It felt like a normal climbing day on Wednesday, when Howsie and I were up in darkness and snuck out before anyone was up. We had a two hour trip ahead of us, and were aiming to be on the rock at 7am. The changed approach was a reflection of the temperatures creeping into the high twenties, and wanting to make the most of the cooler mornings. We drove to the Brooyar State Forest, a place that is described as a quiet getaway camping experience nestled in an area that features sandstone cliffs and scenic forests:
Mikie would follow later, Rupert and Bryn were having a few days at the grandparents so he would drop them off at their house at a more reasonable hour. Then continue the journey with the caravan in tow, so we would be glamping as opposed to camping. Hoping for that ‘quiet getaway’ experience, as we had heard it could get a bit rowdy when the trail bike rider groups descended on the area. They generally only go here on weekends, so we felt we should be safe. We arrived at seven and for now it was just the two of us:
The climbing is on a bunch of scattered crags, most of which sit on the west and south side of a ridgeline that runs through the park. They range in height from ten to forty meters in height, so there were some reasonable length routes to bag. On advice from Mikie we picked Black Stump Buttress for our first area to visit, and being west facing it held shade till midday. There were only two lines at this area that Howsie and I really wanted to climb, but we started on some easier stuff to get a feel for the rock and style:
I forgot to mention that as Rongy and I rapped down, after our second big multi-pitch route I spied an extender in a bush. It must have been dropped by a previous party, and was near new. Today my crag booty collection during the trip extended further when I spotted a stick clip. This is a device to allow you to clip the first bolt of a sport route from the ground, and I’m using it in the second image. Just for fun more than necessity, as this is not a piece of equipment that I would ever consider buying:
As you may have guessed by now this is a bolted sports crag. There are a few trad lines hidden amongst the bolts and some routes are mixed, but for the most part it is all bolts. This didn’t detract from the very good climbing, and sandstone can have some very interesting and unlikely features adding to the fun of the place. We’d already snagged three lines, by the time Rongy and Sarah joined us. Shortly after their arrival I lost my crag booty, when two other climbers came along looking for a stick clip they had misplaced just yesterday:
Mikie joined us by mid-morning, and we worked our way back and forth along the crag jumping on lines that looked fun. This included a grade 24, just because it is 2024 and Howsie had to attempt at least one. It was thin, technical, sequencey, and sustained, and no one got it. There was no point in projecting one hard route, when there were plenty of great routes to climb so we kept moving. Also the sandstone rock was the coarsest rock we had climbed on so far, and there was a risk our finger tips could be quickly worn down on such a route:
As the morning wore on the sun crept round, and this brought out the skinks. The timing was good, as Sarah doesn’t climb as much and this left the four of us to pick the lines off while she indulged in herpetology. Letting us know when she spotted a cool find so we could have a look. Two images up there are two Southeastern Morethia Skinks (Morethia boulengeri) facing each other of. This is a common species found over a large area and living in a wide range of habitats. Population densities can be as much as several hundred in one hectare:
The above is a Dark Barsided Skink (Concinnia martini). A species with a more confined range of south east Queensland and northern New South Wales. Sarah also noticed something I missed, a climb that was called Orchid Lane. So while Rongy and Mikie kept picking off lines Howsie and I had bagged before their arrival, we wandered over to check out the climb. The rock here was darker, more rounded, and had interesting pockets. It also had a tree growing half way up the face with roots draping down the rock that seemed to disappear into the rock
It simply had to be climbed, and the rock features were so fun that we did two routes. We even got Sarah on lead. Everyone was getting their monthly, if not greater, climbing quota in. Being relatively short walls with bolts, we were able to rack up a lot of lines. Eventually however our stomachs were telling us we should get some lunch, but only after one last climb. A very fun route called Hand in the Honeypot. An apt name as we were feeling pretty lucky being out climbing, just as Pooh Bear would be to have his hand in that honey pot:
