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Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Grampians	Halls Gap	(General)	(General)	[ Grampians Guide \| Images ]

Topic Date User

Where's Crock Wall? 28-Jun-2014 At 12:03:46 PM BA

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THE OBSERVATORY (PART 2)

Either as for The Workshop or down a steep gully at the right hand end of the cliff. To reach this it is best to walk right up to The Sundial lookout and continue along the cliff until it is reached, but I wouldn't recommend it (and Kieran thinks this descent is 'death on a stick').
Time from car: 40-45 minutes.
Descent: Back along the cliff top and, as it says above, or abseil?
Climbs are described from left to right.

The First Derivative 100m 16
The heavily vegetated second pitch mars an otherwise enjoyable climb. Starts in the black mossy corner beneath the prominent orange wall high on the left end of the cliff. 1. 26m Climb the corner crack until a difficult exit (crux) leads to a vegetated ramp, up this to a detached flake on the right wall. Belay on top of the flake. 2. 40m Move down the back of the flake and traverse left for 12m until able to climb up fairly easily. Continue up past a few trees to the base of a difficult-looking crack on the right. Either traverse right for 5m then up easily and back left to belay on the ledge (as led) or climb straight up the crack with increasing difficulty (as seconded). 3. 34m Bash back a few metres to the line and climb up to a large chockstone which blocks the crack. Surmount the chockstone, then onto a ledge where a clean crack line leads delightfully up the wall on the right. Continue to the top. Peter Lindorff, Kevin Lindorff, Peter Jacob. (alt) 9.12.72

Titus Andronicus 93m 17,M3
"A classy climb. The first two pitches are sustained while the last gives interesting aid moves before a free finish." 1. 26m As for The First Derivative. 2. 26m Move down left from the belay into the base of a small black corner. Climb the corner on awkward holds to an undercut flake at 7m (crux). Pegs under the bulge lead to a free exit up the gully to belay on a large detached block on the right. 3. 41m Move left along the ledge for 4m to beneath a thin crack leading straight up the orange wall. Climb steeply up for 7m to the base of the left hand crack. Move up this on a mixture of aids until you can aid the crack on the right, aid this until opposite a bush on the right. Step right onto the crack and free climb this and the short corner on the left to belay on a big gum tree on the right, scramble out. Kevin Lindorff, Peter Lindorff, John McMahon. (alt) 24.12.72

*Darius 75m 19
Starts 15m right of Titus Andronicus, on the front left hand side of the orange buttress. 1. 31m Up onto the boulder and up the little left hand corner past a small roof. Step 2m right and up the right hand corner to the ledge. Up the easy layback crack to belay on the ledge. 2. 25m (crux) Up the most obvious way until 10m above the belay. Up left using sloping holds onto the sloping ledge. Climb steeply up from its right hand end to a stance below the nose and then up the left side of the nose using 3 - 4 pegs. 3. 19m Up the right hand crack to the top. Peter McKeand, Chris Dewhirst. (alt) 16.12.72

Frutty Tutti 75m 17,M2
Starts 15m right of Titus Andronicus, on the front left hand side of the orange buttress. 1. 31m Up onto the boulder and up the little left hand corner past a small roof. Step 2m right and up the right hand corner to the ledge. 2. 25m (crux) Up the most obvious way until about 10m above the belay. Up left using sloping holds onto the sloping ledge. Climb steeply up from its right hand end to a stance below the nose and then up the left side of the nose using 3 - 4 pegs. 3. 19m Up the right hand crack to the top. Peter McKeand, Chris Dewhirst. (alt) 16.12.72

**Xerxes 72m 19
Continually interesting and varied climbing on superb scrub-free rock. The obvious line which starts at a slight undercut about 7m right of Darius. 1. 25m Up the line to exit from an undercling flake to a ledge on the left. 2. 22m Up the wall to a right ward curving flake. Up via this to belay on a small ledge beneath the roof. 3. 25m Up the thin corner and past the roof on the right. Continue via a hand/fist crack at the top. Kevin Lindorff, Peter Watson. (alt) 24.11.79