Routes in Victoria for selected grade

Quite classic and good fun. Climb the obvious corner on the left side of the wall. An awkward start then jamming to a little roof. A bit tricky but not too cruxy. Take care with gear in the glassy crack - cams have a habit of either skating out or walking in.

As for 'Trapeze' to the bolt (where 'Trapeze' breaks left), and continue up the arete past another bolt to a new lower-off.

Start: As for 'Trapeze'.

Tricky start then R through bulges, finishing just L of Muldoon's final arete. It's good to do in two pitches to reduce rope drag and to better protect the second from a groundfall off the bouldery start. Rather than the long scramble approach, you can also approach up the short tough finger crack a few metres L of the start of Muldoon.

Start: Start 2m R of Tantalus. Descend from DRRB at the top of Muldoon

Best easy route at this crag. Fun climbing and surprisingly cool holds. Starts about 5m R of UF, steep start on great holds then up the face looking for the cool pockets.

Really nice climbing with an exciting blast up the finishing flake.

1. 35m 17. Go up onto a terrace a few metres above ground level in the gully just right of the Didgeridoo Pipe. Follow the crack up past the left side of the overhang at 25 metres and on up the flake continuation to chains (30m to gully).

2. 50m. Originally went to top but this pitch is rubbish so just rap off.

The obvious flake crack on the wall facing Golden Fleece Wall.

The thin wall 2m right of Camelot.

Fantastic climb. The original route climbed the first pitch of Courage until above the grotty overhang and then traversed left. The route as described is vastly better. Start below the inset corner in recessed bay behind large Callitris pine.

1. 37m (17) Follow the corner for 17 metres, protection is spaced for first few metres. Move left at chalked-up weakness into a diagonal scooped line. Follow this to below roof and move left to terrace. DRB (35m rap to ground if required).

2. 30m (17) Pull through the first easy weakness on left side of overhangs. Traverse 3 metres right (stay low) and make an airy step across a gap. Take line leading straight up into awkward bottomless chimney. Easy chimney leads to large ledge, continue further 5m up to another large terrace. Scramble off left or climb short wall to base of French Crack.

The low traverse makes it essential to use double ropes if you wish to avoid groundfall potential. After that the gear becomes more heartening, and the climbing is great. Start in the middle of the West face of Bluff Major, where the ground is at it's highest point. Finish direct to chains on R side of summit boulder, or slightly easier to L side of boulder. Please don't toprope direct off the chains as they see a lot of traffic.

Ann Pauligk's bold early-mid 1970s ascent may have been the first Aussie female ascent at this grade.

A bouldery start, eases to good holds.

2 star hand jamming ... for about 3 moves.

The obvious hand crack to the ledge and then up the flared crack in the orange face above.

Start at the beginning of the gully, in the gap behind Minstrel Pinnacle. Good tricky and enjoyable crack climbing, but with some questionable rock.

An area 'classic'. Victoria's first 17, with a crux arguably deserving of at least a grade harder than that. Steep but juggy start as for 'Wishful thinking', then up the obvious crack all the way to the top.

This direct start is now the standard way to do the climb, but 'Witch Original Start' started as for 'Romulus' and traversed across left to the crack.

The obvious crack/corner line on the left of the face around left of Oxbow. The crux is at about 1/2 height, moving off the face and right facing corner and onto the arete of this corner. A critical cam (#1 [Red] BD Camalot in one orientation only) can be found to protect this move. Continue into the scoop above and follow the beautiful flake out right to a tricky exit move.

Ridiculously popular.

Start: Start at the thin crack just R of 'Tootsie'.

Start as for Hannibal, then follow the fixed hanger and ring bolts up and around the arete to rap station. The direct start through overlaps and headwall above have both been climbed at about 21.

Like most short routes, a little tricky for the grade.

Start: Start 2m L of 'Powder Hound', off the top of the block.

Great, clean-cut corner just a few metres off the track. Take some big gear. Bolt anchor at the top.

Borderline whether it deserves the "serious" tag, but the crux is quite tricky, with spaced pro. Then again, you've got plenty of clean air up there, and it's still a great route.

Start: Start as for The Bard.

1. 24m (9) Climb the initial slab of Bard and the corner cracks then belay at the start of the R-leading ramp.

2. 20m (16) Pull up L from the ramp then traverse L above the bulge for 6m, then up the face a few metres L of the arete. Belay on the same ledge as The Bard's 2nd belay.

3. 27m (17) Up the line on the R side of the main arete for 8m to a small roof. Now launch up left via steep exciting climbing to gain the next line, which gradually eases. Belay under the obvious roof.