The area certainly was a great playground, and other than the two people who had come back to find their stick clip we didn’t see anyone else climbing in our two days here. We had done pretty well to keep going but it was getting on now, being close to two. And as the route tally at the end of the post shows we hadn’t dilly-dallied about. I do not recall a climb that we didn’t enjoy, and each one seemed to have something a little different about it. Just before we left this Yellow Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga bidentate) braved landing on my foot:
There were of course flies about, but this was the only Yellow Flesh Fly I spotted. These produce live young, being viviparous, birthing their maggots directly on a food source. This may comprise rotting vegetation, carrion, and/or decomposing organic matter, but not a live foot such as mine. Amongst the other flies about were the dreaded March Flies of the Tabanidae family. These use their proboscis to pierce through the skin and suck out blood, which the females require to produce eggs. Fortunately they were not out in great numbers:
Our lunch was much more pleasant. The kettle went on and wraps were prepared, while the gear was sorted on the grass. We had every intention of getting back out, but first needed to build up our energy reserves. Mikie had found a great spot with a shady tree to provide additional shelter from the sun. Here we were content to sit and relax, waiting for the heat of the day to pass us by. Supping on several more cups of tea while contemplating where to head next and browsing the guidebook, as we didn’t really have pre-set a game plan:
We chose Pure Point. There was a classic line that Rongy was keen to see and maybe try, and there was also a classic route for Sarah to lead in a very unlikely position. This one started from a hanging belay approx. ten meters above the ground and followed a very cool arête. This meant we needed to take the rap line in to access the route. Carrying the extra rope in was no problem. All the areas seemed to be right next to the parking areas. The longest walk-in was a few minutes, making it a very accessible place to climb:
Rongy decided against his line, but Sarah went for hers and I have to say did very well. After that lead, she was however happy to go back to looking about finding a few Elegant Rainbow Skinks (Carlia decora), as above. This species has an even narrower range than the previous ones mentioned, being along the eastern side of Queensland but only as far north as Cairns. I had my eye on two lines just because of their breakfast orientated names, struggling to decide which one to try first Mikie suggested I go for the breakfast I was more likely to enjoy:
It was a good way to stop me procrastinating, and both lines were great fun. I also managed to find a couple of Dubious Dtella (Gehyra dubia) in the final crack on the second route. It was a good job Sarah was about to identify our reptile finds, as this one is a crafty fella. It can change in appearance both to avoid predators but also to deceive its prey. They can change from a darker to lighter colour, and are also able to lose the spots that are normally along their back. While we got images of our reptilian finds, very few images were taken of the climbs:
We used all the daylight available and then went back to the camp. While the days were warming up the nights were a little cooler. Not so cold as to really need a fire, but it was very cosy and did help to keep the mosquitoes at bay. I was really expecting Sarah and Rongy to go for a walk to look for snakes, but it didn’t happen. She did however spot the above False Garden Mantid (Pseudomantis albofimbriata). Being one of the smaller species of Praying Mantids species found in Australia, only growing to just over a couple of inches in length:
After our early start had worked so well yesterday, we agreed on the same time again. Heading to an area Howsie had been too, but Mikie had not. Eagles Nest has the longest routes in the park, and I was keen to bag as many of them as possible. But before we got to them we jumped on a couple of shorter and quality warm up routes. We didn’t bother pulling the rope on every climb to allow everyone to lead every line, instead focusing on getting the routes in. At the top of the first one Howsie spotted something he thought I may like:
And he was right. Another lithophyte orchid, this one being the Tongue Orchid (Dockrillia linguiformis). This species is found in New South Wales and Queensland and is also known to be an epiphyte orchid and can be found growing on both rocks and trees. The Latin words lingua and forma meaning tongue and shape, referring to the leaves as opposed to the flower. And now that we had spotted this one, we spied quite a few more of them scattered round this particular rock outcrop. This was the last species we managed to find in flower:
The pace of the morning was not so much fast, but it was unrelenting. I did wonder if Howsie would survive each time I encouraged him to jump on the next, and then next line. We climbed quite a few of the forty meter plus lines, and quite a few of them had relatively steep sections. It is hard to pick the standouts and going through the online route database, The Crag, just about every route we did had a star or two. Interestingly the climbs given three stars in the physical guidebook had been knocked down to two stars, which did surprise me:
