Home > The Guide > Mt Ngungun > The Sentinels, Mt Ngungun

A 60m wide section of E-facing cliffline bounded on either side by large facing corners - the Sentinels.

The Sentinels are situated away from the main Ngungun areas so a different access road is used. After crossing the railway line in town turn R onto Sahara Road. Follow this for 100m. Turn L at the intersection continuing to follow Sahara Road. A large chocolate brown slab is visible high on the hill. This is The Hidden Slabs. However, The Sentinels is the white-looking section of cliff partly visible through the trees to the L of the Hidden Slabs, above the old quarry. At 1.4 km along Sahara Rd, turn L into Springburn Drive then take a quick R (Stonehaven Lane) and follow this to the top. Turn L and drive up to the quarry fence to park.

Follow the fence R-wards and then follow a vague track up through the scrub to locate the rock (eight minutes).

Routes at The Sentinels, The Hidden Slabs and Babylon may finish at rap rings. Do not top-rope directly off these as they will wear out (use equalised quickdraws instead). Also, all BR’s at The Sentinels and Babylon require large brackets. Adrenalin and SRT/Kangaroo brands are best, followed by RP. PFH’s often fit. Small AME’s don’t. If in doubt, carry wires as a backup.

Climbs are listed from R to L

Groove Armada 25m 17 Start: 10m L of the R Sentinel and 6m R of biggest tree. Up the groove past a couple of trees to short but steep wall. Fill the crack with good gear, then strenuously up on pockets, running it out to finish at the bizarre, U-shaped tree. A confident leader is required, as a fall near the top would cause you to break. Lee Cujes, Took Smits 20/02/2000	Butterfree 20m 8 Start: On the clean, low angle slab in the middle of the wall between the Sentinels, and 8m L of the biggest tree. Good rock. Up seam into small L-facing corner at half height. Continue straight up to rap off the largest tree on the ledge. FSA Lee Cujes 21/10/1999
Caterpie 20m 7 Start: 2m L and immediately R of gully. Up onto small ledge, then into crack with bomber gear to bulge. Either through bulge, or to avoid loose blocks, traverse R and finish up Butterfree. Rap off tree. FSA Lee Cujes 21/10/1999	Srama 8m 22 Religious exertion. Sporty pockets and huecos up an overhanging wall. About 15m L of Caterpie in the gully just R of the L Sentinel. Scramble up the gully and lean across to clip BR. Pull on and launch into the sequence passing two FH’s to finish at double rings. It originally topped out but that wasn't true to the spirit of sport climbing. Lee Cujes, Erik Smits 06/02/2000

There is a good boulder problem in this gully traversing the wall from L to R.

My Little Sphinx 8m 12 Start: 15m L of Srama. The cracky weakness up the middle of the L-most piece of climbable wall. Meow! Erik Smits, Philippa Newton 06/02/2000