4. 12m (16) Step a bit R to get through the roofs without too much difficulty, to finish on the Bard Terrace.

The name is quite misleading as it is not a "direct start" to Scorpion but is actually quite a way left and is climbed completely independently. It is a good way to get to the Blockbuster Ledge though. Considered by some to be a bit of a sandbag, but I guess it is just an old fashioned grade 17. Start 10m R of I.

Wonderful - There are a number of start options which join further up. Easily done in two pitches, or even one with the more direct starts.

This route was the first to actually summit the pinnacle.

1. 24m (17) If you have the necessary gear, go straight up to the platform.

2. 18m (17) Up the corner and then the unprotected slab to the summit chain belay/rap station.

Descent: Rap into the canyon behind and scramble easily around to the start.

Cute little thing starting 20m up right from 'Death Row'. Crack to ledge, then seam up grey face.

Possibly the best easy crack route in Australia with superb jamming on every pitch.

Best done as 5 or so pitches but can be done in as many as 8 with some silly hanging belays. Most of the pitches described below could be split at about halfway depending on your gear etc.

1. 50m (17) Scramble up blocks and into steep jam crack. Gloriously up this until it turns slabby after a short while and enjoy yourself all the way up to the comfortable ledge at about 50m. Original tree belay lower down fell out.

2. 40m (16) Awkward move off belay then continue up to ledge where the crack peters out (possible belay). Slab excitingly left to next crack system and up to awkward semi hanging belay stance where the crack widens to make a pod.

3. 50m (17) Scramble over belayer and climb up crack and through the bulge. Step delicately right into new crack system as the left one vanishes and enjoy some brilliant easy jamming for 20m or so to some tricky final moves to gain comfy belay ledge.

4. 45m (17) Up and into tight but easy chimney. Step across ledge and into next corner/chimney feature. Up this with some effort to wide crack on right. Embrace your inner thrutcher and force your way up this until the very end where a few top out options present themselves. Belay on very comfy ledge. From this ledge scramble down a short corner to another large ledge. This is easy and a rope isn’t required but is recommended

5. 45m (10) Up shit scrubby crack to do battle with the tree and then trend left to some weird steep jugs in a crack feature and wander up to the top, all the while grinning at the true excellence of the route you have just completed.

The exit starts off straightforward but becomes tricky. Follow the initial path and essentially head towards the major corner of Caligula, doing some easy scrambling to get there. Once you spy Burston’s Crevasse you know it’s the correct way to go, so if your route doesn’t look right you’ve probably gone the wrong way.

Easy sport arete. The first half was originally climbed on trad (and called No Fixed Gear) and was later accidentally retrobolted and renamed 'Amnesia'.

Start: You can't miss this overbolted slabby arete just right of 'Freedom Fighter'.

Lots of good stuff on this route. The final tower is intimidating and bold on poor rock, but you can avoid this by stepping left and up to chains. Start as for Clytemnaestra.

1. 30m (17) Up initial chimney then the shallow steep groove on L, over 2 overhangs to ledge.

2. 15m (16) Start on the left, or with some bold moves on the right, to gain the slender tower above, brittle rock, to airy exit.

Excellent climb for the grade. Absorbing from bottom to top.

Essentially the right arete of D Minor. Start 2m R of D Minor. Up thin stepped line. Things ease off from about half-height before an exciting finish up arete.

Great first half then a silly low angled slab.

Start: Start 5m L of HH.

The lovely thin crack.

Great start on pockets leads to nice arete and exciting finish. A satisfying pitch. The hangers work loose with frequent ascents so taking a shifting spanner in to tighten them after an ascent is worthwhile.

Start from ledge 2m above ground level, right of Hysteria Lane.

Bridge up to first bolt then traverse left. At 3rd bolt, go up until the arete is gained and followed.

Used to be vastly undergraded at 14 though older masters of the thrutch maintain that the grade was OK.

The route originally started up the diagonal ramp from 'Vagabond' but noone does that now.

Start in the gully just above the tree, directly below the big orange corner.

1. 15m (13) Pull onto wall and climb groove to large ledge at base of corner.

2. 15m (14) The great corner leads to another ledge.

3. 15m (17) Hard moves into the undercut corner and bridge to the top.

Steep and juggy sport warm-up at the far left end of the cave. Starts halfway across the approach traverse at single u-bolt belay. Up through orange jugs and then grey cracked face. Runout between bolt 1 and 2 is a bit scary.

An exciting flake though maybe only just scrapes in for the star. Start as for The Devil's Advocate.

