Routes in Oceania for selected grade

One of the popular classics of the grade. Ringbolts and chalk show the way. All good fun. Lower-offs added 2004 and replaced 2021. This route originally went to a set of chains a couple of metres above the lower offs. The chains are still there. Was grade 26 but was chipped some time after the first ascent.

Absolute classic 25 and for many, their first. Centennial Glen climbing at its best.

Up the bulby horns out the roof to anchors. Feet more important than hands on this one. Ever so popular. Back Jump to clean and lower from second bolt.

The must-do crag classic, featuring the biggest and most aesthetic horns and jugs on the wall. When this was first bolted, there was nobody strong enough to climb it. Oh how things change!

This is the extension to Screaming Insanity. No harder, just pumpier! Three more bolts keep the lactic levels up.

Fantastic, absorbing vertical climbing with a punchy finish. This could now be the best single pitch sport route in the Glasshouses at the grade.

Start: Just R of 'Squealer'

Cue '90s era gangsta rap. Originally given a different name, the first ascentionist has requested that it now be known by this name. Excellent steep climbing, and the classic Nowra 25. Start where the undercut roof touches the ground (at a ring bolt).

Starts a few metres right of Hung Like a Fruit Bat. Stick clip. Jump start, up, then across the roof and finish at HLAFB chains. Similar style to Fruit Bat, at a harder grade.

Pumpy, steep greatness! Popular. Batman to the first bolt of TWoAF, and start from here. Permadraws added Nov 2017 and replaced when neccesary. As always, check all fixed gear and don’t blindly trust it. Lowering from both steel anchor biners will greatly prolong the life of the last permadraw biner.

Sit start low and move through beautiful slopers to roof and finish up jugs. The best problem in the Balkans?

Tsz Ying Yau

Already a classic.

Middle route off the 5th access log. Stick clipping is optional since the first bolt was added, but clipping the 2nd is still desperate. Most people batman or silver jug to the second bolt (i.e. the original first bolt) although it can be freed at very thin 25ish. A very enjoyable and popular outing on some of the best rock at the crag. A hold snapped late 2015 making the moves past the 2nd last bolt a little harder, but doesn't change the grade.

Sit start at the small cave. Move right and up to top.

Classic pumper in the middle of the wall - get a ticket and get in line. Start at the enormous permanent cairn. Stickclip essential.

Killer little overhang. Fun, punchy moves. Lower-off. Find a gullible seconder to clean.

Sit start, pinch, squeeze and wiggle your way up the knife edge arete.

Mauricio Chino

The right most line on the wall before the corner.

Start: Start as for 'Howler' and veer right. Wailer has a separate 1st bolt 1 meter right of 'Howler'.

Climb It'll Never Fly almost to arete, then cut back diagonally right and up to another bolt (exciting) then up to anchor.

Start: As for It'll Never Fly.

Start just right of the corner (right of the big fallen block). Use your feet or pull some very thin moves.

One of the most popular routes at its grade in the mountains. Start just left of Madge. Stick clip.

Classic endurance pumper. Thin start (like everything here) then trend up left for a couple of bolts then back right following the jugs until short flake and heartbreak exploding arms finish under rooflet. The bolts on this route are part new and old - with bolts 1, 4 and 5 still being the originals and probably also suspect.

The crag classic!!

Crux down low but plenty of funky holds and tricky moves to keep you pumping all the way to the top.

A total Nowra classic. Great fun roofing with very cool moves. Pity it is quite short, but at least you get a bit of exposure. This route starts in the exposed cave above the closed Mini Wall. Do not abseil down Mini Wall to get off - scramble off instead.

This second climb established at the cliff is a demanding steep route, start from the little cave. Avoid doing a double heel hook no hands rest at the 3rd and you'll walk away without ruptured abbs like visiting Brit Ben Heason!

3 UB's up the shallow corner and slab to base of the steep wall with seam running up it. Long and strong moves on big holds up this (welcome, gym climbers) to ledge. Two rings off the ledge then move R into the the sustained finish of Over The Falls.

A very popular route, and one that seems to be a good introduction to the grade - probably due to the plethora of bolts at the crux. Start as for GJ, stick clip recommended, then take the righthand line of bolts off this log.

Ultra classic. Mostly superb jugs to a rest just before the redpoint crux right at the end. Take a ticket!

Roughly translates as "something great is coming". Thin seam crack that gets harder the higher you go. Never fear, there are no jams - it's all face moves and chicken wing gastons. Starts on the right edge of small chossy cavelet in the middle of Ben Trovato Wall. Finishes at first set of double U bolts 3/4 of the way up the wall (extension is 29).

