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Crag faces East and North. |
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Sandstone Climbing |
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IntroductionThe line of cliffs near the top of the ridge above Wondabyne Station (on the Newcastle Line). This crag (along with the two other Wondabyne crags) was a hive of activity for the (now defunct) Wondabyne Climbing Club in 1976 and 1977. The following information was taken from the 3rd edition of the club's Wondabyne climbing guide (published in 1977). The crag currently does not have any bolts - let's keep it that way. There are plenty of trees for top rope anchors, so if you don't want to lead the routes as they stand, there's still plenty of opportunity to climb here. The crag faces east, so is quite shady in the afternoon. It may be a good spot in summer (although the 15 minutes slog up the hill could suck). Please keep noise to a minimum since sound travels well in the valley, and the residents will hear any loud noise you make at the crag. |
AccessThe easiest way to get to the crag is to catch a train to Wondabyne station, the next station north of Hawkesbury River and the station before Woy Woy. The train normally doesn't stop at Wondabyne, so you will have to inform the guard when you board that you wish to alight there. Once at the station, follow the Great North Walk track left from the station and up the hill. About 100m up, where the track angles back right, head left and up to an old campsite. Head straight up the ridge behind this for about 5 minutes to reach the far left hand end of the crag (near Spite). |
The 15m high grey wall with large choss caves at the right hand end.
| * | Spite | 16 | 14m | ||
| Left of windblown cave below large bulging wall. Strenuous. Up good crack and chossy crack to small cave. Over roof (thin) and up to blackboy. Wander up the chimney behind. | |||||
| S. Hoy 1976-08-08 | |||||
| The Liar | 13 | 14m | |||
| Small corner below right arete of windblown cave (exact location could not be determined). Tricky. Up corner, over bulge to arete. Up into squeeze cave then exit left. | |||||
| S. Hoy 1976-08-15 | |||||
| * | Contempt | 15 | 14m | ||
| Better than TL. Up as for TL, but exit stage right to blackboy. | |||||
| S. Hoy, S. O'Brien 1976 | |||||
Extends north from the two gully systems. Climbs described left to right.
| Plaster Cast Crack | 10 | 10m | |||
| The wide, right facing corner with a small gnarled pine tree at base, 30m right of chossy caves. Big gear. | |||||
| P. Stallard, S. Hoy, A. Tempely 1976-08-08 | |||||
| Mightor | 14 | 12m | |||
| Line of scoops 5m right of PCC. Up to roof then hand traverse left to join PCC. Protection looks dubious | |||||
| P. Stallard 1976-09-12 | |||||
| Scorn | 17 | 8m | |||
| Very thin crack 15m right of M. Harder than it looks. Up over ledges and move diagonally right near top. | |||||
| S. Hoy 1976-09-05 | |||||
| Longfellow | 10 | 12m | |||
| Marked. Black, undercut wall, 20m left of camping cave. Up to blackboy. | |||||
| G. Peakhurst, S. Hoy 1976-08-15 | |||||
| * | Irongut | 13 | 22m | ||
| The obvious orange corner in camping cave. Better to solo off into the gully to the right after the first pitch. 1. 12m (13) Up the nice corner then traverse right to ledge on arete. 2. 10m (12) Head straight up over overhangs and up through groove in roof. | |||||
| P. Stallard 1976-11-21 | |||||
| * | Irongut (Poop Tube Variant) | 18? | 12m | ||
| Exposed! Up as for Irongut P2 to chossy cave, then traverse left (take care - some of the rock is very loose) above the sucking void. Final moves over bulge and up to top not completed (due to lack of good pro). | |||||
| Ron Garner 2001-08-19 | |||||
The prominent 20m high east facing grey wall extending away to the right of the camping cave.
| Beginner's Climb | 8 | 12m | |||
| Left hand vegetated gully of Great Grey Wall. | |||||
| P. Stallard, S. Hoy, A. Tempely 1976-08-08 | |||||
| Suzy | 14 | 12m | |||
| Up gully (BC) for 5m then step right and follow the partially vegetated finger crack (good wires). | |||||
| P. Stallard, S. Hoy, S. O'Brien 1976-09-05 | |||||
| Bionic Chook | 13 | 12m | |||
| 1m right of S. Up (thin) left of flared chimney then move right to the final crack on L. | |||||
| S. O'Brien, S. Hoy 1976-09-05 | |||||
| Layla | 13 | 12m | |||
| Head directly up chimney 1m right of BC, then up the crack above. | |||||
| P. Stallard, S. Hoy 1976-12 | |||||
| * | Tequila Powerade | 19 | 18m | ||
| 10m right of L at short, thin flake. Good sustained climbing, but the upper crux is very runout. Follows a direct line up the highest section of the Great Grey Wall, stepping slightly right near the top to the rounded groove. Take a good selection of cams from aliens up to number 4 camalot size, and I'd recommend that you place a number of equalised midsize cams in the obvious break at about 1/2 height, since they protect the next 7m or so of climbing (including the upper crux). Tree belay 20m back from the edge. Named after the cocktail that was shared by the first ascentionists after Ron came within a whisker of winging off the upper crux on the FA! | |||||
| Ron Garner, Hayden Brotchie, Peter Monks 2001-08-19 | |||||
| Farewell Miriam | 13 | 23m | |||
| 10m right of TP, below weakness in middle of the walll. Not bad. Deceptively tricky and sustained climbing up the weakness. When it peters out (at about 15m) traverse right for 7m to a ledge and a short rounded chimney. Up this to a tree belay. Desperately needs a direct finish (a line veering off to the left at the top will probably go). | |||||
| S. Hoy, A. Tempely 1976-08-08 | |||||
| Brooce | 15 | 18m | |||
| 8m right of FM. Up to chossy break in overhang, then move left 2m and up smaller weakness. Up then join traverse of FM. | |||||
| S. Hoy, P. Stallard 1977-05-07 | |||||
| Tango | 13 | 17m | |||
| Up groove and crack to overhang (as for B) then move left and up through obvious break. Follow crack with tree to top. | |||||
| S. O'Brien, S. Hoy 1976-12-04 | |||||
| Gibson | 8 | 7m | |||
| Slanting corner crack around corner right of T. | |||||
| P. Stallard, S. Hoy, S. O'Brien (all solo) 1976 | |||||