Quality, clean slab climbing to shared ring bolt belay located down a little from old carrot belay on top of block. Rebolted with FH's '23.

Crimpy edges to start past 3 bolts, followed by easy ground through a jam crack.

Classic.

Start: Climbs small corner above boulder blocking track. Initialed.

Good to link pitch 2 and 3. The Pitch 2 crux can be protected with Camalot 4s and a 5 and/or micro wires and a rusty piton.

1. 15m (14) Step right at 3m and climb poorly protected wall, or go L and climb the arete.

2. 17m (17) Up shallow offwidth corner past historic piton.

3. 14m (17) Step up from ledge and traverse left in hand crack under overhang to vertical crack. Up.

Start 1m R of Necrophiliac. The thin crack, careful of the loose block.

The dog leg crack 5m R of the arete. A couple of big cams are recommended.

Tricky and slightly dicey alternate start (just left of the original). Have your belayer tell you if your gear is any good.

Climbs don't come any better than this. Sustained quality climbing all the way but be warned that it also has its share of loose blocks, poor rock and spaced protection.

Start: Start as for 'Speculation', at line leading into substantial left-facing corner about 25 metres right of 'Debutante', 4 metres left of a large tree which has recently fallen over, 8 metres left of the clear initial D marking the start of 'Diane'. Used to be marked with a faint initial S but this could not be seen recently (2013).

1. 24m (15) Up the line and through the bulge. Continue easily to a ledge and move left along it a couple of metres to good anchors.

2. 23m (17) Move back right and climb the sustained corner to a sloping ledge.

3. 24m (17) Move 3 metres left and climb the diagonal flake leading back right into the corner. Steeply up the corner past loose blocks to ledge on the left.

4. 23m (17) From top of detached block pull onto steep juggy wall and up thin crack-line. Up and right to small, bottomless left-facing corner. Steeply up this, dubious rock, then move left and up to a ledge.

5. 23m (16) Up, then slightly left to left-facing corner which leads to the top.At the start of this pitch it is tempting to move up right to what loooks like an easy escape. Don't do it! The top-outs that way are hard and horrible.

Climb flakes 2 metres left of "Gwen" to overhang and finish up flake and wall above.

Absorbing climbing on immaculate rock. Originally the second pitch of a 2-pitch route; the first pitch is now The First Affinity. Start 5 metres down and right of large conifer.

The physical hand crack, taking care with the blocks at the start. Start 2m R of Cerberus.

50m or so right of the cave is a striking corner. Initialled. There is frequently an active beehive over the lip near the top. They were quite active 1st April 2016.

This climb has been downgraded from 17 to 15 in the 2011 Guide Book "ROCKCLIMBS AROUND MELBOURNE" by Glenn Tempest. Double ring bolt loweroff marked in topo is at least 5 meters back from the top of the climb and is shared with adjacent climbs.

A great introduction to Buffalo slab climbing, and well protected by Buffalo standards. At half height there is the option to step right to the abseil station at the end of Crowlands (but it's generally considered best to ignore this and do the route as one long pitch).

There are options to place gear in the second half of the route, but it protects fine without anything further than 11 bolt plates and draws.

Start at base of arete with a clever crux to reach first bolt. Alternative bridge left crack to clip first bolt. Contiue past 6 PH to belay ledge at 25m, bolt both left and right of chock stone. Continue 20m up arete past 3 PH, #6 nut under R flake, small cam L flake, and #2 cam in final crack before rap off chain at top. Rap done to another rap chain top of crowlands. Can be done as 1 pitch 45m. Brilliant long consistent gd 17 slab cimb

Good long climb but the middle section is nothing special.

Start on a platform below a seam about 30 metres right of the left edge of the face and 20 metres left of a deep line (Driftwood).

1. 30m (17) Hard start into crack. When crack peters out step up to thread in flake at 10 metres (this bit is shared with Creon). Get some runners, don't rely only on the fragile-looking thread, then traverse right under bulge, veer up right for 4 metres then straight up to belay at old bolt. Not a lot of good protection after the thread.

2. 45m (13) Up broken area to big ledge and on up to 'Rotten Row'.

3. 42m (14) Climb black bulge then smooth wall to bolt. On up face to left end of sloping ledge and up left to bigger ledge.

4. 30m (16) Step right and up small, left-facing corner to the roof. Take flake through ceiling with hard move at lip. Easily up. Original finish took steep flake directly above belay (17) and then up through overhangs.

Slab climbing in the Grampians? The right hand side line past one UB and four FHs. Pass 1st FH on the right to finish up the arête to a double bolt lower off.

The weakness in the slab then L into chimney

Start: Start just L of 'Coyote'.

