Thompson's Point

The Details: A great crag perched above the mighty Shoalhaven River.

Access: Follow the Pacific Highway south from the river, turn R into Kalandar St., and then veer L (not sharp L!) at the roundabout beside the plane. About 300m from here after a creek crossing, turn right into Yalwal Rd. Follow this for a few k's and 400m after crossing Flat Rock Creek, turn right onto George Evans Rd (dirt). Follow this for another k or two, and turn R into Jonnson Rd, and follow it all the way to its end, past a few sharp left turns. Park as close as possible to the power poles on the edge and lock your car.
DON'T walk over to the edge - its a wafer-thin roof (as seen directly above Gunbarrel Highway/Bumzek)! Turn R and walk about 100m E along the clifftop until the cliffline changes direction and cuts across in front of you. Scramble down here, down L into the descent gully, which pops out about 10m from Samurai Pizza Catz. Little Grahams Boulder is just down on your R as you emerge.

* Cheesy Nob Licker 5m 22 (OS)
Yeah! Little Grahams boulder is a great little spot to bounce up some jugs! Clip FH, then chuck a dyno for the bucket. Cruise through on jugs. On my 2nd lap, I actually did this entire climb as 3 dynos! Great fun.

** Shy Romantic 5m 21 (OS)
A top little climb. The first clip is a little bit worrying, unless you're 6'4". Most of the chalked holds are pretty good, except for the one directly above the first bolt - sloper! Some quite big lunges are needed, so its quite pumpy for its length.

Layoff 15m 20 (OS)
The line of rings L of SPC. Ok, quite delicate up flake.

** Samurai Pizza Catz 15m 18 (YP)
Yeah good, but I wouldn't call it an all time classic. Surprisingly sustained, on those annoying little slopey crimps that these Thompson’s Point slabs seem to have everywhere.

* Woderwick 15m 17 (YP)
Start below FHs at L side of cave. Easily to cave, then some nice delicate moves past 2nd & 3rd FH, to the usual dull juggy top section.

Lucifer 20m 11 (OS)
Up the R side of the cave. 2FH, then natural gear up top.

? 15m 15 (OS)
The line of rings L of BH. Very crappy.

* Butt Head 15m 17 (OS)
Alright, but the first FH should be 2 feet higher! Quite interesting through the middle section.

* Helensburgh Homo 6m 24 (RP)
Hard and nice. My first 24 redpoint. Jump to pocket, pull up, then big move to good R hand pocket. Clip, then more easily on good crimps to break. 2nd FH, then intensely powerful crimp undercling up big blank section to sloper - best at the R end! Easier to top out.

* World According To Garf 6m 20 (OS)
This climb has close to the worst bolt I have ever seen (the 2nd) - psychological pro at best. Apart from that, very nice! Jug hauling at the bottom, then they start sloping out a touch. Slimy after rain.

*** Orca 25m 18 (OS)
Soft 18, and brilliant. Set a belay for the belayer - there's a good #1 wire and #2 hex. Good moves and holds to first bolt, which continue up the pockets past a good #3/4 camalot to 2nd BB. Step onto steepening arete, and a beautiful position to clip and move past the FH. Good sidepull up to ledge, then more easily to poorly placed chain over bulge at the top - we could barely lower off cause of drag.

** Vanderholics 25m 19 (OS)
Now has rap chains. Crux down low, then keep cruising up. I reckon the cave actually detracts from this climb - its more like 2 pitches when you can sit down in the middle. Bloody great though. If you like this, don't miss Diddy Kong or Gunbarrel Highway. To see what this climb looks like, have a look at my photos.

* Diddy Kong Direct Start 6m 20 (OS)
Start just downhill from Gunbarrel Highway. Small crimp to poor sidepull, then lurch up L to good break and clip. Easily up big sidepulls, to clip. Up to insecure slopers, then through to join DK on ledge. Tough 20.

** Diddy Kong 24m 18 (OS)
Start at Gunbarrel Highway, follow RB up L. Big steep slab. Careful lowering off - we saw one bloke have to downclimb 3m cause his rope was a bit too short to make it! Excellent climbing.

** Gunbarrel Highway 25m 19 (OS)
The line of FH up worn streak. If you don't mind clipping the first bracket 4m off the deck, you can do without the friend. It certainly hasn't cruxed by then. This is a bloody great climb. In fact, having done this and Vanderholics one after the other, I thought this was the better climb, thanks to slightly more sustained climbing at the grade, and no bloody cave in the middle! To see what this climb looks like, have a look at my photos.

