South Sister & Tea Pot Rocks
10 mins
Vertical dolerite buttresses, up to 25m
Acknowledgement
by Ashley Mason, originally published in Craglets. 2023 updates and topos by C. Speer.
Introduction
Situated at the eastern end of the Nicholas Range, above St. Marys lies South Sister, a beautiful rocky peak rising to 832m, with transmission masts and fire tower on top. Typical dolerite crags abound on the mountain offering some excellent climbs, with a strong emphasis on cranking cracks, as well as some varied routes. The rock is generally sound, and existing routes are clean, but care should still be taken of loose rock. Most routes are naturally protected, so a full rack including hexs and cams is necessary. As the crags face different directions the decision where to climb may depend on: weather conditions, time of year, and time of day. West facing crags are best in summer, especially afternoons, whereas the eastern facing crags are good any time, especially in winter, when the cold westerlies whistle over the top of the mountain and the rock is bathed in winter sun, it is generally dry, though not recommended during an easterly. The crags have a friendly atmosphere, are a great place to perfect your jamming skills and are a good training ground for longer routes, as many cracks are single pitch yet sustained. On a clear day, views of the east coast from Freycinet to Flinders Islands, The Fingal Valley and the mountains of the North East can be gained. The flora, fauna, geology, etc. are fascinating, but that's another story, enjoy this magical place and stay safe.
History
To my knowledge, South Sister was first visited by climbers in the early 80's by K Bischoff and A Wing then later in 1984 when the party R McMahon, G Narkowicz, D Kearnes, & H Mohler etc. led some excellent lines on the largest North facing buttress; Canyon Buttress. The mountain may have received visits after this initial period, but its climbing potential was rediscovered in Autumn 1995 by myself, P Wines & P Witton, accessing new crags, cleaning cracks, and putting up new routes. Many un-described lines and problems have been top-roped, due to lack of placements or too hard.
Access
From St. Marys, go up Franks / Germantown Road opposite the pub. Follow the gravel road for about 4km until you see a turn-off turn to the left up to South Sister lookout. All outcrops are described in an anticlockwise direction around the mountain, from the main track, and climbs from left to right. From the end of the road, follow the main track. The first outcrop up to the right is "Carpark Buttress", leave the track when level with it (cairn).
Camping
St Mary's has free camping at the recreation ground which has good toilet facilities, water and showers. The pub is also great and affordable.
Crag Steward
Rock climbers please contact the Cliff Steward (fingalvalley@climbersclubtas.org.au) if you have any queries or concerns regarding social or environmental impacts of rock climbing at this crag. Do not email regarding general travel, seasonal advice, or lost property - this is not the Steward’s role. If you have important safety information to communicate (e.g. risks due to recent and large rock falls) please also consider updates on thesarvo forum, facebook group and/or online guidebooks as appropriate. Please copy in cct@climbersclubtas.org.au if you feel you have a high level concern which may imminently impact the crag or climbing community.
Non-climbers, other users, land managers: please also contact cct@climbersclubtas.org.au if you have important climbing related queries at this location.
Car Park Buttress
Access is as for Canyon Buttress. You pass straight under this cliff. The first three lines start from the grassy ledge.
Climb thin corner and face to ledge, then fistcrack to top.
Ashley Mason Oct 2004
Up steep face using twin cracks to gain ledge, lay back corner to top.
Peter & Shea Wines, Dec 1996.
Climb cracks to sloping ledge, then layback to top.
A.Mason, Nov 1996.
Immediately below is a smaller cliff.
The cleaned face at start (left side) of lower tier.
Ashley Mason & Peter Witton Feb 2005
Climbs small pinnacle via crack.
Ashley Mason & Peter Witton Oct 2003
Up chimney and out right on face holds.
A.Mason, Sep 1996.
2m from corner, a small triangular ledgr in niche is gained delicately, contiue straight up.
A.Mason (TR as no placements), Jul 1996.