Eases once getting to the first bolt. Double RB belay.

3BR up center of Main Wall Crux between 2d and 3rd BR.

Great easy sport route! Left most bolted line on right edge of roofy section. Big jugs up slightly overhung wall finishing at bolt anchor slightly to the right. Retrobolted - originally a trad route.

The deep cleft isn't the problem; it's the technical crack at the finish. Start at the right-hand line in the cleft, as for Serpent.

1. 30m (15) Easily up right side of chimney to a big roof. Exit right and continue up on steep rock to a big ledge.

2. 18m (17) Up thin, left-leaning corner crack to easy ground.

Light line in the middle of the wall behind Bird Wall proper and faintly initialed "F". Up double sided flake to groove and crack above. First recorded ascent: Bill Andrews, Allan Hope Jan 1987

Sit starts just right of 'Sesame Superhighway' and climbs the series of jugs to a high finish. Descend via the righthand side.

This climb has been downgraded from 17to 16 in the 2011 Guide Book "ROCKCLIMBS AROUND MELBOURNE" by Glenn Tempest.

The slab immediately right of the bulbous slabby nose. A thin start then trends slightly left (BR). Straight up past a second BR.

An elegant climb up the line delimiting the R side of the slabs.

Start: Start as for 'Sluice'.

1. 35m (17) As for 'Sluice', the L-leaning groove to big slot with hard move at 25m. Traverse R to terrace.

2. 30m (17) An attractive, diagonal corner rises from the terrace. Either climb the wall L of the corner to start or take the corner all the way to the next terrace.

3. 10m (-) Up L to abseil anchors.

Dramatic route but the rock can be quite alarming. The route originally only had the top pitch. They scrambled up the gully to the first belay. The first pitch was originally part of Youth In Asia. The climb is often done as a single long pitch.

Start about 3 metres right of the initial C, but there's no good reason not to start a few metres further right directly below the box-chimney.

1. 20m (14) Follow right-ward arching line that leads to box-chimney. Up left side of this (careful of loose flakes on right) then exit right to ledge.

2. 25m (17) Follow v-groove up wildly-steep arete.

Go straight up, moving slightly right to a contrived, but worthwhile finish.

Start: Start as for "Hell's Bells"

The cool-looking right-hand line on suspect-looking (but surprisingly solid) rock. Straight up past 3RB's to double ring lower-off

Quite a nice climb now with the addition of a fixed hanger down lower. Up the face on small edges in the pale water streak, past 2 Fixed Hangers. Finish up the jam crack. Double ring bolt belay at top.

Subtle line on left side of the D Major Pipe. The third pitch, up the south-east face is mostly done as a climb in its own right.

1. 25m (18) Climb subtle seams to ledge (fiddly small wires).

2. 10m (5) Up chimney to ledge. The front of the thin buttress to the left is somewhat harder.

3. 15m (16) Up greenish streak up middle of steep left wall to rap anchor. A bloody good pitch.

A funky little thing. Double ropes help and a #4 cam helps to ignore unnecessary atrocious bolt. Start at the right edge of the deep cleft of Belltower. Up to horizontal and traverse 5 metres right to layback crack to ledge. Up crack past old bolt to chimney.

The T-shaped roof on this is a prominent landmark on the track to Kitten Wall.

Bolted, featured black streak in the centre of wall. Retrobolted, but crux bolt is still old and dodgy. Take some wires, slings, medium cams to supplement bolts. No anchor - top out or diagonal across to anchor on Sprung after 2nd last bolt.

Takes the left crack underneath the "toilet seat." Follow greasy crack to top.

Originally finished into 'Overkill' but this way keeps it independent.

Start: Start 3m R of O, just L of the wide crack.

Up past bucket 2m right of Spandau. Two carrot bolts. Very high to the 1st bolt on small holds. Tricky to reach the 1st carrot if your short.

An epic adventure.

1. 25m (10) Same as 'Speigal's Overhang'. If 'Speigal's Overhang' is busy, 'Route One' is another option.

2. 29m (8) Up the crack in the middle until the overhang. Build semi-hanging belay right under it or left into the corner to a ledge. Very vegetated pitch.

3. 20m (17) Up through overhang. Follow two BRs to the second overhang (crux, very stiff for 17). Belay on small stance 2m above and a bit to the left

4. 20m (17) Delicate slab climbing. Traverse left then follow a thin crack to a BR, then straight up and a bit to the right to the 'Traverse of the Gods'. Move right to belay as for Speigal's Overhang. Then several options how to end this climb:

   • 'Xanthene Direct' (16)
   • 'Greg's Direct' (14)
   • 'Speigal's Overhang' (10)

You can link 4th pitch of 'Xanthene' and 'Xanthene Direct' (total linked pitch length of about 65m).

