Sticks And Stones 30m 18

By Neil Monteith

This is one of the finest single pitches of bolted climbing on one of the most forbidding mountains in South East Queensland. Mt Maroon is overshadowed by its giant neighbour, Mt Barney, to the north but is no dwarf, at 964m altitude. This area has long been renowned as a ‘reputation’ mountain with bad access, no guidebook and hardened anti-bolting ‘locals’. The truth is it is located within a couple of hours of Brisbane, has a moderate walk in to the lower cliffs and is National Park land. You do still have to walk briefly through private land to gain the ridge but this is well signposted and no problem, IF we as climbers don’t disturb the property owners.

The rock of Maroon is quite unique. The best way to describe it is as a mix of Mt Ngungun’s features and jugs, and Frog Buttress’ bullet hard walls. In short, it produces climbs of a sustained nature up imposing, and usually clean walls. The mountain is located between the towns of Boonah and Rathdowny, about 120km south west of Brisbane. When driving directly under the imposing cliffs of Maroon’s East face turn onto Cotswold Rd (2.7km east of Maroon township) and follow this for 3.5km to the end of the road. The official carpark (on private land) is located less than a hundred meters back down the road on the right. It is next to a small dam with a picnic table. Please, do not park anywhere else. From this carpark, walk towards the mountain on a small track, cross the barb-wire fence, and follow the steep track up the east ridge. After about thirty minutes an obvious rock wall appears on the right side of the ridge, this is Viewpoint Buttress and the location of Sticks And Stones.  Scramble down to the base of the fifty meter high wall and walk along to its mid point and the route, a striking featured pillar of rock with bolts. A thin crack line goes up the pillar on the left side and a contrived off-width is on the right side. The original line climbed the crack on the left for a few meters then traversed right onto the arête proper. In the early 90’s Darrin Carter added the first bolt to give the route it’s grade 21 direct start, a very worthwhile addition. The climbing is sustained and spectacular, with the jugs getting bigger the higher you go. 8 bolts (hangers required) protect the route, with an optional medium wire placement in the final eight meters. A sixty meter rope will just get you down from the abseil chain.

Above: No, it's not Sticks And Stones. It's Jezebel (16) with Alister Robbie leading, on the small buttress a little further along the east ridge track. This twenty metre thin crackline is located on the south side of the track about a 5 minute walk from the top of Viewpoint Buttress.