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<guide><text class="heading1" new="false"
number="null.">Sisters Beach</text><text class="Editor"
new="false"
number="null.">by Roger Parkyn, originally published in Craglets 6.</text><text
class="intro" new="false"
number="null.">The cliffs at Sisters Beach are well worth visiting. The cliff area is small but the quality of the rock and routes is superb. Unfortunately the anchors placed by John in 1992 became badly corroded within a year of so of their placement and are now un-useable. John says that some enthusiastic locals may go out and fix them up and has volunteered his drill (although not, apparently, his time) to the job. In the meantime they stand as a sad example of what happens to non-stainless bolts in a marine environment. The trad routes are still there of course and top-ropeing is possible.
The nearby beach is excellent; a good diversion from cranking. There is no legal camping at Sisters Beach although several possible sites exist. If you keep a low profile and set up in the late evening you probably won't be hassled. The camp ground at Boat Harbour is quite good but is about 10 km away.
From Sisters Beach drive eastwards along the dirt road that runs parallel to the beach. This ends after about 1.5 km. Park here. The walk takes about five minutes. Start by following the signposted track for about 100m then bear off to the left. A rough track leads around towards the cliffs (about 500m). There are two cliffs Fly Buttress and Corruption Wall. Fly Buttress faces out to sea. Corruption Wall is a little further on but is best reached via a small notch in the spur running down to Breakneck Point. To reach it follow the track up-hill about 50m before Fly Buttress. </text><image
new="false" noPrint="false" number="null." src="Sisters_Map.PNG"
width="800">null</image><text class="heading2" new="false"
number="null.">Carpark Buttress</text><text class="text"
new="false"
number="null.">This crag is on the hillside above the carpark and to the right of the walking track.</text><climb
extra="" grade="20" length="15m" name="Nose Route" new="false"
number=""
stars="*">Line just left of the nose of the buttress. Nic Deka, Neale Smith, 29/4/81.</climb><text
class="heading2" new="false"
number="null.">Fly Buttress</text><text
class="text">The topo basically says it all. Pretty much all the routes were done by Nic Deka in the late seventies. The only notable exceptions are R.Starzewski's ascent of Sunshine and S.Edwards's Wuss 'n Boots.
There are also some climbs on the sea cliffs below including Crack (19, Starzewski) which takes the thin crack splitting the clean wall round the right of the large gully.</text><image
new="false" noPrint="false" number="null." src="Sisters_Fly.PNG"
width="800">null</image><climb extra="" grade="16" length=" "
name="Fly Blown" new="false" number=""
stars="">Groove L of roof. Nic Deka, Neale Smith, Nick Williams.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="22" length=" " name="Wuss 'n' Boots" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Just to the R, through the roof. Sam Edwards.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="18" length=" " name="March Fly" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Starts up Mortein then goes L. Dennis Kearnes 1992.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="17" length=" " name="Mortein" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Groove to roof, then L line. Nic Deka, Neale Smith.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="17" length="" name="Superfly (the Movie)"
new="false" number=""
stars="***">Follow R line through roof. Nick Deka, Neale Smith, Nick Williams.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="16" length=" " name="Try, Fly or Die"
new="false" number=""
stars="">Traverse R under roof. Nic Deka, Neale Smith, Nick Williams.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="23" length=" " name="Sunshine" new="false"
number=""
stars="**">Through roofs to R. Robert Stazsewski, Tony McKenny.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" length=" " name="Pigs Can Fly" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Next crack, going L at top. Nic Deka, Neale Smith.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="8" length="" name="Fly Paper" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Broken wall R of main cliff. Tony McKenny.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="7" length=" " name="Fly Blows Aunt" new="false"
number="" stars=""/><climb extra="" grade="" length="7"
name="Fly Blows Uncle" new="false" number="" stars=""/><climb
extra="" grade="11" length=" " name="Son of Superfly (Maggot)"
new="false" number=""
stars="">Crack. Nic Deka, Neale Smith, Nick Williams.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="12" length=" " name="Midge" new="false"
number="" stars="">Wall to overhang. Tony McKenny.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="16" length=" " name="Fly Arete" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Arete and wall R of Midge. Neale Smith, Nick Williams.</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">The Keyhole</text><text class="text" new="false"
number="null.">To find The Keyhole … as you walk into the crag, Bass Strait is on your left (ie walking east). You can approach the overhanging midden cave (Dogs Coif etc) by following the path with the rock on your right (Sunshine etc) and the sea on your left and going "up and over" to get to the cave.