The bolted line up the clean streak just right of Forced Labour. Thin moves past the first FH then up past 2 more FHs to lower off rings.

This route is described in Rockclimbs Around Melbourne by Glenn Tempest.

Superb climbing all the way. Three excellent pitches. Start below the distinctive cricket ball impression on the wall 5m R of Junglescope.

1. 48m (16) Climb straight up the technical slab past 2 FHs to the comfortable Junglescope ledge.

2. 50m (14) Climb the R-curving arch (directly above the belay) for a few metres, then straight up the intermittent cracks and seams on the increasingly delicate slab. Belay across L at the base of the corner as for Junglescope.

3. 32m (17) Climb the slabby grey wall tending up and R to under the middle of the steepening headwall. A few tricky moves over the overlap (FH), then up the final clean wall.

Good steep wall climbing up narrow face between Hyperbola and Black Cat.

Wall left of Scarlet Sage, via an orange overhang and Black flake.

Up the seam.

The main crack on the wall used to be very hard when it was graded 16! There are 2 odd chipped crucifixes at the base.

As for Poxbow past the crux then finish on left arete (as for Blind Sox) rather than traversing right on the flake (FA Solo)

Start as for D Major, then take the line between D Major and Libretto.

Scramble up to start, 2m right of 'No Joy'. Two bolts to chain.

great climbing up the middle of the wall, trad gear for belay

Sustained delicate face climbing with good pro. Shade until around midday. A new, lower set of anchors was added in 2016, removing the need for trad gear and making it possible to lower off down the route, rather than having to rappel from the platform at the start of Signe's Second Pitch into the gully around the corner.

Start: Starts at the foot of a grey ramp opposite R.E.M. (just right of a crack).

Approximately 20 metres before the hang glider lookout on the cliff edge there is a large car-sized boulder with a triangular gully next to it. Rap in down the gully to a large platform. On the left of the platform (looking out) there is steepish ramp with 3 cracks in it. The right 2 cracks are Thin Wall Special Pineapple Delight. Mostly good protection, run-out at top.

Steep climbing up the corner left of 'Mr Hyde'.

A great little face route reminiscent of Blue Mts sandstone. A few intricate gear placements (interspersed by obvious ones) keeps the pulse up along the way.

Start: Left side of Wind Wall.

Just right of Forceps Delivery is a thin left leaning crack. Up crack past a FH. Continue up past the second FH to a scoop. Step left to join Forceps Delivery at its third FH. Up to lower off rings.

Direct finish to The Second Affinity. Go straight through roof or left and up.

The original route on this wall. The arete on the L of the large crack splitting the wall past 3 BRs. Please be aware the final section of this route is somewhat run-out.

The right hand line. Wander up the easily angled start from the right, grunt through the roof and up the nice crack.

An excellent climb that gets progressively harder. It starts at the overhung flake 6m left of SB.

1. 46m (10) Up rounded features to join the crack system, to belay on ledge above a tricky move

2. 20m (17) Move up, then right into finger crack, before gaining a ledge. Traverse left on this - with poor feet - to the flake. Belay at the left end of the ledge. This pitch has long been given the grade 15. It deserves an upgrade seeing that it is far more pumpy than any of the 18s at this crag!

3. 15m (12) As for 'Beeline'

From such beginnings at age 18, 10 years later he was in on Australia's first ascent of Everest. Quite nice anyway. Start a few m R of Lois Lane beneath the only significant crackline.

Right side of the slab with 3 RB.

Replaced the carrots with RB 01/24. Bolts and glue provided by Safer Cliffs Victoria.

Just around to the right of AP, up flake to BR and onwards over slab to BR as for AP. DBB.

A good easy route on a great wall deserves a star. Pitch 2 is really good and eats cams. Great on a warm day.

Start: Down and right of the other routes is a prominent crack leading to a bottomless chimney.

1. 13m (17) Crack and chimney to terrace.

2. 29m (16) Easily up on right for 3 metres to the big diagonal ledge/break. Traverse down left to the end of the break and step left onto the wall. Continue up steep, juggy wall right of "Going For The One".

Start 2m L of Pedro. Wall to bushy ledge, thin black crack, wall.

The left-hand line is also not too bad. Good gear down low. 1 FH to rings.

Extremely pleasant moves with an obvious one move crux. Follow the grey streak diagonally to arête moving right at the horizontal break. Up the headwall to clip & lower.