Routes in Werribee Gorge

The flake around to the Left of 'Anal Crank'.

The first quasi-decent sheer orange face you get to after coming down the stairs.

Up from the cave then L to the arete to DRB loweroff . 3 RBs - Rebolted Safer Cliffs Victoria June 2023

Start as for 'Anal Crank'.

Straight up the faint seam in the middle of the orange wall. There used to be a bolt ladder from the half way point, where the seam ends, but this has now been chopped, probably increasing the grade of the climb to M6-M7.

Open Project for free ascent.

4 RBs - Rebolted Safer Cliffs Victoria

Start 2m Right of 'It'.

The corner.

The corner 1m R of Brutus. Up short corner crack to ledge. Move up arete/slab (no protection) and join Brutus at layback crack.

Usually top-roped after Brutus.

As usual CB commandeered the blunt end for this "extreme" piece of climbing.

Start 9m R of 'Brutus'.

The L corner.

Up the crack 2m Right of 'Execution' to broken blocks at the top.

Start at small cave 1m Right of 'Persecution'.

Up the arete between 'Persecution' and 'SPQR'.

Inexplicably given 3 stars in previous guides.

Start 1m R of Consul's arete.

Up the R sloping crack then R up larger crack.

Steep one meter right of the final head wall and climb the steep cracks.

Pull out of cave(4m R of SPQR) and up right side of large scoop. Step R and up to to big pockets. Straight up widening cracks in the headwall.

Short face just left of 'Cuniculum' past 2 RB to DRB. Originally the climb continued easily R and up from the ledge but this only added height.

The FA used just one side runner in Cuniculum and therefore it was rarely repeated. Now retrobolted by the FA in 2023, it might see a few more ascents.

Start 10m Right of 'SPQR'.

The rotten line.

Start 2m Right of 'Cuniculum'.

Up the black streak past 2 x RBs then Left along the easier crack.

Fairly respectable by Werribee standards.

Start 2m R of 'Ebony'.

The face the L to the arete and double U bolt loweroff with rap rings. Rebolted and rap rings added May 2023 by Safer Cliffs Victoria

Good climbing. The gear is adequate but very fiddly; it regularly sees gear-popping falls.

Start 2m L of 'Conscientious Pontius'.

Shares French Revolution's first bolt.

Up orange wall then R to vertical seam.

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.

A much better quality finish, though you have to pretend the block on the R isn't there.

Start 2m R of 'Conscientious Pontius'.

The finger crack with forks at the top. Take the L fork.

One move wonder, but still ok.

Start 2m R of 'Conscientious Pontius'.

The finger crack with forks at the top. Finish R up the ramp and corner.

An average sandbag squeeze job.

The bolted line between 'Hadrian' and 'Big Ears'. Rebolted May 2023 by Safer Cliffs Victoria.

One of the best easy routes here.

Upgraded from 15 when a block came off. There's another still there at about 6m which might go someday so don't put your gear behind it.

Up the broken corner 3m R of 'Hadrian'.

This good little number is polishing it's way up through the grades.

Start 2m R of 'Big Ears'.

Suspiciously "uniform" incuts to gain sidepull flake, nice moves over black bulge. Up right past last bolt to double ring lower offs. Rebolted and rap rings added May 2023 - Safer Cliffs Victoria.

Contrived, but the moves up high are quite ok.

Start 3m R of 'Snatch and Grab'.

The flakey line to the arete. Climb L side of the arete. Resist the urge to stem L or R. Up to double ring lower off. Rebolted May 2023 - Safer Cliffs Victoria.

Start 4m R of 'Snatch and Grab'.

Loose scary corner/crack.

Start as for 'Sweet Chariot'.

A few worthwhile moves up the arete between 'Death Gate' and 'Sweet Chariot' to a double U bolt lower off.

Rebolted June 2023 - Safer Cliffs Victoria.

Far superior to SPQR. Good jamming and interesting moves all the way up the nice corner.

The corner crack 1m R of 'Death Gate'.

Start 1m L of Vulcan - up the arete and boulder R into and finish up Vulcan.

Start at the corner 4m R of 'Sweet Chariot'.

Up the corner and little arete feature to the rooflet then R and up.