Caramel Slice Buttress
This area is best accessed from the last left hand bend on the road prior to reaching the car-park. Follow a small track contouring north, passing some small outcrops, until you reach a larger crag about 5 mins away. This is the beginning of Caramel Slice Buttress.
Just before the main crag is a small face. Climb this.
Ashley Mason & Norm Selby July 2003
Climb the U-bolted sharp flake to a DBB..
Ashley Mason & Nick Hancock Sept 2011
Climb the funky and pumpy, double arete, of the small detached pinnacle below LS, to a DBB.
Nick Hancock & Ashley Mason Sept 2011
5m down on a large ledge next to a big white gum is a clean face.
Climb the face/thin crack on left hand side to under cling, to first stage, up middle of face, step left to gain offwidth crack on arete, a balancy move, but becomes easier towards the top. A beaut. Belay, same as Caramel Slice.
P.Wines, Jul 1995.
Ascend face to undercling, layback and straight up to horizontal break. Step right, onto sharp edge, gain the wide crack with difficulty and continue to the top. A harder/bolder varient is to go left from the sharp edge, onto face and straight up.
A Mason, May 1995.
Around the corner is another face.
Climb the blind crack on the right side of face to horizontal break. Move delicately up face on finger flakes, (2RPs) to top left corner.
A.Mason, Mar 1997.
10m further on is another clean face with a large flake going half way up. The left side has been top roped.
This is the first bolted climb at South Sister area. The line of bolts left of Science Circus and to the right of the big gully. 7 bolts up an arête to the rap point.
Norm Selby, Ashley Mason 13 Jul 2003.
Start as for Science Circus but head up left across the blank face to finish up hand crack. Poorly protected.
Gerry Narkowicz & Bob MacMahon 1984
Classic. Layback the RH edge of the big flake and gain the top of the leaning block. From the block climb the slabby face staying left of the shallow vee-groove. Trend right and into the base of the crack in the head wall. Up crack to finish. Take carrot hanger for slab.
Ashley Mason, Jul 1996.
Start 1m to right of chimney using small square undercling, move delicately up face to spike runner, accend slab to 2nd spike runner and continue easily to top. Spaced gear.
Ashey Mason, Jul 1997.
At the lowest point a steep, slightly overhanging face is broken by a thin crack, layback this on finger tips (crux), continue up crack and face to top.
G.Narkowicz, 1984.
First line of bolts right of J.O.T.D. 8 bolts to rap point.
N Selby, A Mason 6 Sep 2003.
Start as for Almost 27 then head right up to the same rap point.
N Selby, A Mason 27 Sep 2003.
At the right side of the cliff climb the sharp overhanging arête by ludicrous barn-door lay-backing to DBB.
Nick Hancock, Apr 2004.
Caramel Slice Buttress RHS
Photo R. Parkyn
Canyon Buttress
Canyon Buttress faces North and is split into an East and West Buttress, with many great crack lines.
Access:
Follow the main track up to the fire tower, as soon as you pass the overhanging boulder just past the memorial plaque, hop across the boulders on your right following the cairns. Go under a small cliff (Car Park Buttress) on your left, following the contour until you reach a small saddle with a small outcrop on the right. Canyon Buttress is in front of you and to your left (you are just about on top of it here). Either walk around to its base or locate a rap-station and rap-in from the top (down the line of The Way We Were).
Descent:
- East Buttress. There is a rap-station above Small Beers and Thin Books and another at the top of The Way We Were.
- West Buttress. There is a rap-station on top of the buttress above Have Hands, Will Jam. Walk-off to climbers' right is also quite easy.
Canyon Buttress East
Canyon Buttress East
Climb the obvious crack system to the top.
H.Mohler, 1984.
A delicate face climb, finishing up the righthand crack. Sparse protection.
R.McMahon, 1984.
Bridge the twin finger cracks to the top. A sustained classic.
G.Narkowicz, 1984.
Grunt up the obvious off-width crack.
R.McMahon, 1984.
Climb corner, then bridge between wide and thin cracks to top of pillar, continue to rap chains at top.
