Camel's Hump

Access: 3min walk. It's a 45min drive from Melbourne city, follow the Calder Fwy then take the well signposted exit to Mt Macedon (2km after several turn offs for Gisborne). Follow this road to Mt Macedon village then steeply uphill for a few more kms to turn L towards the Tea House. The carpark is 500m along this road on your R. The track goes past the climbing sign at the L end of the carpark, the walk-in is miniscule, about 300m and flat. It takes you to the lower section of the crag, the Omega Block becomes obvious about 80m uphill. There's a well-made track leading up to it.

Descent(s): Mainly rap chains (know how to thread!), but some walk-downs too.

Omega Block

* Wishful Thinking 18m 16 (OS)
A nice steep problem for the grade. Start as for W(DS) then step R at 8m to a nice vertical wall (marked WT). The bolt is stupidly positioned requiring a detour to clip it then downclimbing to step R back on route. Anyway, 2 thin moves about 2m R of the bolt leads to a series of jugs for 6m past a wire to the top.

Wishful Thinking.

* Witch (Direct Start) 18m 18 (OS) Just to be predictable in my route descriptions .... this is Victoria's first 17. Quite a difference between this and the 300m Lieben, NSW's first 17! Anyway, it's the obvious crack at the uphill end of Omega Block, on the R of this photo. Often greasy, but even when dry it's harder than 17. I've done gr19 cracks with more ease. Slightly overhung jug hauling at about gr15, with plenty of gear, leads to some rests through mid-height. The top section is a nice 8m crack, with some big pods for hexes, then a more steeply overhung off-fingers corner section being the crux, with no faceholds. Three consecutive handholds of horrible off-fingers with no feet, until you slot a sinker jam and it's all over (relatively speaking - you're still on a 10deg overhung crack!). With a crux four grades harder than the rest it's not a particularly pleasant route, but it earns a star from me for offering a good short off-fingers problem. Everyone seems to give it 3 stars but they must be blinded by their beards or something. (Marked Wi). *** Warlock 22m 19 (OS) A bloody classic. Use double ropes or drag will make the traverse and headwall a lot harder! Start up Witch Direct Start, then traverse L around Boogie's arete and across the bowl/slab with awesome balancy moves on ok feet but very few handholds, perched about 10m up an otherwise overhung wall! Great position! Sustained finish up the 7m slightly overhung wall past 2 manky carrots on hard-to-find holds to chains. (Marked Wa).

Omega Block, with a lady just finished toproping Boogie Til You Puke (21). Climber on L is low on Broomstick (23)

* Boogie RHV Finish 20m 23 (L) Can also be done as a LHV finish to Witch, though at much less consistent difficulty. Anyway, from the good half height rest on Boogie, don't step left but instead climb the thin face L of the crack of Witch and R of the arete of Boogie. It squeezes into Witch at the small upper roof, then is more independent over the lip where very hard moves get you established on the headwall. A good problem to hurl yourself at. ** Boogie Til You Puke 20m 21 (RP) A fantastic route, just about the steepest route here, and goes up the highest part of the crag. About 5m L of Witch. Overhangs about 4m in total. A fingery start through consecutive bulges has you pumped before you even clip the second FH. Then it's a tenuous sequence of gastons up a thin crack with poor feet (tricky clip of 3rd FH), until a bit of a crank gains some jugs (RB) for a breather at half height. Swing L 2m on jugs with crap feet to the arete proper for a slightly over vertical and very thin 5m sequence past a RB, a pumpy clip of the final RB, and 2m of more thin moves before it finally jugs up to the DRB lower-offs. Close to the best route here, pity about the dumb name. (Marked BtYP in the photos above) Boogie Til You Puke Direct 7m 25 (TR) 7m of independent climbing from the original. From the jugs at the 2nd FH of BtYP, instead of trending R into the gaston crack, move straight up to be standing on the jugs. A thin traverse L to the arete (RB), then some very non-obvious moves briefly up the arete to to the next RB. Crux moves back up R up a flake past a RB to rejoin BTYP. . . Boogie Direct (25) Steve on the lovely top arete shared with the original.

Boogie Direct (25) - Steve beginning the crux with a heinous reach through to an undercling Boogie Direct (25) - Steve braces for the last hard move. Note the crack of Witch on the R. Broomstick is on the sunlit L side of the arete.

* Broomstick RHV 22m 24 (TR)
Threw a toprope on this one day and discovered it's a nice line which really should be salvaged for modern consumer needs. Starts as for the first three bolts of Broomstick, but breaks right just below the 3rd bolt to follow a steep vague arete up to a jug at foot level on the Warlock traverse (old carrot here). Then step slightly R into the delicate "bowl" on Warlock, and break up over the bulge via some tough moves (retrobolt needed here), and continue up the easier though somewhat mossy face past the pin on Powder Hound (needs replacing) to the summit jugs (needs a rap anchor). Might even deserve 2 stars once all this work has been done and some traffic has cleaned up the headwall.

* Broomstick 21m 23 (YP)
A very nice route. Well known for the bouldery start, originally done statically by Mike Law using cross throughs on the crap intermediates (!!), but a bit of lunging for the better holds made it go much more easily for me! Anyway, snag the far R hold, crank up L to a flat edge, then big jugs beside 2nd RB. Thin moves between regular jugs lead up the steep wall above. (Marked Br in the photos above)

* Bewitched 20m 24 (PP)
Easily 2nd shot. And yes the crux is the same as Broomstick and yes they deserve different grades (this one is more sustained). A really good route provided you can get past the bouldery shared start.

