rope. Hand over hand or prussic up this (rope was installed in 2010 - stay roped up and take care!) and continue up vegetated hillside to arrive at base of upper wall.

6. 35m (23) Face to major arete with offset seam on the right side. A pumper! Hanging belay in little cave.

7. 25m (22) Technical arete on small ironstone edges. Hanging bolt belay or link into the next pitch for full value!

8. 18m (22) Up the wall and then left to arete and up to large cave belay. A little bold. You can bail from the end of this pitch by scrambling up the gully to the left (roped).

9. 17m (24) Bouldery. Crawl right through cave and peer around lip to find hanging belay bolt. Re-position belay. Rightwards up face on crimpers, then back left up pumpy wall to easy death by ironstone.

Sit start to The Apprentice.

Link Rogers Hitman into top of Jazz Heart via the lip jugs.

Traverse the base of the wall either way, try and keep your feet off the big foot ledges

Do the traverse into lefth

Sit start round to the right. Follow the good layback flake up and left round the tock, and top out straight up once at the 'ledge'. Downclimb over the back.

Slick white rock, thin moves to anchor before horizontal roof.

Climbs the steep inside arête of the first cave.

The first ascentist wrote this in 2019 "I removed all the bolts today as Requiem For A Whippet has only had a couple of ascents since I bolted it 21 years ago and as there are far really too many infrequently climbed average routes in the BM’s, I feel the blank rock is more aesthetic than the bolted version. This is the beginning of unbolting of my routes that are unrepeated or only occasionally repeated. Any of my routes that are fairly popular or that someone has made the effort to rebolt will be left."

First bolt can be clipped from coming in from the high right side with care, but the climb starts down underneath on the ground. Scramble up the slab section below first bolt to ledge. Bouldery moves to get off the ledge to gain the blunt flake. 2nd clip is a little tenuous, then head slightly up and right to via a tricky sequence to get to 3rd clip, Techie moves out left to get to a balancy 4th clip, then up slightly right to get to a very hard clip at 5th draw. On pumped arms head up and left to gain vague but good flake, up and back right to get to 6th bolt. Easier ground to Cold shut and U bolt anchor.

unreal route

Up SA arete to 2/3 height. Traverse left then up sidepulls to lower-off.

Starting at crimpy undercling. Continue out roof until the pockets finish then going out and mantling the lip

Start at the corner and traverse left using the small cracks to the direct start, match hands and then move up.

When traversing, choose to stay low for more holds with harder feet, or go higher for bigger, more balanced reaches.

Sitstart on low jugs and follow the grooves up.

Start: Behind block.

Superb rock. 4 U bolts and positive ape factor. Rebolted 2021

Eliminate the squarish horn, smeary + desperate

Sit start as per Hake, matched on the good handhold in the middle of the wall. Right to the arete, then straight up to good crimps on and over the lip to top out.

Start as for 'Don't Kill My Vibe', then traverse right and link into 'Rising Sun'.

Glued on hold near top.

As for 'Catacomb roof' until the middle crimps, then bust right and traverse through burly underclings saving enough juice to dyno to the good nubbin.

Direct start is open project. Start as for RD on right for 1 bolt. then step left at break and up steep line. Bring some skin.

Sit start on left broken crimp and right hand on terrible sloper. Hard deadpoint into start of crouch start

Emmanuel Madayag (FA)

NOTE: THIS ROUTE HAS BEEN CHOPPED BY THE FA AND IS NO LONGER CLIMBABLE. This historical route will remain listed here for the sake of the existing ascents.

Super-sustained climbing, tackling the most intense bits of Being and Nothingness and Buckley's Chance on the best rock.

Start up Life of Riley and continue up Buckley's Chance. Put a long sling on the 10th bolt (where the corner arches back right), step left and put a long sling on the bolt under the rooflet of Being and Nothingness, and blast up the mega headwall with increasing difficulty to a final reachy and very committing finale.

Steep exposed climbing. Starts off far left end of ledge - about 5m left of Cloudstreet. Across jugs to reach corner, up this for a few moves then over bulge and face left of arete. Finish up exposed orange face above with lots of reachy horizontal pulls

Starting in the back of the cave at Six Feet Deep, move directly back and out to the finish jugs of Knob Jockey and Hot Rats using some nice crimps and pinches.

Best rock at the crag. Lovely marbled pockets up subtle prow. Starts a few metres right of I Cairn Do It on right side of arete at undercut cave. The start move goes via a sneaky move from the block on the right. Bonus crux at the top through the rooflet.

1m left of The Line. Two sloper sidepulls and feet from hell. Topout left of choss hole.

Excellent red wall. Top pitch makes a good warmup for the other routes.

