Mt Wellington Other Areas bouldering
0min to 30min
Mixed sun and shade
Sandstone and dolerite
Introduction
Mt Wellington offers some good opportunities for bouldering. Most of the bouldering in this part of the Wellington Bouldering Guide is sandstone with all boulders being close to the pipeline track.
Access
From the centre of Hobart drive up Davey Street, which becomes Huon Road. Drive through Fern Tree with the first area is off Brown's Rd (about 11.5km from the city). The remaining areas can be accessed from Neika, further along the Huon Road at about 15km from the city. There is a large carpark at Neika.
GPS
Lyre Bird Boulders
Lyre Bird Boulders are 15-20 minutes walk from the end of Brown's road.
Park at the top of Brown's Road (taking care not to park over driveways). Follow the track over the pipeline track and continue up the hill until you reach a nicely made stone water collection point (stone sump). The turn off to the boulders is around 40m past the stone sump. Look for the large fallen tree trunk to the right just past the cutting grass. Once at the tree trunk butt end you should be able to see the track markers. Head up hill for around 10mins.
The boulders are in the mountain park above a water reserve. As you might expect the rock can be wet at times. The simplest test is to check the little creek you cross just after crossing the pipeline track, if this is more than a trickle then the rock may be damp.
Lyre Bird Boulders comprise a series of outcrops and boulders. The track brings you to the main area, the next left is Flight Risk boulder followed by the Uncommitted area then finally the Warmup wall.
Warm up Area
Head left 30m past Flight Risk and uncommitted until you reach the short featured wall.
Start on the lowest left edge and the right ripple.
Right of Uncommitted is a face.
Start spanning the face.
Ten meters to the right of uncommitted is a highwall with bulgy arete and slab on it right (eastern) end.
Start on the jug and sidepull.
Mike Adams 2024
Start on the left arete, with sidepull and poor crimp.
Start on the opposing layaways 2m right of Flight Risk.
To the far right of Flight Risk, sit down start on left side pull and decent high right hand. Solid first move up to a slopey rail, and further to a small jug. Find your way to a nice crimp rail and then up over the ledge for an exhilarating top out. Adding one move for a low right hand start seems possible.
Ewan Barry (2024)
Below Flight Risk boulder is a semi-submerged boulder with a clear face.
Both hands on the edge hold.
A fun problem with poor feet.
Start with big sidepull and face crimp.
Start under the roof on the big jug and small undercling.
Start on the jug 5m right of Rehab 101, head for the undercling then the poor face hold.
Start on the hanging block.
Start on the right hand end of the hanging block.
Solitary Boulder
Park on Browns Rd then walk up to the pipeline track. Turn left and walk along the track cross the bridges 40m past the stone wall there is a small boulder beside the track near a relative clear area head off the track and uphill trending right until you reach a benched track (an old saw mill track), head left along this until it stops trend slightly up hill on a faint path follow this for 30m and you are there.
The walk from car to boulder is about 10 minutes.
Start on the rock under the roof, traverse the lip to the arete then head up.
Start on the rock under the roof. Traverse the lip to the shallow corner then top.
Wellington Falls Track
There are a few sandstone and dolerite boulders on the Pipeline Track out to Wellington Falls. The sandstone is similar to the Springs and the dolerite is 'softer' than elsewhere on the mountain.
From Ferntree keep driving towards Nieka and park at Morphet's Road. Head up the track to the Pipeline Track.
Pipeline Boulder
Pipeline boulder is about 100m from the junction with the pipeline track (5 minutes walk from the car), it is a steep dolerite boulder metres from the track on the right.
Start on the obvious jug head left to the top via the big slopes.
Sitstart under obvious jug, R hand in two-finger pocket. Bust up to jug, continue up Slipshod.
CW
Hard start leads to an interesting top. SDS just right of Slipshod Direct, L hand on good edge just above two-finger pocket, R hand on good undercling to right.
CW (with SDS only)
Hard start and middle leads to interesting top. Sitstart just left of Passing Interest, left hand on small tips underling, right on small finger edge. Up and slightly left to finish up Passport To Paradise. A better, more logical version.
CW (with SDS only)
Start on the arete and follow to the top.
Start up Passing interest and finish up Slipshod.
CW
Bumblebee Boulder
About 3km along the track there is a blue water valve where a road goes down left. About 100m further on from this after a few slight bends there is a big burnt stump and a small cairn on the right side of the track. The Bumblebee boulder is visible in the bush 10m up the hill. The approach is an easy 15 minute mountain bike ride, or a 30-40 walk (which probably isn't worth it).
Slab to the left of tree
Up through bulge on sidepulls. Project - sit start on flakes
Climb arete behind tree starting from big jug
Sitstart at flake and up using edge, don't use holds on the arete or Giant. A bit contrived but still worthwhile.
Sitstart at great pockets in scoop. Dyno up and left.
Up on far right side of face
Lucky Boulder
About 50m past the Bumblebee boulder there is a concrete culvert where a creek crosses the track. The Lucky Boulder can be seen 15m downhill.
Featured slab on downhill side of boulder
Climb the right side of the arete right of Unlucky with an awkward landing
Down about 10m from the Lucky Boulder a high ball buttress can be seen, which does not have any problems on it yet. Go across the hill for 10m to find a smaller boulder.
Up slopey arete to left of tree
Mossy slab right of tree
Man Fern Slab
Another 5m across the hill is a 6m high slab with a man fern at its left arete.
Start just left of the man fern and follow the arete up and left.
Wedge Boulder
50m downhill down the creek from the Lucky Boulder is a large boulder.
Start at corner, up through bulge and onto slab