Mt Alexander

The Details: An ok crag (by Melbourne daytrip standards)....worth keeping in mind.

Access: 3min walk, 90min drive from Melb.

Dog Rocks

The Courtyard

* McDogs 12m 21 (OS)
On the L (uphill) side of the courtyard a tree is close against the L end of the 12-15m face. The gear is good but needs care. Bridge up tree to ledge (masochists may elect to jam the steep nasty crack start instead), then step L to thin flake/crack. Sew it up with wires, then a short tough fingery section up into the top slot.

** Scottish Reign 15m 24 (YP)
Definitely the best route here. At the R end of the uphill face of the courtyard is an unmistakeable thin flake/crack leading to a short finger crack. The crux is probably the intense fingery layback moves off the ground to establish a L toe on the first little edge of the flake, about 8ft off the ground. Continued hard fingery laybacks lead up the flake, footwork on the nonexistent footholds is crucial. A sharp finger jug is reach 5ft below the horizontal, with a hard semi-mantel/gaston move gaining the horizontal and much easier finger crack finish. This felt quite easy for 24 on toprope, but no doubt leading it would be a different proposition altogether.

James starts up Scottish Reign (24). In the background, the obvious deep crack next to the tree is Dick McGinty (19), while McDogs (21) is the barely visible thin crack 2m L of that.

James bears down and shows the strain on the cruxy start of Scottish Reign.

Ben's turn on Scottish Reign (24).

Ben models the nice easy finger crack finish to Scottish Reign.

R Arete of Bouldering Slabs 9m 12 (OS)
Not in the guide but quite a good offering by Mt Alex standards. Across the Courtyard from McDogs is the Bouldering Slab, a short 4m slab often used for smearing practice. This route takes the R arete with 2 BBs. Step off the block at the R (N) end of the Bouldering Slab to gain the ledge. Clip (overly low) BB then a slightly committing step R onto rounded arete. One more nice move up to the 2nd BB, then easy (but still fun) slabbing up past the tree branch (sling it for pro but no using it!) and emerge through the foliage to nice summit views. Anchor off the chains above Modern Logic (8m back from topout), then solo down the easy slabs above the Bouldering Slab.

Below the Courtyard

Mercy 6m 17 (OS) Sandbag start! Some people move in from the R, but I rocked onto the poor L foot below the bulge and slapped to some shitty sharp crimps, followed by a desperate crank to a tenuous clipping stance. With the nasty landing it might be worth pre-clipping the 1st bolt. Then more easily (ie 17!) trend L-ish up the slabby arete. * Painless12m 19 (OS) Another one of Dog Rocks best. Best accessed through the chimney from the Courtyard, or by walking 10m R from the top of Mercy. Otherwise walk 15m round R from the base of M, and carefully rockhop up the gully. P takes the slab on the R wall. Dicky little mantle thing onto the first ledge (small cams), then step up to clip the first bolt from the R. Techie little traverse leads L then more usual moves up past 2nd BB to 3rd BB. The finish is very non-obvious, but goes quite easily by getting high feet below the crystally crimps R of the bolt and reaching over the top of the intimidating bulge to good holds. Felt solid 20 when I onsighted it...but 6 months later it felt soft 18 on 2nd! So 19 will have to do. Rover 10m 14 (OS) 25m downhill of M is a small buttress with 2 nice cracks up the downhill side of it. This is the R crack. (It's a granite crack, what else is there to say?) Kilt 10m 18 (YP) The face just R of Rover has several nice balancy moves but would be a bold lead. No it doesn't need bolts - just toprope it for goodness sake.

James onsights Painless (19).

Ben shows just how easy Painless feels on second.

* Old Dogs New Tricks 15m 22 (YP) Nice enough moves and easily toproped. On the same buttress as Painless, and about 10m further R is a nice wall with a big offwidth corner at the R end (Jack Russell 22). 8m L of that is an obvious splitter crack, which is ODNT. Reasonably easy for 4m up into slot, where you're confronted by horrid steep biscuity crystally overhung fingerlock moves. Thankfully, the actual sequence is to swing out onto the face and layback the outside of the V-slot rather than trying to fingerlock the crack in the back of the slot. This'd be a scary lead, not because it's hard to place gear from the laybacks (there's enough stances to stop on), but rather because the crack is scary biscuity rock - you'd put in 5 bits and hope that at least one would hold.... Anyway, layback merrily up the wall, until one final tricky move gains the shallow chimney at the top, then juggy moves to the DRB. James styles the nice laybacking on Old Dogs New Tricks. . . .

My Black Sheep 8m 15 (OS) When walking down from the S end of the Courtyard you'll reach an obvious steep 10m arete with 3 FHs and chain on a boulder of its own (this is Little Bo Beep 21). Just uphill is a small block with 3 ugly rusted staple/ring things up a short slabby arete, and 2 more at top for an anchor. This is it. Surprisingly ok, with several nice slab moves just L of the arete. Waiting For Sam 8m 15 (OS) Takes the same arete as MBS but on the R side and slightly harder. Some small wires give token protection at the start, then clip the 2nd and 3rd staples of MBS, but stay R of the arete the whole way (hands are allowed to use the arete but feet aren't). Contrived waste of time, but at a mediocre crag like this, no doubt you'll end up doing it anyway. Jo heads up Waiting for Sam. Little Bo Peep (21) takes the arete on the block behind her.

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© 2004 Will