R.McMahon, 1984.
Follow the thin crack on small holds and finger-locks (awaits a 2nd ascent - and a clean).
G.Narkowicz, 1984.
Canyon Buttress West
A few metres over across the small gully is the Western Buttress. The next climbs are on its LHS.
Canyon Buttress West LHS
Delightful. From the grassy ledge in top of the gully, follow the obvious long hand crack to the small ledge, then continue directly to top.
Kim Bischoff & Adrian Wing
Climb the grim offwidth to the top of the pillar, then the good cracked face above.
Gerry Narcowicz & Bob MacMahon July 1984
A more pleasant, but runout alternative start to Knee Deep in Gore. Climb the sparsely protected arete just to the right and finish up the top crack of the original.
Ashley Mason, Peter Witton & Peter Wines Oct 1997
Start at low point, climb arête tending rightwards and on to big ledge (belay). Climb the line above through the squeeze and to the top.
R.McMahon, 1984.
2m right of Sizzling Snags climb finger crack to sloping ledge then hand crack.
Ashley Mason & Peter Witton Aug 2003
The next few climbs are on the RHS of the Western Buttress.
Canyon Buttress West RHS
A grunt of a climb up the grim offwidth.
Some Lunatics in the 80's
A classic hand crack. Either off-width the final section at the top, or step right and climb the short RHS crack (better). Rap chains at top.
R.McMahon, 1984.
Bridge between crack and offwidth edge on face holds to horizontal break, Follow crack to top.
A.Mason, Feb 2001.
Beaut layback/finger crack, becoming off-width (crux).
G.Narkowicz, 1984.
The short finger/hand crack.
G.Narkowicz, 1984.
Another short vertical hand-crack.
G.Narkowicz (solo), 1984.
Crack up pinnacle at top of Northern buttress.
Ashley Mason & Peter Witton Apr 2004
The next couple climbs are on the small overhanging crag, in front of the South Buttress. Manx Minx is the thin crack.
Attempt to climb this overhanging gritty slit.
G.Narkowicz, 1984.
Grunt up perfect off width crack to body chimney.
Fraser L-R May 2021
Absent Friends Buttress
There is one more decent buttress on this side of the mountain with a heap of good crack-lines.
Access:
Walk the track to when you're about level with the third communication tower (about 10 metres back from the last building). From here, hop over the cable tray and head down the gully to the North, picking up some faint cairns on the way for about 5-10 minutes. The track is rough, but you'll know the top of the buttress when you spot a massive cairn and trees on top of it.
Descent:
Convenient trees are located on top of the cliff as you top out and/or an easy walk-off to the right. Setting-up a fixed line is useful if you have one, for quick belay and descent.
Absent Friends Buttress
The left-hand crack. Nice finger jamming and laybacking.
Ashley Mason & Peter Witton May 2003
The second finger/hand crack.
Gerry Narcowicz & Ashley Mason May 2003
Hands, fists, off-width. Left of The Loner.
Unknown, but probably Fraser L-R (though he won't claim it!).
Fist to offwidth crack, to the right of Absent Ascentionist.
Gerry Narcowicz May 2003
Steamy bridging up the thin seam and shallow corner to a small ledge. Then step left and climb the sensational finger crack on the left.
Gerry Narcowicz & Ashley Mason May 2003
The furthest crack on the right. Nice hand jamming with some face holds.
A.Mason, Oct 1997.
About 40m up the hill and to the right (west) of Absent Friends Buttress is a neat 15m high cliff with two climbs.
Great Unknown Buttress
A metre meter left of The great Unknown is an off-width to body chimney between a pinnacle and the cliff, protectable on small cams from BD#0.3 and smaller.
Fraser L-R and Stevie B, Feb 2021
The splitter finger crack in a shallow corner. Technical flared jamming and a great challenge.
