Taipan Wall Right

The Word: Class. World class! The Crag Classic(s): Everything! But especially Serpentine (*** 29) The Hidden Gem: Dance of Life! Only gets 1 star in the guides, but this is a full-on 3 star classic! Best Season(s): Year round, although you'll be chasing shade throughout summer, and there'll be at least 10-15 stinking hot days when you'll be better off at Buffalo! Temperatures are no problem in winter (during the day!), but there'll probably be more rain to deal with. Sun/shade: Shade until 1-2pm, with the wall positively glowing by sunset. Rock type: The vertical and leaning overhung orange stuff is Grampians sandstone at its finest, plus some more run-of-the-mill vertical and slabby grey stuff.

The Details: One of Australia's most stunning sweeps of rock! It's reputation of not being consumer friendly is fair enough - however this seems to be far more of a deterrent than it should be, because none of the routes are dangerous. Many routes do give you the chance of some decent airtime, but when you consider that the moves are amazing, the pro is superb and there's lots of clean air to fall into, in my opinion this only enhances the fabulous Taipan experience! A point of housekeeping - as photos on Taipan generally turn out to be excellent, I now have quite a large collection which is getting slow for visitors to download all on one page. For this reason I have now divided my Taipan pages into the "left" and "right" sides. In reality there's no such division and its all one big superb wall, but this should help speed up your downloads of all these photos!

Access: 20-25mins walk, refer to the photo below. Park at the Flat Rock carpark. 5-8min walk to the rim of the amphitheatre via Flat Rock, then continue along the tourist trail down into the Amphitheatre and into the trees where the trail flattens. About 100m further, when you come across some obvious large boulders (good bouldering), turn L off the tourist track along a well trodden climbers track, and up fairly steeply for 5mins to the obvious wall above. Tokyo Connection is about 80m L of where you meet the wall, Spurt Wall is 150m to the R.

Mt Stapylton Amphitheatre and Flat Rock as viewed from Mt Zero

Descent(s): Most routes have their own rap stations (often needing 2 ropes). For all routes L of Serpentine that top out, it's possible to walk down to the Dance of Life rap anchors, which can be found by looking for the 2m stick propped up beside them (also a good idea to check out where Dance of Life is before you start climbing). When walking along the top of the wall, it's a bit tricky to find a safe way, the best way is about 30m back up from the edge, and goes along inside the large caves visible above the middle of the wall, to a short exposed traverse above Sirocco. To the R of Serpentine it is not safe to walk around above the wall without a rope.

Guidebook(s): You need several - and even then you inevitably won't have all the info!! They are: Northern Grampians (Andrews, 1990?) pages 174-198; Northern Grampians Update (Andrews, 1994?) pages 25-34; Grampians Select (Mentz & Tempest 1998); pages 28-59; Grampians New Routes (VCC/Monteith 2003 - online) page 2-3; Stapylton Amphitheatre (Loughran 1997?).
Described L to R, facing the cliff.

Taipan Wall Right Side

And here's a view of the Amphitheatre from the other direction, from below Lower Taipan Wall.

Taipan Wall left end. The routes marked are: Atomic Tadpole (* 20); Tokyo Connection (* 18); Sordid Orchids (* 25, 26M1) goes up past the big birdshit ledge, Dinosaurs Don't Dyno (* 26) takes the flakes just L of the steep arete, Dance of Life (*** 24M1) which starts as for DDD but traverses around the lip of the roof to gain the beautiful orange groove up the front face; Seventh Pillar (*** 18M1, 18M1, 1, 18); Serpentine (*** 24, 29); World Party (*** 21, 27, 24) and Mr Joshua (*** 25, 26).

A view of most of Taipan Wall; initialled are Dance of Life (*** 24), Seventh Pillar (** 18M1, 22M1 or 28), Serpentine (*** 24, 29), Invisible Fist (of Professor Hiddich Smiddich) (** 26), World Party (*** 21, 27, 24) and Mr Joshua (*** 25, 26)

* Sirocco Pitch 1 20m 21 (OS) Seems to be the first pitch everyone does on Taipan Wall proper - and I'm no different! Struggles a bit to earn the star but in the end it has just enough of interest. Look for the short open-book corner which starts off an elevated ledge, about 15m down L of the obvious flake of the Seventh Pillar Left Variant (*** 23). A short thin slab goes ok on pockets, then walk 8m L to the open corner. Small cam and sinker wire protect juggy moves up to the crux pockets, which are massive jugs with a FH just above. The best way to do the crux is not at all obvious and it took me 3 ascents before I nailed it! Use the pockets L of the flake, grab a L hand sidepull, high L foot, R hand press in the top R pocket, and backstep your R foot into the other pocket, then its surprisingly easy to reach the jugs above. On the onsight I pulled some really thin moves up the flake itself, which was more like 22. You can also just dyno from the pockets. From the top of the corner, massive jugs lead out L, past a blank section for your feet, to a juggy mantle which is easy unless you've pumped out. Rap slings. James cranks out a dynamic solution to the crux on Sirocco Pitch 1. Note that a R foot backstep keeps it static.