Slab to some tricky pocket pulling. Sustained headwall also not a giveaway. Probably the stiffest 25 here.

Start of fin/jug and use crack to gain high edge. Up to finishing jug.

Start from the big belay ledge down hill from Saxicoline. Stick clip the first bolt, climbing upwards to a good rest. The wall gets “off vertical”, as you make your way across the “shield” feature. Classic moves all the way, punching upwards to the high anchor.

Stick clip. Up to 2nd bolt of Tsunami then head left and up past 2 more. Good bouldery moves the whole way.

Short intense bouldery little number. Bit of a one-move-wonder ...

Great climbing which has always suffered from muddy runoff when it rains. Please brush the route when you are working it to keep the holds in good order.

Varied and interesting. Rebolting has led to sudden popularity.

The climb finishes at the top anchor after the mantle, then either down climb or lower and rethread at the initial anchor to avoid trashing your rope. If you don’t go to the top you haven’t done the climb!

Through thuggy roof and onto the wall. Move hard right (don't continue up the arete) and continue up the nice pumpy wall.

A classic of the wall. Tricky crimpy start but persevere as the jugs of glory aren't far off but that's when the pump really sets in. Gentle on the flake, it probably needs to be fixed. While the routes to the left stay dry in the rain, the first half of this route seeps.

Heel hook your way up to the third bolt (strenuous clip). Throw for the lip, grunt, then continue to the top holds trying not to fall whilst clipping. Awesome!

U-bolts then FH's. Up easy corner as per original, but then straight up the face. Really great pocket moves. Some deviate briefly into OTF just before the ledge which makes it easier. Possible to go direct - both are fun.

Start at large "BARFJ" mark.

Very sustained. Up smooth face to high RB. Continue past further 4 RBs and slightly R to anchor.

Sit start on the massive juggy pocket and move up passing a bad RH sloper

Obvious crag classic!

Sit start on the right side of the cave. Head left via some funkiness to top out up the ramp.

Ainhoa Martinez Sam May

Next to trees near left edge of cave. Use your squiddy (or stick) to clip first RB, then bouldery, powerful moves to a good rest at 3rd RB. Hard moves to 4th RB then EZ steep territory to double RB lower off. 6 RBs in total.

Popular. Up and left along the jug rail for four bolts then up with the crux right at the end. Short but action-packed.

Two bolts up the corner to ledge. Step across the void onto the wall, and up past four bolts to lower-off. Take a #1 cam for the top or dare the run out. A couple of bouldery moves in a breezy position!

Best done as one pitch however, the easier first pitch to this ultra classic is an excellent route in its own right.

1. 25m (22). Straight up the face just R of Fiddlesticks. A crimpy crux to get off the ground, then flow up the rest with pleasant moves.

2. 25m (25). Continue up the line of bolts to the anchors. Crux is just past the third bolt.

Start just R of the boulder. The short right-facing corner.

Climb The Green Room to the ledge and instead of going right, climb directly up without deviating past 4 UB's to another anchor.

One of the best problems of this grade & style. Start at the back wall and pull straight out the roof, passing the big hole, make a long throw and finish MATCHED on the huge jug.

Jordan Maxwell

Mikha Liem

George Li

Popular steep climbing. Climb up juggy cracks and flakes to the biggest roof at Binary Cave. Crank over this with a bouldery lip move then up great orange headwall. Two long draws in the roof help reduce rope drag.

Sharp pocketed climbing for masochists.

Start: 5 metres left of great devoid.

Go up SHGTTD and continue in the YCT extension. Adds more climbing to a short route but no change in grade.

Sustained and thin technical climbing, one of the best 26's at bell. This route is the full package and should be on your todo list.

Start L of the blunt arete. Trend R to arete past 3 RBs. Crux to break then tend leftwards past good trad to loweroff.

The plum line of this sector. Start 3m L of SD and climb all the way to the tippy top with the lower-off on the ship's prow.

Den on High Tension

The square arete on the R side of the main wall. Believe it or not they used to dyno from the jug to the top! These days we use our feet and a little thought.

Sit start on the curving crack. Move left using pockets and crimps. Traverse into the higher of the two rails and finish as for "The Show Must Go On"

Starting as for SI, step R on ramp and then blast the line above. Wear a shirt. You'll see.

