Routes as sport in New South Wales and ACT

Start as for Sack of Woe, then left to very steep prow. Joins the last moves of Up Jumped the Devil.

"Dangle pigs". Australia's 2nd 35. Formerly a Lee Cossey project, generously gifted to Alex to keep him occupied. Starts just shy of the wall splitting arete 15m right of Ristretto. Tends rightward to breach the main roof close to its right hand end, and up wall above.

Start 8m right of Beta Vinyl, 3m L of Tiger Snatch. Heads straight up, passing through the left end of the low horizontal break of Velvet project / Tiger Snatch. Then heads straight up to Sitting Bull's final break. Finish as for Sue's Last Ride.

Rumour is it's pretty hard. Direct start to Mono No Aware. The first 35 to be sent by an Australian (albeit noting the question of how to grade Wheel of Life). Tom

Australia's first 35 (albeit noting the question of how to grade Wheel of Life). An open project for over a decade. Alex took about 20 shots to send it, not long after he'd onsighted 9a at Siurana.

Ascents

• Alex Megos - 18 August 2013
• Wiz Fineron - 14 May 2019
• Ben Cossey

Was Vince's project, eventually sent by Tom O'Halloran. Jump start off the boulder and then up up and away forever, topping the cliff to finish. Vince climbed it to the first anchors above the lip and called that Spacecake (30).

Rad rock, hard moves then the crux!! pull from a tiny crimp and its in the bag! Up Motor Pussy to 3rd bolt (??) then head right.

Climb Mr Squiggle, then just before the anchor head left into steepness to the top of the crag. Tom

Start as for Lord Elphinstone and The Elephant Man then heads right to vague prow and all the way up up up to the top roof. The boulder in the roof is a tricky one, finishing with an all points off dyno a loooong way above the ground. Finishes out on the highest, furthest out part of the cliff. All time!

Stopping at the hands free rest under the roof is an insanely good 33.

Climb Sitting Bull to the final break. Up a few moves then start heading right past bolt to come into Bandula crux. Finish as for Bandula. Lots of moves, no rest! Tom

Beta Vinyl into Tiger Cat. All the cruxes and no rest, outrageous! Grade unconfirmed.

Yet another impressive send by Alex, giving it hard 34. Shared start with Astral Traveller. Head up to small ledge and straight up with increasing difficulty.

Great fun. Climbs up to 1 move before Einfinger.... crux and busts out right to finish up old open projects.

The greatness of life is impossible to realise before you cast your eyes upon this, the route of all routes. At the time of completion it was the hardest route in the country and the hardest climbed by an Australian. Up Fantastic Mr Fox and without dangling about on the rest, bust up and into a thin crux until you reach Grey Area's rest, shake out here then finish up Grey Area and climb to the top of the cliff.

Boulderyness to top of cliff, anchors over lip up high and left past the "lonely virgin" finger lock.

Start: double dyno off cool slopes on boulder wall.

Variation to Mr Pink.

A crazy extension to Metamorphosis climbing all the way to the top of the cliff. Endurance test piece.

Daniel

Extension of Cheese Gobbler that goes all the way to the top of the cliff via a whole bunch of hard independent climbing and then the top of The Big Cheese. Original vision by Robbie, new vision and execution by Tom.

Climb original White Ladder then continue via one more boulder problem to the ledge.

Jake Bresnehan

Short but desperately powerful climbing. Excellent. Originally climbed as Attack Mode to the fixed biner and given grade 32. Start at the huge handlebar jug right of the massive fallen boulder.

Start Attack mode but go direct.

The alternate unethical approach to https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/australia/sutherland/route/13097509

Sit start matched on a large jug at the far right end of the cave. Traverse about a meter left on some crimps to meet the Sloper Rail line running along the roof. Follow this to the crack and all the way out the cave traversing right along the face before a scary top out.

Liam Buckman

Start off the pile of rocks above the ledge, 15m L of Chimp Chowder. Boulder problem start, to rightward traverse, then radical wall of exciting gymnastic moves lead to a feisty finish, classic!