* Bloodline 20m 22 (OS)
Pretty tough little 22, take care with 2nd and 3rd clips. (Marked Bl in the photos above)

Lola V 20m 22 (TR)
Ok climbing but a complete waste in its current mossy runout state. Sorely in need of a retrobolt - Camels Hump needs as many consumer classics as it can get, there's just not enough rock around Melbourne to waste it on death routes like this which will only mould away under the moss. 1m L of B. Best to join B at its 3rd bolt instead of climbing the crud above.

** Powder Hound 25m 21 (OS)
Start as for Evil Brew but at 5m break R across the chimney-groove and trend diagonally R up across the upper part of this great face all the way to Boogie's last bolt and finish up the arete. The pro is a real pain at the start, especially if you want to avoid drag... (yet another reason to retrobolt Lola V). Anyway, once you've clipped the 3rd bolt on Bloodline it's a frickin' beauty and shows you what the upper parts of Satanic Verses etc are like, and the climbing is just great. Absolutely definitely worth doing.

An Evil Brew 9m 19 (OS)
Short routes are always sandbags...and this one is no exception. Bloody thin past the bolt to the top.

Wee Ripper 9m 17 (OS)
2nd route L of the chimney at the L end of the main wall of the Omega Block. Whizzed up this ahead of a fast approaching thunderstorm. (Marked WR in the first photo above)

Lower Tier

* Split Images Direct Finish 15m 19 (OS)
Gets 21 in the guide, perhaps that's for the impossible-looking moves directly through the roof? Start up easy slab then step R to base of groove. Tricky rockover move (~17) past the first RB gains a thin slab past 2 more RBs (~16) to the roof. RB on lip protects a step L to an undercling and then crux sidepulling over the lip to a stance under another bulge. Step R under this bulge to an easy but airy reach over the bulge, slot a cam behind a dodgy flake and then haul onto the short headwall to chains.

** Poxbow 18m 17 (OS)
Up the slab then past 2 RB to the roof as for Split Images, then swing R around the arete and up steeply through the bulges on humungous buckets.

Sox Glo 15m 16 (YP)
Good natural pro. Starts up the front of the narrow buttress, 30m L of the track up to the Omega Block. Up obvious easy slabby crack, then steeper shallow corner with delicate cramped stemming to the bulge. Step L and up nice vertical arete to chains.

* State of Shock 15m 19 (OS)
The brushed corner 8m L of Oxbow. 10m up easy juggy slab R of the wide crack, or better yet do the LHV start up the arete just L of the crack past a single BR, as shown in the photo below. Either way it's a little runout on easy ground into the corner, which is quite slabby but really blank for the final 6m. The RB protects the first hard move (the corner is fused so no gear), but then you have to run it out about 4m on lovely delicate moves. Probably only 18/19, but the runout justifies a bit of overgrading.

Peter on the much better LHV start to State of Shock.

And on the crux of State of Shock.

Keystones 20m 17 (OS)
2m R of the groove/trench ("No Joy"), and about 15m L of Oxbow. Scramble 12m up easy (gr3) gully/slab to the base of the nice 8m wall on the L of the gully. Cams, and sling the big jug. A tricky but juggy overhung pull onto the undercut wall eases off to vertical moves on good holds, past 2 RBs to chains.

Aaron on Keystones (17), in the background. Closer, Alison is near the top of Sox Glo (16)

Sluts Have no Honour 12m 21 (OS)
Another short sandbag. No stars from me either - it's sorta worth doing but I really didn't see much merit in it.

* Slut's Honour 18m 23 (OS)
The first bolts R of Grey Arete. Would get 2 stars from me if the first bolt(s) were better positioned (one 2 foot higher, the other 2 foot lower)! As it is, you probably want to preclip the first bolt(s) while rapping off Grey Arete. Really nice the whole way, reachy thin stuff up to the bolt, then a series of committing long reaches between small positive sidepulls gains a good break for gear, about 4m above the bolt, by which point you're pumped senseless from all the crimping but can recover. Another break a little higher offers a better rest, then a big reachy crux crank off the break past the final bolt gains a little positive crimp below a 15cm roof, with a delicate move off the crimp to a better hold over the lip. 2 more big reachy moves gains the exit slab, nice and airy about 2-4m above the bolt but on good positive holds.

** Grey Arete 25m 10 (YP)
A lovely route with great trad gear. It's the Piccolo-esque rib/arete about 50m L of Oxbow. The final bulge is quite hard. Step R to rap chains.

An arse shot looking up Grey Arete. The vertical wall on the R houses Slut's Honour etc.

Eastern Wall

Access by parking about 300m beyond the turnoff to the main area at a firetrail. The rock is visible from the cars, wander up. Yes, you're in the right place, and no it doesn't look that good - because it's not. Russell 1 12m 15 (YP) Pleasant enough with good pro. 5m L of SJ. * Space Jugging 15m 15 (OS) Best thing here but wouldn't get a star at many crags. I rather liked the patch of lawn from which to clip the first bolt though. . . . . .

Eddy on the crux of Space Jugging (15), with a shirtful of breeze