- CCT Public Page
- [CCT Members Area]
Far North Area
|
| ||||||
Introduction | There are a number of smaller buttresses to the north of the main cliffs that provide some OK climbing, with Johnson knob being a novelty pillar, and Upper Reaches buttress being larger (40m) and hosting some good routes. | ||||||
Access | Access to Toy Town and Johnsons knob is via the Northern Buttress track. Where the track meets the base of the Lower Northern Buttress (see Northern Buttress sketch map), go up R and follow a rough track around the northern side of Toy Town buttress and scramble uphill to the spire of Johnstone's Knob. Access to DNA and Upper Reaches Buttress is from the top car park following the red dot track. |
Toy Town
Toy Town is a group of four small buttresses immediately R of Northern Buttress Lower Cliff. The routes are entertaining, with easy access, and are described R to L. Descend via the central gully or lower off Nancy Boys.
1. | We Can Jam Too | 12m | 18 | ||
Steep and potentially strenuous if you get it wrong. Start up the crack then follow the arête before moving L into the crack again when your feet are level with the horizontal feature. Jam the crack to the top, making full use of the arête. Abseil off. | |||||
J. Fischer, J. Robinson, May 2005. |
The next climb is on a small subsidiary wall immediately above Child's Play. Scramble up the gully between Nancy Boys and Child's Play for 4m, then turn L and up to the base of the crack, by a small sassafras tree.
★ 2. | War Toy | 10m | 21 | ||
A bomb waiting to drop. The obvious line up the centre of the middle buttress, just L of Child's Play. Climb up thin cracks just L of the arête and move carefully past the semi-detached spike to a hands off rest on top. Step off L and climb the wall above. | |||||
D. Stephenson, J. Otlowski, Apr 1989. |
★ 3. | Child's Play | 10m | 20 | ||
Surprisingly insecure moves at the top. The RH arête of the largest (middle) buttress. Start on the LH side of the central gully and climb up the arête and the shallow corner above. | |||||
D. Stephenson, J. Otlowski, Apr 1989. |
★ 4. | Nancy Boys | 10m | 21 | Þ ↓ | |
An amusing encounter found on the arête L of Boys Toy. Start on the RH side of the central gully that leads to We Can Jam Too, and climb the arête mostly on the LH side via three bolts to a rap station. The ridiculously hard crux is the first few moves immediately off the ground. | |||||
R. Parkyn, Apr 1992. |
★ 5. | Boy's Toy | 8m | 20 | ||
Could be dangerous. The next buttress L (second from the R). Move R across the face and climb the R arête past a large hollow flake. | |||||
D. Stephenson, J. Otlowski, Apr 1989. |
6. | Virgin Boys | 7m | 17 | ||
A pleasant sojourn on the far RH buttress. Climb a short crack on the L edge, step R and up to the top. | |||||
Phil Steane (solo), Aug 1982. |
Johnstone's Knob
A number of short routes exist on outcrops in the Johnstone's Knob area. All routes can be located easily from near the Knob. Descend via the rap stations above the bolted routes, walk off or tape abseil the rest.
The next two routes are found on Pipedream Buttress, a small buttress about 40m uphill and southwest (L) of Johnstone's Knob.
7. | Shelter From The Storm | 20m | 17 | ||
The other route on Pipedream Buttress. Climb the crack line around the arête L of Pipedream. Tricky. | |||||
K. Kiernan, Nov 1975. |
8. | Pipedream | 15m | 16 | ||
Climb a steep hand crack on the RH face past some difficulties in the mid section. Abseil off. | |||||
D. Bowman, R. Wells, Dec 1977. |
The next route is on a small face about 30m south (L) of the Knob and at the same level.
★ 9. | Sergeant Slaughter | 12m | 21 | 4Þ ↓ | |
Pleasant climbing. 4 bolts plus rap station. | |||||
G. Phillips, Oct 1995. |
★ 10. | Great Red Pointer | 12m | 19 | 3Þ ↓ | |
Bizarre climbing up the side of the Johnstone's Knob that faces Northern Buttress. Involves using the arêtes on either side, sometimes simultaneously. Has three glued carrots. | |||||
R. Parkyn, 1993. |
★ 11. | Johnstone's Knob | 12m | 12 | ↓ | |
The prominent 12m spire that casts a spell on climbers and entices them over. There are several ways to the top. Rap station. | |||||
Unknown, Sep 1961. |
Upper Reaches Buttress
Style: It is remarkable that this sizable buttress was overlooked for so long. All climbs are of good quality, well-protected trad routes (mostly 1 pitch). Bringing 2 ropes allows one line to be fixed and routes to be repeated in succession.