Gerry Narkowicz and Andrew Martin. 11/6/16
Dogwood, Dinosaur and Pinnacle Buttress
Approach:
Walk up the track and head to the very end where the small building is. Immediately before the building, move right onto the massive slabby boulder and duck under the cable tray to pass the building on its RHS. Follow the cairned track in a Westerly direction along the North side of the crest until you can easily pop-out onto the South side of the crest where you will see some large butresses facing South & West. These are the Dogwood, Dinosaur and the Pinnacle Buttresses.
GPS: -41.534938, 148.170633
Descent:
Dogwood Buttress - Easy trad anchor at top and walk-off the back.
Dinosaur Buttress - Trad Belay on top and walk-off. Lower-offs on the sport routes.
Pinnacle Buttress - Abseil from gear to a small ledge to start the routes and climb out.
Dogwood, Dinosaur and Pinnacle Buttress
The short line on the far left of the cliff. A desperate, gnarly flared finger crack. Initial estimate was grade 17, but turned out to be 5 grades harder.
Gerry Narkowicz and Andrew Martin. 6/7/16
Immaculate thin hand crack in middle of crag with a tough start.
Gerry Narkowicz & Ashley Mason April 2003
The awesome finger/hand crack on the right. Technical and well-protected.
Gerry Narkowicz & Ashley Mason April 2003
Dinosaur Buttress
Access as for Dogwood Buttress, but head left before reaching the Dogwood Buttress at a massive leaning rock spike to access the bigger crag facing west, opposite the pinnacle. Rap-in from a trad or tree anchor off to the side to the base of the buttress (see topo).
The unrelenting finger crack left of T-Rex.
Gerry Narcowicz & Nick Hancock, May 2004.
Climb the double cracks in a recessed corner. The left one is thin, the right one keeps getting wider.
Ashley Mason.
Nice hand crack.
Ashley Mason & Peter Witton 2001
Climb the crack that zig-zags left at about half-height. Finish as for Raptor.
Ashley Mason & Peter Witton Dec 2000
Start near the base of Aging Dinosaur but follow the bolts up into the headwall right of it.
Ashley Mason Apr 2005.
Fridge lifting arête right of Ageing Dinosaur to DBB.
Nick Hancock, May 2004.
The beautiful bolted arête at the right end of this face. The top 5m is climbed to the left of the arête.
Norm Selby 2005.
The Pinnacle
The Pinnacle is the large isolated buttress on the southern side of the mountain below Dinosaur Buttress.
Access by scrambling down beside Dinosaur Buttress, or abseil from Dinosaur Buttress and scramble across to the Pinnacle. 5m below the top of the pinnacle towards the RHS, is a ledge from which to abseil (gear belay). 25m directly below this ledge are twin jam cracks starting from a small ledge halfway up the cliff. All routes start from this ledge as the bottom half of the cliff is vegetated, but the top 25m are spearing crack-lines.
Spearing finger crack in a corner on the far left side of the buttress. A bridging testpiece.
Gerry Narkowicz and Andrew martin. 26/9/16
To the right of the Journeyman is a ghastly big offwidth. Climbs well as far as offwidths go.
Gerry Narkowicz and Kris Penn, 24 August 2019
The thin jam crack on the left below the abseil line.
Gerry Narkowicz and Ashley Mason, Apr 2004
The precise, strenuous thin hand crack on the right below the abseil line with a small roof at half height.
Gerry Narkowicz, Ashley Mason, Andrew Martin, 9 Dec 2004.
The next crack to the right, beginning as a finger crack leading to a neat hand-crack through a roof. Belay on ledge, and then lead short easy chimney to finish.
Gerry Narkowicz, Ashley Mason. Andrew Martin, 9 Dec 2004.
Lady Starstruck Buttress
From Dogwood Buttress, continue west along the ridge following the path of least resistance for about 100m. At one point the easiest way forward is to clamber down through a hole under a boulder. Immediately after the hole is a handsome buttress about 15m high on the right, facing west, with several strong looking crack lines.