Classic Mountains 25. One of the bestest at the grade. Tricky flake to steep thuggy roof to pumpy headwall - awesome. Start approx 20m left of approach hand-over rope below right trending flake feature.

One of the classic test piece 26's in the mountains that keeps you working from start to finish.

Starts as for Bachelor Busted Balling Bimbo but breaks left at mid height and and finishes above the crux on Shocked. Was 24 for years but most people feel it's fair at 25.

Unless they've joined into one continuous white streak by now, the white patches and ticks will show you the way. Almost certainly easier for the taller types, it's also harder now than when established because a key foothold during the traverse broke off (it's still 25 though).

Take a medium-to-large sized wire (e.g. #6 sideways or #7 WC rock) for the top (above the big jug) which inconveniently reduces the size of a key hold in a non-grade-altering way. A couple of large RP's in a seam at the start should prevent your belayer following you off the ledge in the event of falling getting to the first bolt. Otherwise, stick clip the first bolt or just don't fall.

Start off the wedged boulder near the highpoint of the chasm.

The right arete is a classic that has a sting in the tail. Sit start on the underclings and climb up left past a pocket and into slopey finish.

Start as for previous but once off the ground, step right to first bolt in R-leaning black corner. Up this til possible to lean left and clip UB on steep wall. Punchy moves up this (2 UB's) then easier headwall.

Excellent, and not too hard for the grade.

Start: Start 2m L of 'Broomstick', off the top L side of the pinnacle/boulder. Rebolted 2014.

Superb thin face-climbing. (#2 Wallnut after the first bolt, .75BD in the break after the 3rd bolt + a few more cams in the higher easier section to DBB) Start: Start just right of "Going For The One"

One of the most obvious 'lines' on this wall and the first route bolted by Monty in the Ben Trovato Renaissance period. Three sustained pitches up the guts of the left side of the wall with comfy belay ledges and phat ringbolts. Pitch 1 can be done alone as a great single pitch 23 if you want to lower off.

1. 30m (23) Straight up to the base of the right facing and left leading big flake. Follow this to final tricky layback finish (this final flake is sounding very hollow, take care (or fix it)). Best to extend bolts on the right of the flake (60cm+ draws), so that your rope isn't pulled in over the sharp-ish edge of the flake. If you are only doing the first pitch use the lower offs before the ledge. Otherwise, continue up to the giant staple.

2. 25m (25) Balancy start then blast straight up the gorgeous orange wall above with final death by crimp section. Belay on ledge at double rings.

3. 30m (24) Pumpy conclusion up the steep wall and corner above with a baffling reachy thin section down low. Either lower off the double rings just below the top or dirty mantle out to belay from a tree.

A few pieces of gear down low on the easier sections. Probably the most popular route on Taipan - not least because of it's spoodgy grade and the quantity of shiny stainless steel! Start on the elevated ledge, just L of the top of the boulder you scrambled up, below a well-chalked slabby thin flake. Clip some cams as the start is easy but delicate and unprotected.

1. Carefully up slab to rooflet then mantle onto slab. Delicately up this to horizontal, slap the slopers, ride the horsey, monkey up the flake and dyno like a madman to lower-off (30m). Take two #5 Rocks if you can afford them.

2. (15m, 34, 8 bolts) The extension through the bulge (bolted by Ben Cossey/Al Pryce) and up the black streak on the headwall to the top (bolted by Garry Phillips) was sent by Kilian Fischhuber on 3/8/12. As usual in this guide, this is written up as a "second pitch" so that the easier first pitch is also recorded, however the hard version is best climbed in a single 45m pitch to the top. Kilian calls this version "Southern Delight".

An awesome route, with an infamous runout finish. This is the leftmost route on the ledge, about 20m R of the chopped access steps. Take note, it's easy to muck this one up. When you clip the final bolt on the traverse, you'll climb left along a rail and see an anchor up and left. This is NOT your anchor (it's the cleaning anchor for Wipe Out's extension). Instead, after the L traverse, hand traverse back right to Sail Away's anchor. See the topo photo for clarity.

Good fun. If you get the right beta, it feels more like 25.

Start up juggy rooflet, then some good rock and powerful climbing right up until the anchors.

The original line. Sit start on jugs in the middle of the wall. Head straight up and mantle out. Classic

Steep roof start past a creaky pinned flake to a vague rest. Continue up the semi-steep wall via two cruxs.

Starts 3m left of CH. Small roof leads to easy top.

Go go stop. The best of the harder routes at the Binary Cave Steep bouldery start trending right to rooflet then straight up the gorgeous orange wall on small sloping holds to an easier finish.

