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IntroductionAn impressive mountain spire that greets you as you wander up the track from Camp Pincham to the Grand High Tops. |
AccessThe Spire is generally accessed from a ridge running from the Grand High Tops track beneath the Breadknife. Follow the track to Grand High Tops on the east side of the breadknife past a "Grand High Tops, 150m" sign. Rather than going right up the final hairpin turn to the High Tops summit rocks (10-15m after yellow cats-eye markers appear on the rock) head left along a small saddle towards the Spire. After 20-30m a goat track in the grass forks off and down to the left towards the spire. Follow this for 200m or so and cross a rubble-covered campsite. Once at the other end pick up another track near the firepit and follow it to the right side of a leaning pinnacle. Once there, a chimney between the pinnacle and the spire marks the start of the track to the Upper West Face. To reach routes on the Lower West Face and North Face, go down and left behind the pinnacle. These climbs are listed right to left, as you reach them. Routes on the East Face and North East Face, as far as Out and Beyond, are best accessed by going right from the pinnacle. There is a log book at the summit saddle. There is a rap to the half-way ledge from chains located at the top of the gully between middle and south summits. Accessing these chains is problematic, staying roped up is recommended. The rap anchor at half height was replaced in 2011 and so you can descend with a single 60m rope. |
| * * * | Vertigo | 10 | 100m | ||
| A classic climb up a steep, exposed wall on good rock. A good climb to start if you have just arrived in the Bungles. Scramble up to below dark wall in the middle of the west face, between the prominent buttress and Abseil Gully. Start left of the face. Marked. 1. 15m. To prominent ledge. 2. 35m. Up close to corner for 10m and then head diagonally right to belay on TT. Some parties stick to the corner cracks. 3. 30m. Step left to avoid small overhang. Up, superb climbing with good pro. Belay on block to avoid severe rope drag. 4. 15m. Easy slab. | |||||
| Roger McDonald, Alex Hromas 1961 | |||||
| Endeavour Face | 14 | 80m | |||
| Start: 6m right of Vertigo below bulging rock. 1. 22m (crux). Awkwardly up right, onto bulge, then straight up. 2. 10m. Straight up to anchor on Tourist Traverse. 3. 33m. Straight up till angle eases to thread. 4. 15m. Easily to middle peak. | |||||
| Adrian Cooper, Eric Hinder, Jon Wurth, May 1971 | |||||
| Tourist Traverse | 6 | 90m | |||
| It now seems certain that this was the original route on Belougery Spire. A description of the first ascent (from 'Walkabout' Magazine, 1/4/36) includes "one pitch is a 300' traverse across the face of the mountain on a ledge from a foot to three feet wide..." - a uniquely identifying feature of this route. Start: From THE west face ledge. 1. 15m. As for pitch 1 of Abseil Gully. Along the obvious big ledge, a variety of finishes are possible. If you go right along then you arrive in a fine chimney, which contains the famous "anti-Marilyn" squeeze hole. It is not really tight, though Marilyn presumably couldn't do it. | |||||
| Dr Dark, Osmar White, 1932 | |||||
| Abseil Gully | 10 | 44m | |||
| Start: From the large ledge on the west face in the obvious corner. 1. 18m. Up from left hand side of the gully to a tree on the right hand side. 2. 5m. Up the crack above to small tree. 3. 21m. Traverse left 5m. Small overhang requires some cogitation. Up, good tree, then up right hand side of the gully. | |||||
| Unknown ascentionists, lost in time! | |||||
| West Face Direct Start | 10 | 44m | |||
| Start: In the middle of the west face below Abseil Gully. 1. 12m. Left along rotten ledge, bolt around corner, pull up on good holds. 2. 22m. Up gully on left, finishing on the right. Now easily join the normal routes to the top. | |||||
| Bryden Allen, Wes Kilham, 1964 | |||||
| Missing You Marcelle | 15 | 45m | |||
| Excellent climbing. Start as for WFDS. Steeply L up line of steps to old BR, then R to stance. Wall above to tree belay. | |||||
| Neale Smith, Bruce Cameron 20-5-93 | |||||
