> Will's Climbing Page > Crags > Black Hill

Black Hill

A surprisingly pleasant area, which offers only a small number of routes, but most of them are very pleasant. From the carpark, walk through the gate (or over the stile) then immediately turn L and follow the fairly flat path N around below the hill. After about 500m the path will rise up to a saddle, with the Northern Lookout signposted to the L. Turn R here and continue ESE up the ridge until the signposted Eastern Lookout to the L. Follow it over to the rocky outcrop on your L. From here, the PUMB is 100m down and slightly L, and the crag continues around to the R (facing out). Follow various gullies easily down between the boulders.

Pumping Ugly Muscle Boulder

Offers a handful of surprisingly good routes, 2 steep wall routes, plus 4 nice easy slabs.

** Barefoot and Pregnant 23m 19 (OS)
The stylish R arete of the slab with 3 bolts. Necky start to first bolt, but it's fine cause the climbing is only about 13/14 on good edges. Continue smearing and crystal pinching past 2 more bolts (it's like doing nipple cripples all the way!! :-) ). A good climb though doesn't seem harder than StS, perhaps an extra metre or two of sustained slab or the runout start is what makes the difference.

Here's Aaron about to get to the first bolt.
Barefoot and Pregnant

And here's a view of me mid-crux, at the second bolt. This is really a nice climb for the upper 2 thirds!
No I don't have a big ass, it's the tree!!

And Aaron nearing the end of the crux section. Sink the Sausage (solid 18) goes up the nice smooth wall about 2-3m to the L of the arete.
Nice big face huh?

A few years later and this time it's Al's turn to run it out to the first bolt on Barefoot and Pregnant.

A different angle (at last!). Al mid crux on Barefoot and Pregnant. Bon Voyage and Pumping Ugly Muscle go up the vertical face on the right.
Nice big face huh?

** Sink the Sausage 21m 18 (OS)
3m L of BaP. Excellent climbing, though quite lichenous as a result of seeing little traffic (don't ask me why, cause it's great!). 3 bolts is enough pro but little enough to keep you sweating!! Nice moves between edges down low, then crystals and smearing for the top half, great stuff.

* Long Neck Stubbies 18m 16 (OS)
6m L of StS. What great Aussie names for climbs!! :-) Nice slab moves between good edges on exfoliation flakes until a few friction moves at the top. Friction on this one is awesome and the crystals are all really solid, so it felt pretty easy for 17 compared to some other granite slabs I've been on!!

Here's a shot of me doing the last hard move. Notice where some large exfoliation flakes have come off. It's not too bad, but something to be aware of. Heather is seconding Deceit (14) just to my left.

* Deceit 18m 14 (YP)
Excellent intro to the wonderful friction on this boulder. 3 bolts up the L side of the slab. Fewer edges and more friction moves than LNS, though being slabbier keeps the grade down.

Milawa Boulder

Kevin battles his way up the unfinished project of (Acid Rain direct?)
thin!

** Havoc 20m 23 (L)
An excellent sport route which unfortunately, after lots of great edge climbing up a vertical wall, has to have a crystal pulling crux!

** Milawa 20m 17 (OS)
Another good 'un.

18 left of Milawa

14 left again

crap 17 R of S&S

Kevin nears the top of the lovely Scratch and Sniff
great seam

Northern Group Lower Tier

Fear of a Black Planet 20 (OS)

Work the Meat 21 (YP)

Kevin showing how its done on Work the Meat
more slabbbbbbb

Mushroom Rock

A crap view of a surprisingly good route. The tree ain't so bad despite appearances, and then the steep prow above just keeps giving you bucket after bucket! Pull the Ripcord.
great stuff

Ultra Violet Tor

Al gettin' funky on Ultra Violet.
great stuff

Kent luvin' that funkiness on Ultra Violet.
great stuff

Hollow Rock

Cheesecake 6m 12 (YP)
The thin crack just R of the arete - waste of time but someone needed a second. The R route in photo below.

Loose Leaf 7m 14 (OS)
The thin crack up the almost vertical wall just L of the arete - steep for a granite 14, but ok. The middle route below. Richard's head is visible on Facing Page (16) just behind.

How many climbers does it take to climb a boulder?

Facing Page * 8m 16 (YP)
A nice steep face climb on good holds including some funky quartz crystals in pockets. Visible on the R of the photo below.

Binder 9m 19 (RP)
Only 1 bolt but it's not too bold. 16ish face moves to bolt, then crux up and L to a juggy dyke arete, I missed a crucial hidden pocket here on the OS attempt and went too low to the arete, sliced open a fingertip while scrabbling to stay on then had a swinging fall. This shot is when I got it clean (the fingertip *and* the route!).

The Donkey That Bolted 8m 19 (OS)
Directly opposite Binder. Hard pull onto rock from nearby boulder, then thin vertical face moves. Quite nice really. The direct start would be about 25/6 so I didn't get far.

Virgin Summit Tor

Dicky Knee's Dihedral 12m 21 (tried)
Tried to TR after it looked nice on rap, but couldn't get off the ground. Looks like a crucial foothold is gone. Either that, or the route name suggests use of some shady aid (to Hey Hey it's Saturday fans). Being perched on a stick would probably reduce the first move to 21.

Panda-monium 9m 17 (OS)
Hard start then up past 2 bulges each with a bolt.

Russell's Megaroute 9m 16 (OS)
Easy start onto flake then slab moves past the lone bolt to an inconsistent runout finish.

Slab L of RM 9m 16 (YP)
Nicer than RM! With one bolt it'd turn out to be a nice 16.

Sticky Fingers 10m 18 (OS)
With 4 bolts it's ridiculously overbolted by Black Hill standards. Plenty of nice moves though.

More Internet Sites on Black Hill

Chockstone An excellent site for most Melbourne and Victorian crags including Black Hill.

TheCrag.com As always. Record your Black Hill ticks here, and see what everyone else is climbing.