* Bumzek 10m 21 (OS)
Tough 21. Start off block, to break on L of arete, then quite balancy up and around to poor crimp break on R - look for numerous L hand sidepulls for assistance. Tricky to good holds R of 2nd FH, clip, then a nice mantle to jugs under overlap. Clip 3rd, pocket over lip, up to good L hand crimp and flat jug out R. Hoist L foot into pocket on lip, L hand up to very poor gaston (crux), and body tension to hump R foot up high, then to top of flake. Simple to chain.

*** Killer Boas 10m 22 (OS)
Excellent. Finger lock then gaston up R to jug, then through to big jug/sidepull to clip. Move out L to break on arete, clip, then (crux) lunge to good hold in next break, another jug, and clip. Straightforward up to ledge, then mantle, with the assistance of an ok sidepull on the R.

** Murdoch the Horse F--ker 12m 22 (OS)
Good, and increasingly pumpy. The L most route on the pocketed wall. Start on top of block, from good R hand, L foot up L, then L hand to poor crimp. Match, and L hand out again to good 2 finger gaston, then to 2 good sidepulls. R hand in either, feet high, and up to awesome 3 finger pocket. Up and R across seam to crimp, match, feet up, then to big gaston, up to break and massive undercling. Swing up to jug on nose, then a big final move to sidepull - go as high as possible - there is a jug. If anything, a touch soft for 22.

** Je Baise Ma Fraigne 10m 20 (RP)
The heavily chalked route to double ring things. Jug haul up to break, then sidepull the pistol grip with your R hand, get your feet way up, and deadpoint the big left hand jug, ignoring all the crappy chalked crimpers in between. Yet another top climb. This whole wall can be climbed in the rain, thanks to the huge roof.

** Electro Rooter 160 10m 22 (RP)
About as close to an onsight as you can get: I had the draw on the U-anchor, and couldn’t clip it! Aaaaah dussn’t matta - I cruised it next attempt! A sweet little route. Tricky start - sharp undercling, up to R hand gaston, L foot out to oppose, then to good jugs. Simply to third draw - clip off either sidepull, then good R finger pocket to break. Reach up to ok crimp, then R foot into break, R hand a long way up to slopey crimp (crux), and delicately up to L hand pocket. Insecure from here on. To 4th clip, then hard and more steeply on small crimps up to final jug.

** Broken and Barbed 22m 21 (YP)
Good stuff! Slightly soft. Don’t worry about doing the top arete, it’s not as good as it looks. Not a small hold on it really.

Not as Steep as Some 8m 20 (OS)
Not 18! Very thin to the 2nd draw, and can be remarkably greasy even on cold days. I suggest you eyeball the crucial L foot about 3 foot off the ground.

* Petit Miam 8m 16 (OS)
A touch slabby, nice. A good move past 1st FH, jugs to 3rd, then an insecure mantle to U-anchor.

** Shifting Sands 20m 21 (OS)
A great route. Start up slab, FH then up L to sandy cave, and back R to FH. Pull over bulge on jugs, up to start of flake, and clip. Fun swinging up flake to a good rest. Swing onto face and clip, then crux section to chains - lovely climbing, and rather soft 21.

*** A Day at the Beach 20m 21 (OS)
Surprisingly easy for the first 15m. Easily up slab to 1st FH, Up to beach in cave, juggy hand traverse R to a poorly placed FH near your knees, and pull up into start of scoops. Good moves interspersed with rests, then some damn good hard moves past final FH, to step L to chain. A fun airy lower off!

** Black Beddy 12m 23 (RP)
Harder than SLWCB, and not quite as good. Prepare for some hard cranking on small holds! Fairly obvious to third FH, then L hand up to poor crimp, R hand out to better pocket, then both hands to tiny crimps. Horrendously committing to hit the good hold beside the chain.

*** Still Life With Chalk Bag 12m 23 (RP)
Fantastic arete and face climbing, with a number of moves at the grade. I’d stick clip the first ring - it’s quite an insecure start. From 2 finger pocket beside 1st ring, R hand out to white sidepull on arete, L toe undercling, and L hand to sloper. Before sliding off, hop R foot up, and R hand to jugs in break and clip. From there, more big moves, and some awesome balance moves are involved - quite inescapable ballet. Great.