| Dr. Dark's Chimney | 6 | 120m | |||
| Originally attributed to Dr Dark and friends, but this has since been disputed. Start: Up the west face gully. 1. 93m. Up right through scrub then easy walls to base of the chimney. 2. 27m (crux). Easy chimney with tree runners, then scramble to summit. | |||||
| Hugh Nose | |||||
| If The Spirit Moveth | 8 | 150m | |||
| Originally attributed to Davis and Pettigrew by Allen in 1963. This description comes from an earlier and more detailed record. Start: Where the access track meets the south west arete. Up gully directly above. Traverse out to the nose. Cotinue up nose on gully side. Walk to top of the pinnacle. Traverse to right under Dr. Dark's Chimney. Exposure increases dramatically. Traverse around to right across a difficult nose. Continue up at about 45 degres to the base of a rib. Scrambling remains to south summit. | |||||
| Graeme Mitchell, Warren Little, John Drummond Jan 1959 | |||||
| If The Spirit Doesn't Moveth | 11 | 132m+ | |||
| One of the many variants on ISM. Variants are possible both up to the base of Dr. Dark's Chimney and from there out onto the south face. A sufficient description might be "up the SW arete, to the base of Dr. Dark's Chimney, traverse right onto face and up to the top." Start: Above access gully on the south west arete. Up corner on right hand side, traverse left and up to large block. Up to ledge with grass. Peg on right. 12m. Mantleshelf and up to tree. Walk to base of Dr. Dark's Chimney. 24m. Traverse right and up to tree in gully. 30m (crux). Up gully and continue up to the right. Thread near ti-tree. 36m. Up to rib. Some rubble in chimney, to bush. 30m. Easily to top. | |||||
| John Pickard, G. Rosie, Easter 1966 | |||||
| No Birthdays on Pluto | 15 | 90m | |||
| Takes pitches one and two of ISM, then follows line up wall left of slab and chimney of DDC. Follow track to west face. Continue along track behind detached pinnacle and scramble up first narrow gully to narrow ledge. Shared start of ISM, continues to DDC belay ledge, then goes left of DDC and up wall. 1. 35m. Up small ramp, then up over small overhang. Meander up to tree belay. Scramble to ledge and follow track left along cliffline. Track drips to a narrow belay stance about 5m past bottom of dip (near finish of DDC pitch two. Vertigo is round corner to left.) 2. 40m. Steep slab (adequate pro), tending slightly right, to small overhang. Poor rock. Overhang (crux), then easier climbing for about 20m to small, vertical crack. 3. 15m. Scramble to top with belay tree for DDC visible on right, at end of chimney. | |||||
| Stuart Pengelly, Gary Caganoff 10-92 | |||||
| More Than a Pretty Face | 119m | 19 | |||
| An appealing line with quality climbing. Start on the lower West Face, about 2/3 way down the scree descent towards Pegasus and 60m right of that route. 1. 25m Hand traverse left onto the brown wall, move up onto block and easily left 5m to crack (runners). Climb wall on right then up groove and right wall to ledge. 2. 22m (crux) Traverse left over loose rock and up to shallow corner. Up past fig to belay below roof. 3. 22m Continue up corner to roof and traverse left onto blocky wall. Straight up superb rock to where the cliff lays back. 4. 50m Easily up the ridge to the halfway terrace. | |||||
| Ian Brown, Greg Croft, 15-5-94 | |||||
| Pegasus | 15 | 225m | |||
| Goes up the north west buttress for about 150m to the terrace, then takes a line between the upper part of Scunge Gully and Vertigo. Start: The first obvious entry to the cliff on the way down from the pinnacle to the start of Scunge Gully i.e. roughly 30 metres right of Scunge Gully. 1. 21m. Steeply leftwards up ramp below a red wall crowned by overhangs. 2. 27m. To top of ramp, then step left from the corner to outflank overhangs. 2 old pitons at belay. 3. 33m. Look out for the fixed bearing race! Up right hand wall of corner. Step right at about 9m to avoid overhangs. Up into groove which trends rightwards. Chockstone. 4. 30m. Good chockstone at the head of the groove, up right and over bulges. Then right to a detached block. 5. 27m. Left to shallow groove, thence easy ground to tree. 6. 21m. Avoid vegetated gully by steep slabs behind tree. Cross the terrace. 7. 34m. The fault line which starts midway between Vertigo and the upper half of Scunge Gully is followed steeply up right. Some loose rock before stepping left and up on good rock. To avoid the horror rock on this pitch, it is possible to traverse off right into Vertigo at about half height. 8. 60m. Another 12m leads to Tourist Traverse. | |||||