Fix a 60m+ rope and rap from three rings under southern end of summit blob. Marked with a painted R. Belay at base of grand orange wall above mossy slab on twin rings.

1. 37m (25) Superb rock. Sustained and reachy vertical wall climbing with a right kink at halfway. Exciting finish via technical mossy slab (you brushed it on the way down, right?)

2. 30m (22) Sustained wierdness up ironstone plates and gritty pockets. Belay off three u-bolts on shale ledge.

Tricky face moves up reasonable quality rock, the face left of CC. Stays in shade until midday.

Sit start at the right hand side of the boulder and make your way leftwards to top out over the prow. So named because one of the area's developers ended up coming off while holding onto one of the rough holds higher up and subsequently lost a fair bit of skin on his left hand.

The Bed Swerver jugs not getting you pumped enough for the thin crux at the top? Take this link-up for a spin! Climb the first two bolts of Risky to the jugs, then traverse left and clip the third of Bed Swerver (extended) and up you go.

Climb 'Super Whipped' but stay below the top ledge and continue into 'For The Love Traverse'. Top out above last hold of 'Framed'. Grade needs confirmation: could be V6?

Stand start then climb up slab gaining flake and top out.

Left of Taking Care of Business. Start with Two Crimps. Theres a mini foot ledge with a small tree stump on the left of it.

First two bolts of Reactorvate, then slightly right and straight up seam on reachy fingerlocks to roof crack. Undercling out to lip and anchors.

"How DOOM hold heat then preach non-violence? Shhh, he about to start the speech, c'mon, silence..."

A unique first pitch with gymnastic steep climbing up a strange, incipient crack feature, on radical rock. One of the best at the grade!

Starts atop a rock pedestal approximately 50m left of the base of the descent slot. Bring a double rack #0.2 to #1 cams, with singles of #2, #3 and #4, and triples of #0.5, as well as a rack of small-medium wires. There are lots of options to pre-place gear to tame the runouts, but most of it is near-impossible to place on lead, so the actual FFA used significantly less gear than the above.

1. 20m (25) Up incipient crack with wild, gymnastic moves, and a fair bit of committment. Save a #0.75 for the upper crux (placed left of the big flake), and a #0.5 for a key slot immediately after it. Belay from fixed wire, #0.2 and #0.3 cams at ledge. Do not place gear behind the detached flake out right (lest you rip it off and kill yourself + your belayer).

2. 35m (21) Continue up the weakness, with surprisingly technical and committing moves. Save a #3 for right near the very top. Belay from trees back from the edge.

Courtesy note: Repeat ascensionists should bring a spirit of their choice to top up the emergency supply of liquid courage located at the base of the route.

Start in the obvious pockets 1m right of scoop. Up left to the next pockets, then straight for the top. Committing, powerful and good.

Stand start matched on rounded hold at end of horizontal block. Traverse rightwards finishing as for route 7.

Sit start with LH on crimp under the roof and RH on crimp on the right face of the arete. Tricky first move to the set of 3 crimps then easy until the bulging topout sequence ramps it up a notch. Right wall is off

Steep, burly and traddy. Bolted roof and trad protected steep flake crack just above the start of the fixed rope traverse across to Highlander. #0.75 Camalot protects crux on lip of roof - and the rest of the flake is protected by a single rack of finger/fist sized cams and medium/large wires. Save a #0.3 Camalot for vital shallow placement just below the top bolt. Rap anchor at top.

Straight up the middle of the slightly overhanging face. Physical crux at the bottom but mental crux at 6m.

A reasonably difficult leftways-leaning crack that won't take jams all the way. Hard start, quite technical. Difficulty depends on whether you can manage a high step for the first move. Otherwise the feet are atrocious!

Sit start matched on slopey rail, one move dyno to the lip then mantle

Huge initial move than traverse to the left and exit as for GJ.

Stand start variant of spitfire. Starts on arete shallow dimple and face pinch. Follow cracks diagonally right to the top and out.

Start in the little cave and then (hopefully) float up the balancey, technical and stunning arete. Trend right to top, not left via the decent rail. Landing? Probably very messily on the track way down below - don't find out!

Jack Folkes

Double toe hook start with hands in low jug. Then up arete.

Sit start undercut arete, climb arete and top out.

On the left side of the slab wall, stand start low, matched in the crack seam as a side pull. Follow the line up using the crack and any edges either side on the face. When the crack line fades out move out to lip over arete then mantle to top out.

Compression start in south side of cave, follow west upper edge across and over north pillar.

Sit start matched on the weird brain hold, move up the arete on awkward crimps to stand and follow the arete to a very airy top out.

Start up Monorails, then traverse right for a few moves then up, Likely to see some Road Runner style footwork due to lack of feet!