As for Brain Haemorrhage for about 12m, then trend L up the biggest baddest steepest part of this sector, finishing a couple of metres R of Bloodline. Going left into Bloodline is not on route. Do not climb into Bloodline at all.

Oz's first 34! Since relegated to a tame 33. A 6m direct variant of Tripe, squeezed in between Don't Believe and Tripe. Ben Tom Jake

The chalk at the start says 32, but the guidebook says 33. Batman start. Use rollers/extenders and skip the 5th or 6th bolt, so that rope drag doesn't make the crux easier!

Start: up levitation then move leftwards into search and destroy, eliminates the batman start to SAD and is the BEST/ONLY way to climb this route!!!

The left hand line in this feisty little cave. Campus the start and thrutch up to the single U-bolt anchor. Good times.

Direct finish to Touch and Go - a total one move wonder. An old open project sent by Chris Webb. Anchor is one good ringbolt and one old dynabolt.

Pooferator into Truckstop into Horseshoe into Fabricator.

4m right of Up Jumped the Devil. Climbs straight up. Nowhere to hide on this. One of the best bouldery routes in the mountains. New sequence makes it a bit easier than the FA beta.

The right hand line in the 'second' cave. Awesome climbing thru a great roof to an extremely hard boulder at the lip. Good 27'ish to the lip, * . Bolted on lead by Macca and Dave. 2 metres leftt of Activation on buttress directly above where the track meets the crag Up wall to the roof, out roof, up headwall and right then thru top roof to point then jump. Excellent climbing through roof.

Steep, Hard, bloody awesome 4 metres right of Who'd be a cop project. Very hard climbing thru steep territory, many a strong lad had a crack before Chris got the tick.

Originally bolted by Rowan Druce and generously offered to the masses, Tom O'Halloran, seeing a classic on offer, was quick to pounce. Start as per Brummel Hook (also possible to start up 1st 2 bolts of Tiger Snatch), then head straight up the immaculate orange stone to finish on the high black head wall. Slightly easier than Tiger Cat (opinions are divided on this...) and originally given 32, but has now seen an upgrade. Andrea , Ryan

Tiger Snatch to the jump then head right into Kitten Mittens for the drive by move. Finish up Tiger Vinyl. A classic!

Starts 5m right of Tiger Cat and is feisty straight off the deck with some brilliant and brutal bouldering. Suck in some oxygen at halfway then head up to join Love Cats at its crux, following this to where LC and TS trend back left. Instead peel off rightward under roof to motor up the headwall. Hoik your rig left and right while trying not to feel like a flag in a stiff wind. Sitting Bull joins into the same headwall finish. Stu

Tiger Cat to the half way jugs then across right and finish as for Beta Vinyl. The Don't Believe the Hype of Elphinstone.

Wowsers! All time mega classic. Start as per Aristocat, boulder its main crux and then head into a mind boggling amount of sustained climbing, culminating with a potentially heart breaking finish. Absolute stonker! Stu Monique Jorge flash

A small batman to beat the choss, then climb leftwards on reasonable rock to a small but obvious cave. from here the route begins and is fiesty!!! crimp and snatch your way up the awesome baked red rock to a no hands rest and another boulder problem, do this and its in the bag!! 20 meters right of its bakin at a scoop in the rock

Start: As for 'Some Kind of Bliss', then traverse a loooooong way before weaving up the wall above. A mission.

"The Ticklish Dog". At times a link-up is better than both halves and this recent addition proves this. An absolute classic. Climb Dogbite to the bottom of the slab then go left via a fantastic boulder problem to the marginal rest on Mr Tickle, squeeze this for all it's worth then to the top of this route.

To avoid entirely stealing/climbing what was Ben's project (FMF), a variant was done in which all of the business of Ben's project is climbed. Hence the name.

Ever imagined what the best route in the cosmos would be like?...wonder no longer and get yourself down to DF today! The most technical, fingery, tensiony, positiony, brain flaking hard route around. There is no route better.

Was for four years the hardest route in the country. A classic Miller route, involving a fine balance of power and precision.