The central crack which is a bit crazy, slippery and wide at times. A brutal exercise in jamming of various widths. A route never to be repeated
Gerry Narkowicz and Andrew Martin. 6/7/16
The improbable looking blank groove with several bolts. A master class of bridging technique.
Gerry Narkowicz April 2019
The major crackline on the RHS which is a bit wide and loose to begin with, but ends up as a neat hand crack. Best left in the bin.
Gerry Narkowicz and Andrew Martin. 11/6/16
The very thin seam on the far right of the cliff leadng to a ledge, followed by a neat jam crack in a corner. Great moves. First ascent was on pre-placed wires
Andrew Martin and Gerry Narkowicz. 6/7/16
Breakaway Buttress
To access this cliff, walk up the main track to the last building on the ridge. Walk down left hand gully and bear left to walk out on top of buttress. Abseil, or walk down. From the lowest point, the left hand crack system is:
Start at left side, climb up to first ledge. Climb crack using pocket on left to gain next ledge, and continue up left crack to third ledge. Follow wide crack to top.
Peter Wines, Oct 1996.
A few meters right is a thin crack, step up 1m and layback to reach lip on left and mantelshelf, and up to ledge. Delicately climb slab and up groove becoming easier, to large ledge. Follow crack above to top.
Ashley Mason, Oct 1996.
Pole 62
Huge boulder with a 30 degree overhanging face.
From the end of the decent foresty road heading out to Teapot Rocks, just before it turns into a rough 4WD track, go along the powerline easement as far as telegraph pole number 62. In the vicinity of this pole, look for a yellow tagged track and cairns heading right into the bush. Follow this path for 10 minutes up to a very steep crag with dark rock.
GPS. -41.537023, 148.168442
Left most route on the boulder. Tricky crux move at half height.
Garry Phillips 2021
Starts up Tython then traverses right after the crux. The climbing is both fingery and powerful.
G Phillips 2021
Starts up Out of the shadows but after a couple of bolts head left via the u bolts and up via a powerful sequence of moves.
Classic in my opinion.
G Phillips
One of the steepest dolerite climbs in Tasmania.
Out of the Shadows climbs the central bolted line on fixed hangers. Amazing steep and improbable climbing on large holds with a crux just before the lip.
Isaac Lethborg, June 2017
Tea Pot Rocks
This is an outcrop on the eastern end of the Nicholas Range. Drive half way up the track to South Sister then take a new forestry road heading left to its end. Go back a bit and walk down a 4WD track just below, heading west for half an hour. You'll see a big cliff off to the left. Head up easily to the cliff, arriving at the left end. A 4WD will get you within 2 minutes of the climbs.
Tea Pot Rocks
Topo G. Narkowicz
From the left side of the ledge, climb a groove, then swing right and ascend a beautiful technical face to a DBB.
Ashley Mason & Nick Hancock, Dec 2011
Tea Pot Rocks
Topo G. Narkowicz
From the R side of the ledge, climb a blank corner using the right arête, then trend left, to a tenuous move left to finish up the previous climb.
Nick Hancock & Ashley Mason, Sep 2011
Climb with increasing difficulty to a big ledge, then climb the technical upper wall.
Nick & Heather Hancock July 2014.
The following climbs are 150 metres further right
The shallow white elevator shaft about 40m left of Grey Nomads (10m left DDD) is a stunner.
Fun & tricky moves to get started, then sustained hard climbing all the way to top. Sensational movement and soft for the grade. Can also be climbed from a bottom left entry - a bit harder but same grade and not as good.
Nb: Unfortunately the bolt above the ledge is reachy to place the drawer and the move to get to it is pretty tricky so i'll fix this next trip but in the meantime a panic draw was used on FA! The falls are all safe as they are.
H Jackson 2026 (inspected, cleaned by Gerry back in the cliff heyday)
Tea Pot Rocks
Topo G. Narkowicz
On the next buttress west about 100m further is an amphitheatre of cliffs bordered by the grey arête called Last Of The Grey Nomads. The attractive line up the face on the LHS of the amphitheatre and R of the major chimney.