Technical past Ubolts and crimps. Start: Marked.

Step across the void onto the wall, crank up the steep wall on crimpy pockets clipping a few carrots on the way.

Instant classic: Sloper start, up through crimps to sloper, then zig zag to compression moves to top.

Arete 40m left of 'Catch the Wind'. Follow faint path underneath amphitheatre to Arete or rap 40m down route from top anchors.

Rebolted March 2016.

Stick clip new ring and aid your way to hanging belay. (best to have belayer on the ground).

1. 20m (23) Thin, balancy traverse to 'Arete' then up to DBB passing 4 more bolts and cam (0.5 C4).

2. 10m (25) Up face following 2 rings to start of crack. Up spectacular overhanging seam (past old FH, possibly not needed) to lip and up a long way to DBB.

Originally a stick and RP aid problem up the left leaning crack which joins 'Easy Wind'. It is now free with the aid of a chipped foothold, but the bouldery start is still protected in the same manner.

A great thin, mostly slabby pitch in its own right, which would probably be popular at any other crag... But surrounded by the elite climbs of the Sublime Point East face, this is merely a 2 star route.

Start from the Castaway belay. Head slightly right and up (crossing Subliminal P1). Continue up via very thin technical moves which get progressively harder all the way to the belay.

If climbing out via Castaway, its possible to head directly right from the belay for 7m (with exhilarating climbing) past 2 additional bolts to join the belay at the top of Castaway P1.

Both hands in the high undercling with feet on the rock-shelf below. Reach or dyno for the lip of the block and traverse right, finishing up Dab Not. See the first ascent Here: https://youtu.be/7KKS1qnl78A

Traverse slopers from a sit start to finish at the mantle for 'Mini Mantle'.

Climb the big flake. Put a long draw on the bolt at the top. Traverse right into the 'Garden'. Gather your thoughts, then slither your way up the slippery corner then left slightly. Gain an ok rest and punch up the overhung topwall. Impressive line!

Start: Start at base of big flake.

Rap in from 3-bolt anchor 15m right (facing out from the cliff) of the lookout.

1. 15m (25) 9 bolts straight up, finishing in small cave / overhang.

2. 25m (22) 10 bolts. Traverses a long way right. Ends at the lookout.

Amazing, sustained, old-school-demanding mixed climbing up an eye-catching face and arete, with two desperate mantles to make you realise how weak you really are.

Start: 'Small' flake right of undercut arete. 10m right of IMaMfOS.

Recommended rack: 12 bolt plates, small-medium wires, single cams #1 and #2, double cams #0.3, #0.4, #0.5, #0.75, #3.

1. 35m (25) 'Flake', mantle, then left above the undercut past 2 carrots. Up to below the footledge. Left to arete and bolt. Up via hellish mantle to another bolt, then face and arete past 4 more carrots and gear to hanging belay on carrots. 8 carrot bolts.

2. 20m (23) Shale ledge to steep arete. To break then left side of arete. Wall and arete to ledge belay. 5 carrot bolts, no supplemental gear.

3. 15m (19) 'Small' bulge on bad rock and flakes right of the belay. Up past 2 carrots and gear, trending left to arete and topout (1 carrot + bollard). 2 carrot bolts.

Sit start on crimps and climb up and right to lip of the bowl to top out up

Emmanuel Madayag (FA)

The Alien head shaped prow. Sit start on the low sloping shelf and move up and under the Alien head via a shouldery move. Desperate top out over the prow.

Start in scoop on the blunt arete. Use the undercling to do some tings.

Stand start on underclings and poor feet and fight (or finesse) the line of least resistance up the wall of bulges.

Start on good holds, through undercling and big move to edges. Powerful.

One of the best warmups here. Also good for end of day mileage, being in shade later than all other routes. Climb Slinky Dog for 4 bolts then move left into You Did it Again just above it’s crux (clip YDiA’s 4th bolt from above, then backclean SD's 4th bolt) and follow YDiA to the top. Maybe 24 if you’ve got the Bliss start wired.

Obvious roof crack 5 metres right of Bunny Bucket’s pitch 6 start. Use the first 3 bolts of BBB’s pitch 6, climb up to ceiling and then traverse right (size 6 cam to protect) to enter the roof crack. Requires two 5s and one 6 size cams.

Climb easy face and finish at trad belay on obvious ledge (BD 2 and small wires).

Rope drag is manageable on a single rope with 1-2 roller carabiners and several long slings.

Rappel from trad anchor to clean face (60m rope is fine). Re-lead and then back clean roof and traverse.

An absolute doozy. Traverse in from the chute until you reach the swallows nest then head up until you hit the ceiling. Save a dry pair of shoes for this one.