Alternatively, when you approach the main block you can veer right and walk up to what I have referred to as the key hole. It consists of a short ramp up to a large chock stone with a human sized passage that lets you through to the east side of the crag. From there you take a left (keeping the rock face on your left) and a short walk back down to the overhanging midden cave (Dogs Coif again).</text><climb
extra="" grade="16" length="10m" name="Battle on New Years Eve"
new="false" number=""
stars="">The climb takes the obvious overhanging arete (approx 10m high) on the block to your right as you walk up the ramp to the key hole. Natural gear (take a variety of cams - the pro is surprisingly bomber). Andrew Chang, Andrew Arnold
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" length="15m" name="Dolphin " new="false"
number=""
stars="*">Lighting bolt shaped overhanging crack 5m uphill to the left of Battle on New Years Eve. Start from the lower boulder to gain access to the lower part of the crack. Up crack to pockety rock. Three bolts to DBB. Andrew Chang, Andrew Arnold. 3 Jan 2005
</climb><text
class="text" new="false"
number="null.">I'm not sure how the routes above relate to these older routes:</text><climb
extra="" grade="22" length="10m" name="Gap Filler" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Overhanging thin crack on RH wall of the gully, just before you scramble through the gap in the ridge to Corruption Wall. Neale Smith, Mick Ling, Oct. 1982.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" length=" " name="Bulging Balls" new="false"
number=""
stars="">About 30m left of where you scramble through the gap in the ridge is a bulging roof with a triangular wall under it. Hand traverse along the triangular wall until able to pull over the bulge, then straight up the wall above. Nic Deka, Neale Smith, 17/4/82.</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">Seaside Buttress</text><text class="text"
new="false"
number="null.">Small buttress in front of Fly Buttress and by the sea.</text><climb
extra="" grade="17" length=" " name="Ling's Wall" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Wall L of gully. Tony McKenny, Mick Ling.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="12" length=" " name="Bird's Corner" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Corner on west side of buttress. Robert Hamilton, Fred Dutton.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="14" length=" " name="Right Hand Corner"
new="false" number="" stars="">FA Mick Ling.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" length=" " name="Staszewski's Crack"
new="false" number=""
stars="">Crack splitting wall R of large gully and on the front of the buttress. Robert Staszewski, Tony McKenny 1981.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="15" length=" " name="Blow Job" new="false"
number=""
stars="">On western face of buttress. Nic Deka, Bruce Cameron, Neale Smith.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="13" length=" " name="Hand Job" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Next route R. Nic Deka, Neale Smith, Robert Hamilton 12/4/82.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="10" length=" " name="Easy Ramp Route"
new="false" number=""
stars="">Easy ramp on RH side of buttress. Robert Hamilton, Nic Deka, Neale Smith 12/4/82.</climb><text
class="heading2" new="false"
number="null.">Corruption Wall</text><text
class="text">This has become a centre for Tasmanian sport climbing (yeah, I know, doesn't say much does it?). The routes added by John Fisher are brilliant. User friendly too. Fixed hangers are de rigueur and most routes have rap chains at the top.</text><image
new="false" noPrint="false" number="null."
src="Sisters_Corruption.PNG" width="800">null</image><climb
extra="" grade="14"
name="Carnal Knowledge">From an ascending grassy ramp, follow a clean cut lay-back crack. Bear right at the top. R.Hamilton.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="10"
name="Fourplay">The chimney. Tony McKenny.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="24" length=" " name="Roll on Responsibility"
new="false" number=""
stars="">Sustained overhanging crack up wall to R of Fourplay. Nic Deka, Neale Smith 1987.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="25"
name="The Purple Veined Junket Pumper">Start near The Winking Sausage. The crux is between the second and third bolts but the pump continues all the way to the top. John Fisher, 1992.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="24"
name="The Winking Sausage">Another pumper. Use a #2 friend on the way to the first bolt. Another #2 can be used after the third bolt. John Fisher, 1992.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="22"
name="Rhythm Rude Girl">Yes this one is pumpy too. A cammer can be placed in a horizontal break before the first bolt. John Fisher, 1992.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="18"
name="The Rapist">Climbs the overhanging crack in the corner. Tony McKenny.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="15"
name="Happy Hooker">Follow the thin crack in the wall right of The Rapist then traverse right to join the top crack of Nubile Nymph. Mick Ling.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19"
name="Lazy Lob">Steep and cranky. Four bolts plus a few cammers in horizontal breaks. John Fisher, 1992.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="25"
name="The Crimson Tipped Crumpet Plunger">Tweekier than the other hard routes here but not as steep. Take a few small cammers for the easy ground at the top. John Fisher, 1992</climb><climb
extra="" grade="15"
name="Nubile Nymph">Lay-back the clean-cut crack. N.Williams.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="14"
name="Gornuphere">The easy line.</climb><climb extra=""
grade="14"
name="Puberty Rites">Climb the corner. An excellent and varied pitch. N.Williams.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="14"
name="The Slit">The right wall, with many horizontal joints, is split by a deep groove. Follow this to the tree. Neal Smith.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="15"
name="The Leaky Condom">Now an excellent beginners clip-up. Six bolts. Re-bolted and renamed by John (Hilti-man) Fisher. Yes, I know, it
was a very naughty thing to do. He deserves a jolly good spanking. Tony (condom power) McKenny.</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">Dog Wall</text><climb extra="" grade="27"
name="The Dog's Coif">Independent, and just right of, the arete. John Fisher, Dec/93.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="26"
name="Dog's Knob">Way steep. A magnificent line. The climb was originally bolted by Simon Mentz who then didn't have time to work it. John Fisher, 1992.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="25" length="" name="The Butcher's Dog"
new="false" number=""
stars="">Another steep test-piece from the dude with the Hilti. John Fisher, 1992.</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">Eastern Cove</text><climb extra="" grade="15"
length=" " name="Metamorphosis" new="false" number=""
stars="">Steep crack and small roof on the largest face of this cliff. Tony McKenny, Nick Williams.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="10" length=" " name="Hard Cheddar" new="false"
number="" stars="">Slab then wall to R. Tony McKenny, Nick Williams.</climb></guide>
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