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The Details: Home to some of the hardest climbing in the mountains. Also the home of quite a few sport climbing wankers, particularly on rainy days when it’s one of the few areas with a significant amount of dry rock. Nevertheless, this is an excellent sport climbing area, with plenty of climbs at all grades. The rock architecture is fascinating, with the crags being distributed for 300m along a gully which has been carved into the upper band of rock. The most striking thing though, is the angle of the walls, which overhang something fierce, often resembling the outside of a dunny bowl! Most routes overhang between 1 metre and 10 metres, and some recently added routes breach incredibly overhanging territory (but go at rather difficult grades!). If your limit is 21, you'll run out of things within a day or two, but if you're willing to get on 23s, there's scores of climbs to keep you occupied.
Unfortunately though, several places resemble the inside of a dunny bowl, with indiscrete and inconsiderate climbers shitting within metres of some climbs, and leaving shit-covered dunny paper strewn all over the ground. This is utter filth, people!
Another problem has been the prolific seeping vegetation at the base of many walls. As for Shipley Upper, the vegetation is gradually losing out, being trashed and trampled into oblivion. The 40m trench leading up to Ben Cossey's new grade 28 roof crack deserves singling out as a particularly unfortunate scar. Other routes in the area have been destroyed to allow such trenches to regrow, hopefully the unattractive nature of this route will allow the same to happen. But let's face it, practically the entire Main Wall once had lush vegetation at its base, which is at best called bedraggled these days, and is rapidly disappearing into the dust. Centennial Glen is not Blueys climbing's finest moment on the "enviro" front.
Access: 5-15min walk. The standard access is from the end of Centennial Rd (same parking as for Shipley Upper), follow the walking track (not the old 4WD trail with locked gate) down to good views of Wave Wall across the gully. Down rock steps then turn R, some routes appear within 50m (Hip Shake Jerk, etc). It's 5 mins to here (if you turn L at the bottom of the steps it's a 5min walk round to the N end of Shipley Upper). It's 10mins from the car to the Alpha Leather area, 12-15mins to the Main Wall, and about 20mins to Wave Wall. For Wave Wall and Main Wall you might also consider parking at the S end of Eveleigh St, but having done this once I wouldn't recommend it, it adds about 10mins to the walk. It's the quickest way if you're walking from the train station though.
Described from R to L, as if approaching from Centennial Rd (or from Walls Ledge & Shipley Upper).
Alpha Leather Area
Well known for it's namesake climb, a steeply (45 degrees) overhung "ship's prow" arete. Also somewhat unique for having a grade 19 route 2m away from a grade 32 route! The best climbs look to be L of AL, Wrong Movements (27) and Junket Pumper (soft 24) both look brilliant (and catch the sun from mid morning).
Billy Bunter 15m 19 (OS)
Shady until midday. Start off boulder just R of AL, clip BB then step up R onto wall. Intermittent moves up wall past 2 manky BB leads to ledge (BB). Step L to clip poorly positioned BB, then swing up L through bulge, and immediately back R to jugs up steep headwall.
** Junket Pumper 20m 24 (L)
A beautiful steep orange wall. Roar up the flake until some crimpy moves to move R to an ok dyno. The juggy headwall gets wet in rain but a jug is a jug regardless!
Main Wall
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Rather downtrodden, no wonder the bushwalkers complain about this place - so try to be nice and earn some browny points back for climbers. The routes themselves are pretty good though! Only gets sun in the late afternoon. The photo on the right is a view of the Main Wall from the walk around to Wave Wall. Nev Herrod (23) is the prow at far R (see also next photo), the climber in yellow is on Madge Macdonald (25), while Paddington (24+) follows the black and white streak towards the L end. . . .
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** Ruddy Norry 12m 22 (OS) Sweet. About the closest thing to a warm up at the Glen. It's the first route you get to after going under the waterfall (see photo on R). Mantle on shield then R up slab to BB. Tricky move, then step R to 2nd BB. Puzzling but not too hard to step R to jugs (rest), then sidepull up to crimps on R (as shown by Greg in the photo below). Clip BB from hold on lip, then undercling to get L hand up to the furthest pocket. Carefully release undercling, then hoick feet onto lip, and (crux) up to break, then jugs to top.
Ratcat 12m 24 (TR)
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* Nev Herrod 12m 23 (OS) My second 23 onsight after Split Wave (and not counting Slabmaster). But not the most inspiring route around. Punches through the round prow at the R end of the main wall. Simple to ledge, clip RB over bulge. Tricky move to stance under roof, and 2nd RB. Lean out roof to orange hold, clip 3rd, then through small R hand to crank through so-so L hand in triangle and crux lunge for jug (try not to rip it off). The photo on the R shows THE crucial moment of this route - will that scary jug stay on or not!! (Oh, and its also the crux). Everything came out nicely for me for a 23 onsight!! (Though I took a big swing on the jug!) Claw up the final jugs. And who said the Blueys is too cold in winter - all you need are the trendy tracky dacks, beanie, thermals, and ripped tartan jumper!! ;-)) Incidentally, notice the rope on the orange rock off in the background - that's Steve's rope on Larger Than Life (*** 30), which he was bolting that day.