Sirocco Pitch 1, with Anita approaching the crux

James reaches the start of the traverse on Sirocco Pitch 1. Check out the awesome wall above! Note also the top of Sirocco (** 26) and Father Oblivion (** 26) are initialled.

James pulls through the pumpy bit of the traverse on Sirocco Pitch 1. Check out the awesome wall beyond!

** Father Oblivion 32m 26 (tried)
Outstanding moves but crap bolts - the shaft and nut are suffering from sacrificial galvanic rusting due to mismatched metal types of the hangers. From the Sirocco Pitch 1 rap slings, climb 4m up to the small roof - approx grade 20, facing a factor 2! Bomber #1Fr, then step R (Sirocco Pitch 2 goes L) to a reachy clip of a bolt. Apparently there is a way to stay L of the bolt, but we did a very reachy step across R to small feet and a positive shallow 2 finger pocket sidepull. This puts you in a totally stretched out position (unless you're 6'2"+), from which you have to release your L hand, establish both feet without having a L hand (!), and literally jump up L past the bolt to a good sloper! Hand shuffle L to the next hold, and another bizarre dynamic move with no feet (well, it was dynamic for me!) to snag some ok little holds above, then step R to a good, positive, slightly shattered hold. A static reach gains an ok flat hold to clip the 2nd FH (well, its ok if you're not already pumped senseless!). The crux apparently goes like this: Cross L hand over to good small hold R of bolt; crank off L hand to high sharp crimpy R sidepull; raise R foot to small slopey foothold at the bottom of a small faint ramp leading down R (not to the obvious edge directly below your hands - the only way out of that is a ridiculous unwinding dyno leading to my 2 big twisting wingers!); move L hand back L of bolt to the ok flat hold; 'down-press' that hold and back step your L foot onto it; and, stand up to holds on lip of small bulge above. All I know is that its hard, and the bail biner is there for a reason!! But I reckon I'll be back to have another bash at this one! Hey, if you're going to have a project there can't be many better positioned alternatives!

Kent getting dynamic past the 1st bolt on Father Oblivion, with me belaying (© Anita Sharma). .

Me adopting the unorthodox 'downwards dyno' on the crux of Father Oblivion. Seventh Banana (** 23, 27) starts through the roof at bottom left, and the start and finish of Seventh Pillar (*** 18M1/22M1) are marked in the background. (original photo © Ben Wright).

** Mirage 35m 27 (TR)
I was lucky enough to be towed up this recently. Just another fantastic Taipan route, but unfortunately the steep grunty corner detracts. Said to be solid 23, plus a huge dyno...however I found the slab move harder than the dyno! Take Sirocco pitch 1 up the corner to the traverse line. Instead of going L, traverse R past a pumpy clip of a fixed friend, then a very grunty move gains the surprisingly steep and awkward white corner. Poor wires protect horribly insecure and slightly blind moves R out of the corner onto the slab, with the bolt being too high to clip beforehand! The death sling visible in these shots (originally green but had gone totally white!! uuurgh) has now gone. Technical traverse R across the hanging slab to an average stance at a pocket (small friends). Undercling the pocket and desperately smear up the wall until your feet are also in the pocket (!!), to enable a huge reach past the useless chalked overlap to the break above - very solid 23 IMO. Then move up R on good breaks (#2-3 Frs) to the dyno. With a great 'bar' to grab with both hands plus some good little feet, it's really just a case of committing to it. The next move is also quite difficult, requiring a high left foot cam in the break beside your hands, and a powerful crank to sharp holds on the next horizontal, then an easy few metres to the chains. 25m rap.

The view along Taipan Wall, from the belay of Sirocco. Mirage (gr 23 to an insane gr27 dyno!) is the chalked route in the foreground, while the flake of Seventh Pillar L Variant (stunning 22/23) is visible about 20m away. Just beyond that, the white birdshit streak of the Seventh Pillar bolt ladder is also visible.

A view of all of Mirage, with James at bottom left where Mirage leaves Sirocco. Note the chains at top right above the small overlap, with the dyno being between the two well chalked breaks 5m below. Also note Cardigan St pitch 1 (31), which goes direct up the steep wall above Mirage's steep white corner to join the grey streak in the centre of shot. .