| D.Witham, J.Willis, Sept 1967 | |||||
| * | Caucasus Corner | 17 | 324m | ||
| Often called "Prometheus Bound". "Promethueus made man out of clay, and stole fire for them out of heaven. For this altruism, he was taken to Mount Caucasus and bound there on a rock. Vultures gnawed at his liver. The books do not say if he ever died. This story brings to mind the wedgetails on the edge of Caucasus Corner." Start: 15m right of Scunge Gully. 1. 45m. Up for 9m, then diagonally left and up to the foot of a corner sloping steelp right. 2. 21m. Up corner to bush. 3. 36m. Out left to the rib and up easily to the base of the projecting buttress. Somewhat loose. 4. 28m. Traverse right and up steep wall to the right of groove. Belay on ledge above small layback. 5. 21m. Up corner and finish through loose blocks. Scramble up to large green ledge. (First ascent party camped here!) 6. 33m. Traverse left and slightly down (delicate) across the wall, across to foot of huge corner. 7. 24m. Up corner to belay on block under impending wall on left. (Rotten rock bridge to right.) 8. 18m. Out right, avoid loose blocks and up wall to (peg) stance below overhang. 9. 24m. Left across corner and up diagonally left (loose blocks). Good ledge on extreme edge. Peg belay 2m above. 10. 21m. Round corner to left and past first groove. Up second groove to ledge. 11. 21m. Up to right then from peg in small corner go up nose on left and into groove. (small overhangs). 12. 33m. Right and swing through overhangs. Left and up to peg, then go onto summit. | |||||
| John Lawrence, Dave Witham 1965 | |||||
| Stegosaurus | 17 | 145m | |||
| Climbs the buttress right of Scunge Gully to the halfway terrace. Start midway between SG and CC, below buttress. 1. 40m. Up to slab at 15m. Traverse R below steepening, then up to CC first belay. 2. 25m (crux). From below belay, move L to lip of undercut buttress, then up to base of orange crack. Now L, then steep wall. A glorious pitch. 3. 35m. Buttress to CC third belay, below the undercut prow. 4. 15m. Shattered groove to tree and ledge on L of prow. 5. 30m. Wall on L of prow starting near arete, then middle of face. Poor pro - take small SLCDs. | |||||
| Ian Brown, Greg Croft 12-8-93 | |||||
| Scunge Gully | 13 | 321m | |||
| One of the longest climbs in the 'Bungles. A good deal harder if the final chimney can't be squeezed! Start: Above the scunge (in the centre) of the north face, up scrubby gully, to chimney leading right. 1. 12m. Up to large Moreton Bay figs. 2. 33m. Delicate, then up through scrub. 3. 15m. Right towards rib, can stop in corner. 4. 24m. To large platform. Belay on rib. 5. 9m. Up left to peg. 6. 24m. Continue up to tree. 7. 18m. Long stretch to the gully and up (?). 8. 24m. Up, some rotten rock. 9. 27m. One comes to a bush!! 10. 24m. To the conspicuous chimney. 11. 24m. To a good chockstone. 12. 15m. Up chimney (13) or outside it (15), more exposed over rotten rock to stance. 13. 27m. Up, then easily to right. 14. 24m. Pleasant little walls. 15. 21m. Pleasant Sunday strolling!! | |||||
| Bryden Allen, Ted Barry 1963 | |||||
| Napawi | 16 | 273m | |||
| Pleasant and varied. Follows a series of buttresses and grooves left of SG and CC. 1. 50m. Start up SG for 20m, then buttress on L. 2. 40m. Buttress and chimney-gully on R. 3. 25m (crux). Chimney to orange alcove. Take L-most line to buttress, then up to small ledge. 4. 30m. Buttress and loose crack to base of orange headwall. 5. 20m. Traverse 6m L, then up orange groove to bottom of chimney. Loose. 6. 28m. Chimney. 7. 40m. Move R to buttress. Cracks to piton. 8. 40m. As for CC. | |||||
| Ian Brown, Greg Croft 11-8-93 | |||||
| The Mudgee Mail | 16 | 295m | |||
