★★★ Caves Route 4

Queensland's own mountaineering-style classic that has introduced the climbing experience to many a gibbering bumbly. This has always been the traditional easy route up to The Scrub (below the summit overhangs). Rap stations are present on five of the 8 pitches (Aug. 2019). Most of the rock on the route is quite worn making route-finding easy. Many parties rope up for these 5 pitches, interspersed with unroped scrambling.

Start: 20m R (down the slope) of where the E face walking track meets the rock. Marked "CR".

★★ Caves Route Variant 4 - Caves Route Pitch 1

1. 17m 4 A short pitch that allows the belayer to see roped parties (or top rope from the ground). Traverse out right across big ledges, skirting the vegetation above, then straight up to the DBB.

2. 38m 4 Continue straight up, across big ledges & skirting trees, to the big shoulder & DBB belay.

3. 36m 4 Traverse up R up rock steps, then trend left to ledge with small tree, from here, up the narrowing rock face with surprising exposure to belay ledge (single clip biner) and mouth of Cave 1.

4. 50m 1 Unroped scramble up into Cave 1 & the big Cave 2. Walk to far L side of this.

5. 47m 4 Traverse carefully out L side of cave along the narrow, precipitous ledge, until possible to move up to the terraced slab above. Up steep wall above with no protection to either of 2 rap stations. (The higher being the better option for roped parties.) (A belay is available from one of the trees on the LHS of Cave 2.)

6. 100m 1 Unroped scramble from the belay ledge, up the rock steps up to the scrub, & follow this (worn) track through the scrub till you hit a large rock slab. Head down right to the rock slab & mount this up to the prominent chimney/corner.

7. 35m 4 NOTE: THIS 5m SECTION OF CLIMBING IS ABOUT GRADE 15! Up the sheer vertical face on small but good holds, till possible to mantle into the chimney. Easier now (grade 4) up the chimney & rock face above, crossing ledges to a DBB. (This is the true line, but a log that helped the original party climb into the chimney is no longer there. To avoid this hard section, take the Caves Route Variant - the grade 3 slab, out to the left.)

8. 195m 1 Walk/scramble up the shoulder, up rock ledges & bush, till you hit the West Track (Hiker's track).

*Note: There is also another Caves Route variant that avoids the chimney section which starts right at the base of the chimney by taking a short contour to the right hand side until a large cave is found. Go to the end of the cave and scramble up for about 25 m until the top of the NE face is reached. This second variant is slightly easier than the one described above.

Modern climbers establishing new routes have taken great pains to ensure any new routes do not interfere with the historic routes established many decades ago.

Retro-bolting of existing routes is unacceptable!

New routes shall make use of traditional protection where available.