Rebolted May 2023

Climb 'Vulcan' to the flake. You can clip the third bolt of Tina the Ballerina from Pasadena and the second bolt of Barbra Streisand (or go full trad).Go R and around arete, then follow the crack in the upper L wall.

One of the few Werribee routes that deserves the star it was given in the printed guide.

Start 1m L of 'Barbara Streisand'.

Up to flake then straight up the middle of the face. Add points for style if you finish direct over the middle of the overlap, otherwise finish up Vulcan. Rebolted May 2023 Safer Cliffs Victoria

Step R to descend from Barbara's chains.

Did a singer ever have more appropriate initials?

The bolted line L of the prominent arete. Rebolted May 2023 - Safer Cliffs Victoria.

The corner crack just Right of 'Barbara Streisand'. Finish up the ramp to DRB

Loweroff added by Safer Cliffs Victoria 14 July 23.

Be aware a large Cunningham's skink may be in residence hiding in the flake (waist level) above the bottom shelf.

Given the limited real estate around Melbourne...

Takes the narrow face between Ben Hur and Thanos, coming close to but keeping out of the crack of Ben Hur. 5 RB to DRB anchor on the ledge.

Was freezing on the FA and we couldn't feel anything, so grade is just a guess. Expect things will settle after more ascents.

Scramble up to ledge at base of Ben Hur and follow the 4 FH up face into small corner. Originally it traversed up and right across slab to the Scipio Africanus anchors from the 4th FH, but is better to now continue straight up to the anchor of Mephisto.

The starting ledge has been lowered somewhat by others, so a stick clip for the 1st bolt is recommended.

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.

Start up Scipio Africanus, clip first hanger,then first ring of that route, then continue up right hand side of the arete, via technical arete funkyness to mantle onto ledge and onto double ring lower off.

Start as for 'Hannibal' the short crack on Left to ledge, Left and up.

Start 6m Right of 'Barbara Streisand'.

Up flakes to ramp then Right into the orange corner.

Start as for 'Hannibal' then Right to steep Right leading corner/crack.

Previously given 2 stars ... what the?! For poor rock-starved Melbourne-ites, it'll eventually be worth doing ... but not even they could seriously give this route any stars.

Start 5m R of 'Hannibal'.

The hand-crack through the bulge, then the wider crack above the ledge, finishing up crack on L.

Bring a couple of big cams.

Start 3m Right of 'Androcles'.

Up flakes to corner crack then overhang. On through blocks and ledges.

Start 2.5m Right of Cicero.

Up broken flakes to overhang then crack over blocks. Right beneath summit block to crack.

Start 3m Left of 'Golgotha'.

Up arete to the ledge below Octavia's crux, then Right and up grooves to ledge. Up cracks then Left to finish up Octavia's final crack.

Roman Warfare 27 “The first ascent required an army of support to fight his way up this feisty number” Don your armour, put some plumes in your helmet and quest up the arete, conserve the small shrub for cover, regroup your troops at the ledge where the fun begins. Stalk your way up the balancy face to ambush your enemy. Beware of booby trap loose rock in the roof let. Check for previous soldiers shin skin, leg hair and blood at the lip, mount your horse and gallop up the arete to victory. R side of the Spintrian arete to the ledge then the L wall of the Golgotha corner over the roof and up the R side of the arete to DBB loweroff

This offwidth corner crack has a fan club of thrutchaholics.

Start up the ramp on L then into and up the imposing corner-crack.

Start as for 'Golgotha'.

Go halfway up the corner-crack then Right at the rooflet, follow the seam across to finish up Redex's finger crack.

Start as for 'Redex Irlont Sudano' then continue straight up when Redex goes Right. Continue up the very thin face to the crack and loweroff. Started life as a 24, some holds fell off, given 25, lost some more…… and is now very thin. Rebolted May 2023 - Safer Cliffs Victoria

Possibly the best route at Werribee, and a nice easy tick at the grade.

Start 3m R of 'Golgotha'.

Easy slab, over bulge, then traverse R along lip. Up face 3m L of arete to gain finger crack finish. Lower-offs are on the R just below the capstone.

Rebolted June 2023 - Safer Cliffs Victoria

Closed Project.