Paddington 12m 24 (L) . . . .
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Nev Herrod (* 23) |
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* Dr Foopsickles 9m 21 (OS) Gets sun until midday. A very nice little climb, you won't believe it's 4m overhung until you lower off way out past the ledge - pumped senseless! It's actually about 50m L of the Main Wall, the first route after you cross the gully. Start up L of RB, swing R on jugs, then up off break to juggy pockets to clip 2nd RB. Swing R through thin flake and pockets, & step down to ledge for good rest. Up steeply to 3rd RB, then excellent pockets & great moves lead up to insecure break, continue to poor R hand to clip 4th RB. Steeply up to 3 finger pocket/crimp, then to crimpy break, and latch hidden jug on lip (it's right beside the rings - as shown by Peter in this photo on the R) before pumping out. It might be 20 - but only if the draws are already on! . . . . . . .
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Dr Foopsickles (* 20) |
Wave Wall
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A brilliant sportclimbing wall, offering 18 routes in the grade 21-32 range. Bring your 'draws and your muscles and have a good time. The photo on the right is a late afternoon view from the walk back to the carpark. Notice the climbers below Off the Lip (23). Unfortunately it's seen a few idiotic incidents (like most sport crags, it seems). One involved a coil of rope wrapping under the lever of a poorly attended Grigri, resulting in a 12m whipper to within 1m of the deck before something finally jammed! Don't be seduced by the ease of sportclimbing folks, because the laws of physics still apply! It faces SW and starts getting sun from about 2pm.
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* Jaws 15m 21 (OS)
My first 21 onsight for a while, and quite a nice climb too. A lot of people seem to struggle with it, but it's fair for the grade, if not soft! The far R hand route on the main face. Beware the bold start before the 1st FH. Jugs, undercling past 1st FH, then a single crimpy move to big holds beside 3rd FH. Ignore sidepull out L, go off the good hold R of the 3rd FH, to crimps, then to good crimp beside 4th FH. Out R to jug to clip (there is apparently a hidden jug out L??), then a nice move off L hand gaston in pocket, to huge jugs for chains. Overhangs by 3-4m (and the first 2 FH need replacing).
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Off The Lip (12m 23) Starts 3m L of J. Haven't done it but wanted to put up this shot of Andrew trying not to live up to the route name....  |
*** Rubber Lover 20m 25 (L) Believe it or not, its a good warm up! Start 3m L of OtL. Lovely 21-22 moves lead up the steep wall until some thin moves past the last bolt. Here's Nicole overcoming the first little roof.
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*** Split Wave 20m 22 (OS)
My first real 22 onsight! And a damn fine climb too, which overhangs by 5-6m. (It's rather pumpy if you're placing the (multitude of) draws, in which case it earns 23). Start with a little mantle to get to first roof, clip FH, then pull through jugs in lip to good sidepull. Clip here or off crimps a bit higher. Up from crimps to insecure sloper, and a big crux move off it to a good hold deep over the knob (FH). Continue up to huge undercling/flake, clip 4th FH up and L, then back to flake, and a big undercling move up and R to crimp on nose at height of 5th FH. L to sidepull, and a beautiful cross through move to ok hold, then continue to jug at back of roof. Pull out roof on juggy flake, clip 6th FH, then up from lip through good holds to juggy break. Shuffle L to good sidepull, squat on lip, then a big move up to smallish hold beside 7th FH. Clip off big jug, then continue up gr18 corner/groove, past FH to clip chain.
A view along the wall, with climber on the classic Split Wave (23). Steep wall eh?  |
And here's me cranking out the roof on a much less successful repeat! |
Hang Five 17m 21 (OS)
Will get a star once it's rebolted, which is required urgently. Start 8m L of SW. Lovely steep moves for 7m off the deck lead past dreadful loose 2nd RB - what a deathtrap! The climbing deteriorates through the middle section, which is runout unless you clip the manky coachscrew (which probably isn't worth much anyway). Good moves for the final 5m salvage a reasonable climb - motor out the very steep territory on fingery incuts past a RB to clip the DRB while hanging upside down in the roof. Take care when cleaning it, if you take the big swing you'll probably smash into the tree.
* The Tube 12m 24 (RP)
One of my few 24 redpoints, this went rather easily for me on the second attempt. I even onsighted to the last hard move and only fell off cause I didn't find the crucial pocket. Anyway, pumpy traverse start with hard-to-see feet, then some wrong-feeling moves out the roof, and up the flake past a 2 finger pocket after which the jugs appear.
© 1998-2003 Will