Tucker Time is sooooo rad. A technical boulder problem on the face down low leads to a massive rest you can bury bodies in, then truckin' on upward is another little punch followed by the crux of Super Duper Goo and finish with the best roof climbing known to man. Skip the last two bolts in the roof, get a little slack and take the cleanest 20m fall you've ever had.

Tucker Time.

No under dogs here. Shares a similar style to its neighbour Rhythm & Stealth. A lovely start up Impossible Princess leads directly into the wall above, past the Rhythm Method anchors and trending rightward and becoming rather tricky. Finishes on the same anchors as Rhythm & Stealth.

He says he cant but its the belief he can.

Start up Cheese Monster past the first crux. At the break climb right, past the crux of "Non-Dairy Cheese-Like Substitute". At the break under the roof, head straight out past slopes and edges (V9) and finish with a big move to the break. Awesomely sustained climb, vision and bolts by Robbie Le Breton, climbed by Vince Day.

Route renamed on request of Vince Day in 2020.

Lee Cossey

Tom O'Halloran

A reachy start with a brutal boulder sequence through the roof, guards 20 meters of amazing jugs to the finish.

Monique Forestier's 2003 ascent was the first Aussie female ascent of a grade 32.

Start up Brain Haemorrhage to roof and head left to join Bloodline. Quite a few dynamic moves heading left up via the obvious left leaning ramp.

You'll arrive with your feet on Bloodline ledge. Suck in the oxygen and finish up Bloodline.

Note... You might be tempted to stay low avoiding the classic ramp (crux). If this is the case, give yourself a 29 tick.

Far left hand route.

a rad gymnastic route, marred by some dodgy glueing. 2 boulder problems inbetween jugs.

Start: 15 meters right of mr september.

Start as for Birthday Salmon and truck up direct-like to join Staring at the Sea at the rest hole. From there bust straight up through the boulder problem that earns you the grade without stepping left into Tsunami!! Chug out the roof and finish at the top.

Start up Tug Boat then move R into Point Break/Microwave. Roman

Start as for Microwave, head steadily left across Point Break and Tugboat and finish as for Tsunami (not Tugboat). Monique

Batman start.

Start: Route 60m to the left of 'Dr Foopsickle'.

Super thin and powerful climbing. Has some hard-to-clip (and ridiculously oversized) bolts.

Has a very sordid history, as holds and grades have come and gone. Start under the obvious blank arete, just right of 'Junket Pumper'.

Jack_Masel | Jake Bresenhan

Links the crux of Pooferator into the crux of Equaliser. Roman (starts at 12:35)

As for Chulahoma to ledge, then head further right under roof to next line of bolts. Funky climbing to make it through roof and around lip. Grade is a total guess. Tom was working moves and had no real sequence sorted. Went up for another working burn and just climbed the whole way through. He went back a few years later and couldn't figure out the sequence that worked and it all felt hard.

Start at prow through ferns. Up steep, right trending climbing to ledge (27 to here). Then blast out big holds and big moves in roof to a jumpy crux at lip (careful with belay). Then climb to top of the cliff.

Start up Mississippi Moonshine then head across left through juggy but surprisingly punchy roof to join Assassins at its final rest and crux.

Few meters right of Gravel Rash. Up steep scoop to base of roof. Bouldery through roof then head right to Assassins/Hashish final boulder. Bolted by Zac Vertrees. Ben Cossey has temp bolts going direct out the roof. Stay off them, they will not hold a climbing fall.

Up seamstress for a few bolts then break right and on through rooves and head wall.

Short and hard Lower off from fourth (fifth ?) bolt, at ramp ledge last two bolts aren't worth it and will be removed eventually.

Line of bolts right of Kung Fu Muscle and left of The Last Ninja. A unique route for the mountains, bouldery and sustained hard pockets. A visionary bolting effort by Scotty B and inspired siege by Logan.

Batman or make yourself a Bachar ladder to reach the start. Then up a couple of the ladder rungs to get into the proper rock. Blast straight up and up and up to get yourself under the high bulge. Some tricky moves manoeuvring around the bulge then out left through the roof to turn the lip and climb the last few meters up the slab to high anchor. May be easier?