Start as for Redex.Keep trucking R along the lip of the roof to the arete. Follow this to the cave. Finish as for Holiday Sidewinder.

Needs death block pinned, so if being a closed project isn't incentive enough to keep off...

Walked in with the drill and inspected it 5 years ago, but decided the rock is best suited for glue ins which I wasn't placing at the time...

Direct start to Redex up the slab past a bolt and through the bulge. Tricky move to reach the flake and 3rd bolt, then small crimps and bouldery moves to join Redex at the jug. Keep it together up the rest of Redex.

Start as for Super Redex but take the right hand line up the steep wall and through the bulge, cross Redex and traverse into Nero on the Rampage (past the link bolt). Climb Nero through its crux to the top.

Closed Project

Start as per Holiday Sidewinder, but instead of swinging to the R side of the arete. Keep to the L joining Eye's Wide Shut Closed Project over the lip.

Excellent and seriously underrated in previous guides.

Start beneath the proud arete 3m R of Redex.

The crux bulge down low is easier than appearances suggest, but very technical...and no piking off to the R! After the 2nd RB clip the next on the R face. Above that is an awesome airy sustained arete, stay on the R side at first, but move to the L side at the cave, and at the top step L to Redex's loweroffs.

Start from the ledge 3m L of 'Veni Vedi Vici'.

Go up and L past a small hole then to a cave on the arete. R to crack.

Start from the ledge 3m L of 'Veni Vedi Vici'.

Go up and L past a small hole then straight up the thin vertical seam above the crack.

Start 1m L of 'Veni Vedi Vici'.

Clip first bolt from the block then go down, L and then up the face to a ledge. Up the block face above this to a double u bolt loweroff.

Starts on the same ledge as 'Veni Vedi Vici'.

Through the bulge then R past bolts and ledges.

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

24 if you do the contrived start out right. May be slightly easier if tall or inclined to wander. Line of RBs 2m right of VVV. Clip first RB from block then return to ground to start. Nice boulder problem then grey streak direct (thin between 3rd and 4th bolts). From 4th RB diagonally right to finish as for TFTP to new double UB lower off.

Start from cave 3m R of 'Veni Vedi Vici'.

Up face then R to ledge. Up the arete. Stick clip first bolt and clip bolt of climb left if you want this to feel like a sport routes, otherwise bring gear.

Start 6m R of 'Veni Vedi Vici'.

Up the offwidth slot at R side of the cave to crack and hole, then on to the ledge.

Ring anchors at the top.

Start 6m R of 'Veni Vedi Vici'.

Up the slot at R side of the cave, then take the thin diagonal crack up and R.

Starts out of the L side of the 'Spartacus' cave. Monkey out of cave, then follow the vertical seam in the face to the top of Cocchium Diagonal's crack.

Ring bolt above lip, then small gear to join Cochhium.

Start at cave 4m R of 'Cocchium'.

Out the R side of the cave, through overhang to the crack then up.

Contrived nonsense... but fun if you're into that kind of thing. Climbs the block between S and CC avoiding either at all times with just sufficient gear.

Start 2m R of 'Spartacus'.

Up to crack, through rooflet to the broken ledge then up.

Starts 2m L of 'Fuel the Fire'. Sharp at least 26, probably 27.

4 RBs - Rebolted June 2023 - Safer Cliffs Victoria

Up the wall 5m R of 'Crispin's Crispian'. Bolts replaced December 2021.

Starts at the corner R of 'Fuel the Fire'.

Up the corner to a smooth scoop then L and up to overhang.

Starts at the buttress with the cave at the bottom down and R of 'Crispin's Crispian'.

Follow the diagonal flake-crack through bulge to a ledge. Take the L crack to ledge.

The major crack on the left side of the semi-detached pillar (if facing the rock). Up crack to join L-facing corner, easily through blocky ledges at 3/4 height, then rejoin and finish up corner crack.

The arête up R of 'Centurion'. Starts around the other side of the pillar from Centurion, 1m left of the big chimney. Poorly protected.

The corner crack to the right of the major chimney.

The crack R of 'Roman Holiday'.

Start as for 'Purist Oasis' then L and up.

The crack up the L-facing corner, above the small, ground-level cave.