Location: The top of this buttress is situated between Upper Northern and DNA buttress. While the buttress is readily visible looking north and downhill from the top of Numbwaiter on the Upper Northern buttress, it is best accessed from Cossack column following the red dot track.
Approach: Approx 15-minute walk from the summit car park. Follow the Amphitheatre track 1 minute past the top of Cossack Column, then turn northward onto the 'red dot' bushwalkers track (1 minute before the Amphitheatre anchors). Follow the red dot track for 5 minutes, passing two easy down-climbs as the track drops below the DNA buttress. From the base of the second down climb (approx 2m drop), leave the track, turning south (right, when facing out from the cliffs) for 5 m, then up under a large Hakea and onto the top ledge (about 15 metres in total from the red dot track). If you encounter a chain ladder, you have gone too far.
Theoretically, one could bash up to the cliff base from Johnstone's knob, but this is definitely not recommended (thick bush, and wrong turns possible). But this is also a reasonable way to access the abseil ledge of the UR buttress if needed.
Access: abseil into the climbs from the large ledge atop the first pitch is recommended.
Location: The top of this buttress is situated between Upper Northern and DNA buttress. While the buttress is readily visible looking north and downhill from the top of Numbwaiter on the Upper Northern buttress, it is best accessed from Cossack column following the red dot track.
Approach: Approx 15-minute walk from the summit car park. Follow the Amphitheatre track 1 minute past the top of Cossack Column, then turn northward onto the 'red dot' bushwalkers track (1 minute before the Amphitheatre anchors). Follow the red dot track for 5 minutes, passing two easy down-climbs as the track drops below the DNA buttress. From the base of the second down climb (approx 2m drop), leave the track, turning south (right, when facing out from the cliffs) for 5 m, then up under a large Hakea and onto the top ledge (about 15 metres in total from the red dot track). If you encounter a chain ladder, you have gone too far.
Theoretically, one could bash up to the cliff base from Johnstone's knob, but this is definitely not recommended (thick bush, and wrong turns possible). But this is also a reasonable way to access the abseil ledge of the UR buttress if needed.
Access: abseil into the climbs from the large ledge atop the first pitch is recommended.
12. | I wanna know for sure | 20m | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
H jackson and J Spencer March 2025 |
★★★ 13. | Wild thing | 30m | 22 | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
J Spencer and H Jackson March 2025 |
★★ 14. | The Upper Reaches | 40m | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
H Jackson and J Spencer (Alt) Dec 14 2024 |
★ 15. | Lanceolata | 15m | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
H Jackson and J Spencer March 2025 |
DNA Buttress
DNA Buttress is a small buttress most easily reached from the summit car park by walking down the red dot track for 3 mins from the intersection with the Ampitheatre track. Contains several short lines. The most prominent is Gear Freak, the corner crack. Descend to the L.
16. | Pancakes | 8m | 12 | ||
The flake on the wall L of Simple Minds. | |||||
Unknown. |
17. | Simple Minds | 8m | 8 | ||
The shallow corner chimney 4m to the L of Rheumatism. | |||||
Phil Steane, Oct 1982. |
18. | Rheumatism | 10m | 19 | ||
Anti-inflammatory medication might help! The thin line up the arête to the L of Gear Freak. | |||||
S. Parsons, P. Bigg, D. Fife, Feb 1982. |
★ 19. | Gear Freak | 10m | 16 | ||
Ten metres of pure joy that ends prematurely. The hand crack in the prominent corner immediately L of D.N.A. Gets wider as you go. | |||||
S. Parsons, P. Bigg, D. Fife, Feb 1982. |
20. | D.N.A. | 10m | 15 | ||
Just R of Gear Freak is a line with a suspended blade 3m off the ground. Climb to the blade and up the wide crack to the top. | |||||
D. Bowman, R. Wells, Dec 1977. |
21. | Adolescent Drifters | 15m | 14 | ||
The off-width crack 6m R of D.N.A. | |||||
Phil Steane, D. Fife, 1982. |
Overview
Content Tools