Castile Crag
5-30 mins
All day sun
Vertical dolerite buttresses, up to 25m high. Mostly trad but with some sport and mixed routes.
Crag Steward
Rock climbers please contact the Cliff Steward (eskriver@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.
Castile Crag
The furthermost crag upstream in the North Esk is that of Castile Crag. The climbs are not described here so take yourself off for a bit of an adventure or get McMahon's "North Esk" guide. From the Grap Furoh carpark continue driving another 2 km to Forest Rd., a dirt road on your right. Park here. On the left side of the highway is a fire-trail heading north past a small dam. Follow this for about ten minutes until you get to a cairn of rocks on the left side of the road. Follow the orange tags downhill and downstream for another 10 minutes. The new landowners of the property near Castille Crag request a phone call several days prior to visits by climbers. Phone John Adams on 0409 393748 or 0407 393448 to arrange access.
Left face of the first section of main cliff. Starts up crack to a hanging block and finishes up thin crack and arete.
Mick Ling & Bob McMahon · From: theCrag
Shallow corner right of the first arete.
Bob McMahon & Hans Mohler · From: theCrag
Climbs the obvious left trending diagonal crack. Finish as for Buenaventura Durruti
Hans Mohler & Bob McMahon · From: theCrag
The face just right of Barcelona. Start up Barcelona and at first carrot bolt, traverse right and continue up face via 3 more bolts. A long reach at the 2nd bolt is probably the crux. Originally climbed on gear, Retro-bolted by Danny Ng
Gerry Narkowicz & Dennis Kearnes, 1993 · From: theCrag
The next corner right, Starts on a ledge and continue up a crack.
Hans Mohler & Bob McMahon · From: theCrag
2m right of International Brigade. Straight up the face with minimal pro.
Gerry Narkowicz & Marc Tierney · From: theCrag
Beautiful slabby arete. Reaching the first carrot bolt is a little scary. Gear anchor. (retro-bolted by Danny Ng)
Gerry Narkowicz & John Fry · From: theCrag
P1: The black open corner sometime a waterfall
P2: Amazing, climb left of the blocky roof through the interesting corner into the steep hand crack. Tree belay
Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
Furthest route left above Francisco Ferrer, climbs through roof via thin crack.
Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
Line of carrots up right arete and face with a medium/small cam in the crack.
From: theCrag
Corner left of the second pitch of HTC quite dirty at the moment.
Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
P1: Corner right of the first pitch of HTC
P2: Technical jambing through thin roof crack above
Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
Next buttress right. The line on the left face not the offwidth. Blocky face to a fist crack, then a hard finger crack
Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
Next Buttress right, before the central amphitheatre. Begins under roof and climbs through thin bulgy crack
Neale Smith, Gerry Narkowicz, Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
Amazing arete on left end of amphitheatre. Starts on orange rock and follows juggy arete and crack to the top.
Neale Smith, Mick Ling, Gerry Narkowicz & Bob McMahon · From: theCrag
Twin cracks right of the orange face.
Bob McMahon, Neale Smith & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
A fair way right of Bilbao is a right leaning corner. Awkward.
Neale Smith, Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
In the central recess, the left of the two attractive thin cracks about 10m apart. Good jambing through bulges
Mick Ling, Bob McMahon & Neale Smith · From: theCrag
The right of the pair of thin cracks. Neat fingerlocks with a long reach between underclings. Abseil from ledge
Bob McMahon, Gerry Narkowicz, Neale Smith & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
Starts on the left edge of the prow right of Ebro. Towards the top move around the arete and layback around the roof.
Gerry Narkowicz, Neale Smith, Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
The precise, thin corner capped by a roof.
Bob McMahon, Mike Cassidy & Marc Tierney · From: theCrag
The face with a roof right of Janos. Takes the very thin left crack through the roof, some long reaches, strenuous and difficult to place pro. Finishes up a lovely crack in an airy position.
Bob McMahon · From: theCrag
The right crack nearer the arete, Pulls through the roof using a loose looking flake. Use hand crack and intermittent cracks on the arete.
Gerry Narkowicz, Bob McMahon & Neale Smith · From: theCrag
The next decent line right is a corner with a hand crack. From the ledge continue up the wide crack.
Bob McMahon, Gerry Narkowicz & Neale Smith · From: theCrag
Around the corner is another amphitheatre.
P1 (22): Left wall of amphitheatre up a right slanting corner
P2 (19): 2m right on the ledge, a superb finger crack
Bob McMahon, Mick Ling & Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
2 lines left of the 2nd pitch of MM. Great climbing up thin seam
Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
The line left of MM's 2nd pitch. Begins at an overhang.
Bob McMahon & Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
The prominent central line of the amphitheatre splitting the face right of MM
Gerry Narkowicz, Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
On the right wall of the amphitheatre is a widening crack that used to have a she-oak growing in it.
Mick Ling, Bob McMahon & Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
The arete right of MTS. Turns a roof onto steep slab.
Gerry Narkowicz, Bob McMahon & Mick Ling · From: theCrag
The Furthest line left starting on a narrow ledge. The arete right of the top of SOTNC and left ASU. Exposed and technical face and arete climbing
Neale Smith, Bob McMahon & Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
Thin right trending line up orange wall left of a chimney.
Gerry Narkowicz, Neale Smith & Bob McMahon · From: theCrag
Clean sharp crack on right of buttress
Bob McMahon & Neale Smith, 1983 · From: theCrag
Finger crack capped by a roof at 4m. After the roof the route is unprotected until the handcrack.
Mick Ling, Bob McMahon & Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
Face on the right end of the cliff with intermittent thin seams. Excelent pro.
Gerry Narkowicz, Cameron Evans & Bob McMahon · From: theCrag
50m right of Caprichos Crag. Face with thin seams in the middle, widening to a finger crack.
Bob McMahon, Cameron Evans & Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
The face of the first pillar. Lead on 2 pre-placed pitons
Gerry Narkowicz, Bob McMahon & Cameron Evans · From: theCrag
Thin Seam up the face of the second pillar with a bolt at 2/3 height.
Norm Selby & Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
Short finger crack to a horizontal on the 3rd pillar. Climb this by palming off the offwidth to the right. Then climb the face above using the crack for gear and an occasional layback move
Gerry Narkowicz, Cameron Evans & Bob McMahon · From: theCrag
Climbs the offwidth and the big loose block on the right of the thirs pillar and GITMC
Bob McMahon, Cameron Evans & Gerry Narkowicz · From: theCrag
Thin seam on left side of the 4th pillar. Unprotected boulder problem to gain the thin crack.
Jeff Hall · From: theCrag
Crack up right hand side of 4th pillar
Gerry Narkowicz & Norm Selby · From: theCrag
The finger crack right of the arete on the 6th pillar.
Gerry Narkowicz & Norm Selby · From: theCrag
The 7th pillar or the furthest right. Up thin crack.
Gerry Narkowicz & Norm Selby · From: theCrag