Ingvar Lidman 25 October 2013
Climb the square cut arête and face immediately left of the shallow grey corner of Last of the Grey Nomads to DHB. Fantastic route.
Gerry Narkowicz 19 October 2013
scramble up to a big ledge below a fine looking white arête. Classic moves up the sustained double arête to a DHB.
Nick & Heather Hancock, Ashley Mason, Oct 2011
Tea Pot Rocks
Topo G. Narkowicz
The wall below Last of the Grey Nomads (No lower offs)
Ashley Mason & Nick Hancock, Nov 2012
Tea Pot Rocks
Topo G. Narkowicz
Begin slightly on the left, with a technical start, to begin the magnificent big arête, up the crack, then exquisite moves to the top.
Nick Hancock, Dec 2012
The bolted face to the R of the big arête known as Life's Too Short. Half way up is a thin crack and the technical crux is on the arête above.
Ingvar Lidman 19 October 2013
Next right is a blunt arête beside a chimney leading to a small ledge, followed by a neat blank corner and arête above. First class.
Gerry Narkowicz 24 August 2013
The line R of the chimney, culminating in a hectic layback up the arête . Great moves.
Andrew Martin September 2013
Next R is a line of bolts starting from a prominent detached pillar under an overhang. A bouldery crux on the face above the roof, then a delicious technical groove up the centre of the face.
Gerry Narkowicz 8 September 2013
Tea Pot Rocks
Topo G. Narkowicz
Climb a perfect box shaped groove with much difficulty, then the fine technical wall and groove above to a DBB.
Nick Hancock, Oct 2011
The line of bolts up a blunt arête and just left of a wide crack. Consistently technical and fun.
Gerry Narkowicz 24 August 2013
Climb up to a short blank groove and the crux, then ascend more easily to a few thinner moves to gain a DBB.
Nick Hancock & Ashley Mason, Dec 2011
Terrific face climb in between Big Bang Theory and Teapot Crack. The crux is half way up, but the tips layback at the top is a potential heartbreaker with little for the feet.
Gerry Narkowicz April 1st 2013
Tea Pot Rocks
Topo G. Narkowicz
Climb the obvious large crack, easily at first, becoming more difficult, hand jam at half height, and bridge offwidth to finish under protruding flake.
Ashley Mason & Pete Witton, Apr 96.
Bolted arête on the far right of the amphitheatre, right of Big Bang Theory and Tea Pot Crack. Pleasant technical face climbing left of the arête with some big holds and not so big holds. For short people, two leaps of faith are required, one to get off the ledge at the bottom and one higher up the route. Rock is suspect in places.
Jemimah Narkowicz 17/2/13
From the pedestal climb up rightwards to an underct, then fridge hug up to a ledge and DBB. Use extra long slings if top roping off these anchors.
Nick & Heather Hancock, Jun 2014.
Climb the hand crack, becoming easier towards top as the crack veers left.
AshleyMason, Pete Witton & Peter Wines, May 96.
On the furthest buttress west about 30m right of the main amphitheatre is a short buttress with a neat grey shallow corner up the middle. Good, technical pumpy climbing
Gerry Narkowicz 23/8/14
Sharp gritty handcrack facing south east on back of the cliffs. It is accessed by heading up left from The Line of Parapatry.
Gerry Narcowicz & Ashley Mason Jun 2003
Ashley's Big Rock Candy Mountain
Go north and west on Dublin Town Road from the South Sister turnoff for 4km, then turn left on Lohreys Road for 1.4 km to an old 4WD track heading left up the hill, GDA 0595807 5401653. Walk up this for a few hundred metres, then head L, GDA 0595807 5401653 up the steep scrubby hill to a massive boulder, GDA 0595847 5401410.
Candy Mountain
Photo R. Parkyn
Awesome technical climbing on the left of the face.
Nick & Heather Hancock 2010
Steep start to technical slab in middle of face.
Nick & Heather Hancock 2010