The far left hand edge of the cliff. Essentially a one sequence wonder with a tricky V4/V5 boulder problem crux in the middle. Clip the first bolt on "How Much is a Duck Worth" then move left and follow the line of bolts with increasing difficulty to the anchors.

Start just R of Padington. Pull onto traverse line and go 5m easily right along low ledge. From here go straight up and a bit left, continuing past the top break and up the little headwall. It's a bit runout getting to the bolt on the lip of the top roof.

Hug your way up this overhanging block.

Start: Sit

Phillip Booth | Mauricio Chino

M1, R2, L3, R4, L5, M5, R6, M6 Start low and left with your right in the 3/4 finger pocket and lunge for the first hold. A classic although the start holds are often wet.

About V4 - old boulder problem from the early days, just had to be bolted.

Start up TDLW for three UBs, then trend slightly L past FHs up the ever steepening wall past some crazy looking horns and the odd dodgy aid bolt. The top horn (the biggest at Coolum) rings when you tap it! Ride 'em cowboy!

On right wall underneath overhanging buttress 20m right of Brain Haemorrhage. Left-trending line finishing at big chain lower-off.

Start route directly under the one and only bolt on very small crimps. Extremely thin crimping up blank face. Finishes on small ledge with DBB.

Two excellent and very different boulder problems. Soft if you can crimp. Start about 5m L of the wet chimney.

1. 25m (25) This pitch doesn't get done much since Deep Play was established, the latter being easier with much lower ropedrag and admin.

2. 40m (25) This is the "money pitch". Mostly Bolts (about 8), a few pieces of trad gear where the climbing is easier.

A brilliant first pitch and the top pitch is pretty good as well, but is much easier. Many people do just the first pitch and do the upper pitches as a finish to Dazed And Confused. Louise Shepherd's impressive 1981 or 1982 onsight was the first Aussie female ascent at this grade.

1. 36m (25) Climb the overhanging diagonal crack right of "Kingdom Come" to the top of the peapod. Step right and go up the crack to double ring-bolts at 20 metres. Continue to ledge.

2. 10m (16) Move left and follow the wide crack to the next ledge. Go a few metres L.

3. 25m (21) Thin jamming up the superb crack.

The classic of the crag

Classic 25 pumper, crank the steep start then keep pumping up the wall of jugs.

Start 5m R of WO. Another excellent long route, with a confounding crux. Originally 24 but confirmed 26 these days and even so it's not soft. And once you do link past the crux, keep your wits about you on the technical finish!

Start below large blank slab.

Scramble onto ledge. Climb up slab then headwall following line of 5 RBs (with an optional nut to protect the moves to 1st bolt). Finish at DBB.

Originally led in the 90s, making use of a slightly enhanced hold. That hold was filled in in 2000, and lead successfully at grade 25.

Good compression boulder problem then glory to the chains!

One of the best routes at Tianjara and a classic for the grade! Sustained climbing on bulletproof orange sandstone! Closest climb on the right of chimney, follow ring bolts which replace old hangers. Shared start then trend right at Y split.

Sit start on slopey edge. Make a hard move up left to a slopey edge and continue to top out as for White Destiny. Bring a brush!!

V4 Stand Start, V5 Sit Start

The grand classic of this wall. One of the best routes of this style in the mountains. Rebolted 2004.

Jumping off the stool instead of just pulling on drops it to 24.

Start: Around about 20m further along past 'Blimp' is a fantastic steep rising face. This is Manic. Please note that in March, 2007 a boardwalk and new cairn have been built by Steve Monks during a VCC & Parks 'Victoria' working bee. Please make sure you use them as the area has been deemed to be of cultural significance and basically people should stick to the board walk and not trample the surrounding area.

Great route with a couple of bouldery sections - including a massive reach/dyno depending on your stature. Stick clip. Often has birds nesting in the big break on the right, particularly in spring. Have a look, and stay off if you see signs of a nest.

Start left of the arête. Past tricky slab, then continue up right to arete, good holds take you up the steepness and a pump crux towards the top. Anchors are guarded by a tricky throw on pumped arms. Resistance climbing at its best!

Start in the back of the cave same as The Low Side but pop out the right side of the roof and up the slopey ramp.

Graded 24 until a large jug ripped off, courtesy of Mr Baker. Now a soft-touch 25 power-endurance fest. Takes the left most chalked weakness past a line of rings bolts and positive holds to a fingery crux at the last bolt. One of the best routes at the Summit.