| Rattles around a bit but eventually gets there. Starts as for SG and finishes on Out and Beyond. 1. 35m. Up to scunge then leftwards up buttress as for Napawi. Belay at sprawling fig. 2. 50m. Continue up buttress for about 15m then leftwards on a rising traverse across brown wall. The objective is to get past the overhanging orange headwall above. The last 10m go straight up and straight left to SHB in crack (this is the top of the huge orange gash left of SG, with white bird marks just below the belay). 3. 40m. Traverse left into chimney. When it closes down, traverse left into another chimney. Up to top, step left and up to bushy ledge. 4. 50m. Move up small buttress on left then back right above overhang. Climb bushy groove or cleaner buttress to big scrubby ledge. Straight up behind ledge to belay on brown blocky wall. 5. 40m. Up left to short chimney. Up to top then up trending left to two old pitons (6th belay of Out and Beyond). 6-7. 80m. As for Out and Beyond. Rising traverse up right towards wide corner, back left to pitons on ledge below left end of overhang, traverse left below overhang into groove and up. | |||||
| Greg Croft, Ian Brown, 14-5-94 | |||||
| East Face Route | 10 | 255m | |||
| Described in Joe Friend's guide as "Not a bad face for beginners". How attitudes have changed! Who would think of sending "beginners" up a wandering 255m route Bungles these days! First climbed by Kippax, Field, Hardy in the early fifties. A route to the right of that described below has been ascribed to K. & T. Westren - there are many alternatives. Start: At south east corner. 1. 30m. Up a vertical 12m chimney then out right till stopped by an overhang. Awkwardly back into the chimney and squeeze up. 2. 18m. Scramble left to base of small corner. 3. 27m. To small ledge then on rotten rock to overhang. Left around nose then up to tree trunks. 4. 30m. Scramble around and up right into gully bearing right. 5. 27m. Buttress on right to tree. 6. 36m. Traverse left 3m into gully, thence up (18m) and traverse right to a large slab. Up right to a gully sloping left. 7. 33m. Up gully then back right to piton. 8. 27m. Up left then back right to stong tree. 9. 27m. To summit ridge. | |||||
| C.Ivin, B.Montgomery, P.Griffiths 1958 | |||||
| Dank, Dark and Dirty | 13 | 40m | |||
| Start 10m right of EFR. Dark, mossy corner tending left; poor pro. Up to pocket, then up right. Now back left to join EFR at tree. | |||||
| Malcolm Haskins, Vaughan Andrews, Mark Jansen 13-8-91 | |||||
| Unnamed | 12 | 300m | |||
| As for EFr for 20m, then rising traverse L across ISM and finally across DDC up high. | |||||
| Paul Har, Derick Maeneke 7-91 | |||||
| * * | Out and Beyond | 14 | 249m | ||
| Goes very much into "the unknown". A novel start and an exhilarating finish make for excellence though the start and finish are somewhat divorced. Start: Under north east face at its lowest point. Easy slabs lead up 60m to a prominent pinnacle best descended to from the south. 1. 24m. Climb onto the "bridge" between the pinnacle and the face via a short wall R.H. corner south of the pinnacle - vicious fight with scrub at top. N.B. This pitch may be avoided by a long traverse along a scrubby ledge, higher up from the left. 2. 36m. Most novel! From top of pinnacle, carefully bridge the 2m gap to face short wall, then a long delicate, exposed traverse to the right to a large broken boulder. 3. 30m. Upwards. 4. 30m. Right, then up through scrub. 5. 30m. General scrub-bash, or else rock to the left. 6. 30m. Magnificent rock wall to right of L.H. corner system. (See direct finish) 7. 9m. Traverse right and up delicately, to stance. 8. 30m. Traverse right, back up left to airy belay beneath overhang. 9. 30m. Cunningly avoid overhang by rightward traverse above corner. Easier to top. | |||||
| Bryden Allen, Ted Batty 1962 | |||||
| Out and Beyond Direct Finish | |||||
| The L.H. Corner System from OB pitch 6. 6a. 27m. Up the line. 7a. 48m. Up the line. | |||||
| Rich White, Paul Caffyn Apr 1969 | |||||
| Sculptor | 17 | 30m | |||
| The first route on an otherwise neglected pinnacle to the north-west of the Spire itself. Start: On the opposite (NW) side, away from Belougery Spire. Up through the obvious small roofs. | |||||
| John Croker, Rod Burek June 1976 | |||||