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Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
All NSW	(General)	(General)	(General)

Topic Date User

Warrumbungles guide 13-Oct-2014 At 2:30:19 PM NEVERCLIMBED32

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On 4/06/2012 Superstu wrote:
>I had a poke around Timor Rock a year or so ago, couldn't find much at
>all using the Colyvan guide. Mostly stumbling around in steep broken terrain
>admiring all the choss above. My conclusion was the 'tourist route' has
>long since been discretely removed by NPWS, or simply disappeared under
>moss. Would love to hear from anybody else who's poked around and actually
>found things.

A trip to the Bungles was had over the recent school hols. With four fourteen year old boys in tow, we set up a top rope on the Canyon Cliffs above the picnic area and had a crack at a couple of routes there. Following the fires, the top of the cliff has not recovered particularly well and with no vegetation to hold it all together, there was a lot of loose material which didn't take much to dislodge and was a bit of consideration with regard to anchor set up. Close to the car and with a broad range of grades to climb, it would be pretty easy to spend a day there.

Timor Rock was another story. I thought this might be a good opportunity to introduce the boy to a multi pitch route at the lower end of the spectrum. The lady at the Parks info desk replied when I queried as to the Tourist Route, "Do you know where you are going ?" I replied quoting the route description from the SRC Guide (couldn't find my Colyvan one which I've kept for all these years, just in case) " Tourist Route 80m 8, Follow your nose, or the arrows, as the case may be." She nodded and with that to conclude the conversation, we set off. To access the terrace where most of the climbs would start (?) involved some serious scrambling at the lower grades to a point where it was pretty exposed and considering I had the heir to the realm in tow we roped up and climbed about 50m in two pitches to reach the terrace which was in effect, more jumbled blocks at a lesser angle. From here, we could see a large white arrow of some age painted on the rocks below. We followed this and found another. Another led us to down climb a fairly steep crack to access a narrow path which led to another arrow and a short dirty crack with tree at the top. Arrow up, over block in gully to fig tree at half height then up, exiting gully via left wall with thread for protection (if your arms are long enough) and traverse left and up to grassy eyrie. Up easy twin cracks to desperate scramble in dirty sloping chimney to another eyrie. From here, another arrow accompanied by some words which we could not decipher lead to a menacing looking gully. The view was spectacular. The grade (8) questionable. The route unknown and with the sun moving faster towards the horizon than I considered reasonable, we rapped off and following more exposed scrambling through the lower blocks and a walk though balls high stinging nettles to cross the creek, we were back at car car just as it got dark.
How good is that feeling !
I'm keen to go back here. My advice is;
don't underestimate the access
don't underestimate the grade
don't rely that a "Tourist Route" is going to be easy. I read somewhere that it was an easy walk/scramble to the top though somewhat exposed and that a rope would give piece of mind.