*** The Seventh Pillar 118m 18M1
Did as 18M1. Coldest day of the year and roaring winds just added to the experience. Scary bolts! 1) (* 35m 18M1) This pitch will get 2 stars once the bolt ladder is made safe. Start beside Sirocco, marked SP. Tough little initial pocketed wall takes an ok micro cam. Walk 8m R to flake, then nice climbing up the flake (#1Frs) for 15m to the horizontal break. Crawl 10m R inside break until it tightens. Slot some cams here and aid off them to get out of the break and then step up to the start of the bolt ladder. Up the bolt ladder (9 bolts, hero loops essential), with the bolts ranging from atrocious to worse. If one blew (and they look very close!) you could easily unzip them all, so make sure your trad gear in the break below is good. 2) (*** 30m 18M1) Looks solid 18 up initial flake, and you need a stick to clip the FH unless you're 6'3"+, a stick has been left in the break. Once on the FH, a tiny RP gets you onto the flake above and about 4 or 5 more aid moves on progressively larger gear get you out L to the tip of the flake. From here up seems quite juggy though steepish so 18 is probably about right, until one final high step aid move off an old carrot gains some ok holds, then crawl into the break (#3-3.5Frs essential to back up the mediocre FH). 3) (** 25m) Ungradeable, but outstanding! I dropped down to hand traverse the first 6-8m, but admittedly this leads to a fairly tricky and supremely airy mantle when the feet run out. Then keep crawling R along the break which again gets tighter until you can't squeeze any further, at which point the ledge is finally wide enough to stand on - if only you were standing up!!! So here you have a grade zero 'stand up' move, which feels about grade 30 - outstanding! Then doddle right to belay at three rusty carrots and a fixed wire above, on one of the most outstanding belay ledges in Australia! 4) (* 25m 18) Gets a star mainly for exposure! A surprisingly steep pitch, which is harder than it looks all the way. I got quite pumped up the "easy" ramp, and was very thankful to find the piton just as I was pumping out and not seeing any obvious gear to place. A few more moves from here gain the corner with a carrot at the base. The corner above is even steeper, so much so that you can't always find stemming rests so it stays pumpy right to the very end. Walk carefully ~150m L down under all the caves to the Clean Sweep rap chains - staying well above the clifftop seemed the best way to go - this involves one slightly exposed step around a slabby nose but seems better than the scrambling alternative along the very lip.

James finishing the squeeze crawl on P1, just before getting to the scary bolt ladder

A shot of me jugging the 2nd pitch of The Seventh Pillar (18M1). The chalked breaks on left of shot are the dyno crux of Mirage (27). Serpentine (29) blasts out the roof at bottom right, and continues up the sheer red face at top right. My new Seventh Pillar Right Hand Variant (21) starts at the obvious guano stained stance at top centre, and moves right to the small incipient flakes.

James just after doing the incredibly awkward stand up move to get out of the squeeze crawl, on the 3rd pitch traverse of Seventh Pillar

** Seventh Pillar Right Hand Variant 14m 21
Sustained moves in a fantastic position. Usually I'm too lazy to establish new routes, but this little beauty sure got me keen and was great fun to put up. Start at the original 2nd belay of Seventh Pillar (i.e. at the guano-stained stance halfway up the 2nd pitch as now described). Extend high pro in the original, then traverse 3m R to incipient flakes. Up past 2 FH and straight up grey streak (med wire). Step L to belay as for the original. Will Monks, Kevin Lindorff 9/10/04

A topo showing the first two pitches of The Seventh Pillar (green line), together with the first pitch Left Hand Variant (23). The Seventh Pillar Right Hand Variant is marked in blue. The major break at the top is what James is traversing along in the right hand photo above.

Visiting Euro shows how it's done on the mighty second pitch of Serpentine. The Seventh Pillar Right Hand Variant is just visible at far left, and finishes with a dyno to the break about 10m R of the obvious green bush.

Cam heading up R from the sit down rest on Invisible Fist (** 26), with Snake Flake (** 26) on the left, and World Party (*** 21, 27, 24) on the R.

Anita starts up World Party, with Anaconda (* 28) going steeply up past the birdshit, and Mr Joshua (*** 25, 26) visible beyond, up the vague blunt arete.

Ben's turn on World Party, with the second pitch (27) up the short red flake and the amazing 3rd pitch (24) blasting out the roof then up the L hand water groove!! Invisible Fist on the left, and Anaconda (* 28) on the R, going past the birdshit then up the R hand water groove.

A strong Kiwi chick cranks up the 3rd pitch of World Party. At far left, the line of chalk leading up the slight rib to the break is the second pitch of Serpentine, while the obvious chalk patch at bottom centre is the crux of Mr Joshua Pitch 1.

The steep R end of Taipan Wall, with Mr Joshua marked on the left, and Spurt Wall indicated below the horror choss patch. Tourniquet (30), Venom (28) and Kaa (24) blast up the steep stuff between MJ and the choss.

Da Boys havin' fun in the sun! Check the sizes of those grins! This is at the top of Taipan Wall, looking back over the Amphitheatre.

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