Lee Cossey generously gave this route to a visiting Frenchman who had become rather enamoured with it. Departs Green Grass after its crux and heads straight up and through a series of roofs and beyond. Finish at the chains for Zigzagonal. Lee Tom

The journey to the centre of the earth could not be this epic. Start as per Green Grass diverging to the left at the seventh bolt when Green Grass heads back to the right. Up Up Up, staying generally just to the left of Green Grass to finish under the high roof.

Start as for Lord Elphinstone but then head diagonally across the wall to the right. 70m rope is NOT enough to lower off the anchor, but should be ok from last bolt.

One of the best lines at the crag!! Climb Brummel Hook for 18m to just above the roof. Where Brummel Hook drifts R, instead head straight up the orange flake and keep on going and going. Squeeze hard, keep tension and don't let go. Luke Hansen

Rad rad route, up some of the best rock around, quality bouldering with jugs to seperate the difficulties. a sustained finish. A great toilet bowl feature, batman or climb the mud to the first bolt.

Supposed to be the easier variant to Mr Tickle, some people lacking adequate forearm fitness actually find it to be harder. Start as for Mr Tickle but traverse left and finish up Hairline.

A great line, fun moves and quite sustained.

Start as for Rhythm Method but follow the right hand line of rings up the wall after 4m. Rhythm And Stealth is a rad boulder problem on top of another boulder problem with chunky moves and fingery holds. Quite a nice solid number if the weather is not so good but jugs in the cold.

Climb meta to the last bolt then head left to the ‘jug’ rest on baby cheeses and do it’s final crux before finishing up the big cheese.

Same first move as Brown Badge, then head right to finish all the way up ANS. Originally bolted by Rob Lebreton

Bit of a debate about the grade, seems 32/33!! Start as for Frosty, at the major break where frosty continues upwards, veer left via some awesome bouldery moves.

The best bits of White Ladder. Historic, the first 32 climbed in Australia by an Australian.

Daniel Fisher

Rose Weller

White Trash into Tramp Stamp via the project bolts.Then just keep on trucking. Slightly harder version of Tramp Stamp original.

As for either WT or SITW. If beginning up WT, trend leftwards to join the traverse on Skin to Skin, get your ass up to the cave at the chain on top of SITW. From here wind the biceps up and punch out along the roof flake until a chain anchor around the lip. Could be the best roof climb in Australia. Awesome!!!

Extension of "Sexy is the Word".

Fantastic steep gymnastic climbing out of the initial cave then navigates some more tenuous climbing up several shallow tufas to the crux. Starts in the cave at the left end of the fixed rope and finishes as for the final 2 bolts of Sith Lord.

Fantastic rock and sustained. 12 bolts on the white wall.

Another great line envisioned by Giles Bradbury who first climbed it at 28M1. It has seen very few (2?!) free ascents.

Shares the same first bolt as Perch, Search, Lurch, then right to underclings in the ceiling and a crux sequence that has repelled many. Great steep climbing to the anchors. May be an easy tick if you are adept at toe-hooks or unusually tall.

Mostly easy first half leads to a dyno out the lower roof (requires a long sling or 2), clip a hidden chain, then up the sustained second half with a difficult sequence in the upper roof. Best cleaned by reversing to the first anchor.

Monique's ascent was the first Aussie female ascent of a grade 31.

Start 5m R of Bloodline. Phenomenal. It's the route with the obvious double pockets above the roof. 32 in the latest guide; but consensus seems to be about 31.

Classic testpiece with superb hard climbing. Start 6m R of TWoAF. A bolt plate is handy to prevent rope burn if you miss the start dyno. Jump start leads to hard moves through the roof. Prep your belayer and/or use a roller biner, hard catches off the roof crux end badly. Move R at the lip of the roof into much pumpiness beyond. A broken hold at the 3rd bolt has been rectified.

Start up Veteran's, into Onions, through Mudeye and finish up Don't Believe. A very similar link is Hyper (30), which skips the Mudeye pocket move by traversing R beneath it to the base of the flake on Don't Believe. Yet another similar link is Bunions (softish 29), which starts up Veteran's, joins Onions at its 4th bolt and finishes up Onions Extension.