But before I attempt to detail the doozy routes, I have to introduce the Red Spider Ant (Leptomyrmex rufipes). Of all the Leptomyrmex species this one has the widest range, from the base of the Cape York Peninsula to the southern border of Queensland. What caught our attention about this particular ant was the away the abdomen would be pointed upwards when we got to close. They were also fast moving, their speed aided by the long legs, and never seemed to sit still. It took a lot of images to get one that was clear enough to include:
We also didn’t really sit still, resulting in me taking even less climbing images than I had yesterday. Of the climbs I really liked Miss Kandy Kane, which followed a very cool flake line and was trickier than I expected. The other two that really struck me was Looking for the Sun, for which we had to pull out the trad rack. It did have a couple of bolts, only one of which seemed essential. The climbing was however superlative and engaging all the way up, and I do not understand why the general consensus on The Crag to is knock a star of it:
The other one very worthy of a mention, in my opinion, is Free Range Heggs. I encouraged Howsie to jump on this one towards the end of the morning. He was looking weary and unsure, and kept looking up at the steep and exposed pathway. I am so please he went for it, and he was super chuffed to have bagged the lead. But you should not always trust what other people think, if we had we may not have come to this area at all. The people we had met yesterday said they didn’t rate the climbs at Eagles Nest, we however did:
It was back to the camp for lunch, at a slightly earlier time than yesterday. More wraps and cups of tea were needed. While it was a bit hotter today, we were lucky to have a bit of high cloud about to take the bite out of the direct sun. This did however bring more moisture in, resulting in the humidity also creeping upwards. We were really unsure of where to go for the afternoon session, and ended up picking a place on the basis that we could probably clean it up plus it had a fun mini roof climb to keep us honest:
I also liked the name of Hammerhead Rock, and it was a good choice. Again just a minute or two walk in, and then Mikie and I went for the glory route straight of the bat. The sun was back out and stung, so we figured we were better off getting the harder route under our belt first. After our lunch break the body was feeling a little lethargic and stiff, although with each climb we did we limbered up and got into a routine. Unlike the morning on the longer routes, this time we did pull the rope every time so we both led every climb:
Yesterday we were still climbing as the sun was setting, and it seemed that once that had happened darkness fell quite quickly afterwards. Today we timed things a bit better, achieving what we came for in daylight. Mikie and I finished on the lowest graded route, and both felt the top was poorly bolted. Providing the potential for a nasty fall when clipping the anchors. Maybe our bodies were just getting tired, making it feel that way but we were both grateful when the anchors were clipped. Howsie and Rongy were not too far behind us:
And once all was done we managed to drive to a lookout in time to watch the sun go down, after a second big day. As the sky changed colour, Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) noisily flew about perching on the tree tops in the valley. Howsie and I had racked up a worthy seventeen routes on each day, and we were both a bit surprised we had managed to keep going. It was not over just yet, but before the climbing continued we had another hearty meal next to the fire and slept well in what was a very peaceful campsite:
Route summary
Wed 18 Sep – Brooyar State Forest
Black Stump Buttress
Snake Charmer 16* 18m Krish
Annabelistic 18** 18m Howsie
Footprints on the other Side 19** 18m Krish
The Enticer 17** 15m Howsie
Dreamcatcher 20** 15m Krish
Shake and Bake 24** 14m Krish (attempt)
French Bandit 15* 12m Krish
My Brothers Keeper 15* 12m Howsie
Right of Passage 21** 15m Krish
Via the Rainbow 18* 12m Howsie
Sun Chaser 16** 12m Krish
Orchid Lane 15* 14m Krish
Found the Salt 14* 13m Sarah
Hand in the Honeypot 21** 18m Rongy
Point Pure
The Cornflake Climb 18** 25m Krish
Coco Pops 15** 25m Krish
The Great Barrier Reef 13** 18m Howsie
Thu 19 Sep – Brooyar State Forest
Eagles Nest
Miss Manners 15* 20m Howsie
Miss Kandy Kane 15* 20m Krish
Digit Crucifixion 18 10m Mike
Up a Rat in a Drain Pipe 18** 20m Krish
Send Me An Angel 17** 40m Howsie
The Pioneer 16** 40m Krish
It’s a Long Way to Tip Fairy 16** 45m Howsie
Little Ray of Sunshine 17* 45m Krish
Free Range Heggs 17** 20m Howsie
Looking for the Sun 19** 40m Krish
Hammerhead Rock
Catch of the Day 20** 10m Krish
Grey Nurse 15* 10m Krish
Becalm 16* 13m Krish
Hook Line and Sinker 18 10m Krish
Chironex 18 8m Krish
Not on Porpoise 18 8m Krish
Irukandji 15 7m Krish
Sandbagged 