Home > The Guide > Mt Ngungun > Upper Cliffs, Mt Ngungun
Upper Cliffs, Mt Ngungun

The Upper Cliffs are divided into two sections - Main Cliff and The Nursery Cliff. These two south-facing cliffs sport numerous cracks, corners and walls of good quality, with plentiful jugs and protection. This means the majority of climbs are in the low to medium grades and most are naturally protected. Most early climbs were initialled for easy location.

The easiest descent from Ngungun's summit to the base of the wall is via a 50m rap from the rap chains above Pocket Full Of Kryptonite.

Main Cliff
The main cliff is situated on the southern side of Ngungun and is just below the summit. To get to the base of this impressive wall continue past the Cave on the walking track to the summit. Once at the halfway plateau/lookout continue about 125m up the main track until a small white arrow on a rock marks a faint track leading off L (before the turtle-shell rock). Leave the main path here and follow the vague path L and then down and around to the base of the Main Cliff.
 
Climbs are listed from R to L.

RecommendedClassical Gas 27m 16
Good old-fashioned climbing. Marked 'CG'. Bridge up the corner until situated on top of the pillar. Step L and climb the juggy groove to a TB. Climb out, or you may wish to bring tape to rap off. Good protection.
Steve Bell, Barry Overs 01/1971

RecommendedRecommendedCarpe Jugular 45m 17
An exciting multipitch, and the first of four classic long routes. The second pitch makes a great rap-in climb.
1) 17m (crux) Start up Visions Of A Transmitter, then traverse R at about 15m to stand on top of the fern ledge (DBB).
2) 28m (15) Layback through small roof on R, and up corner (FH) to ledge. Clip second FH on steep black wall, and crank through on big pockets. Up the featured crack and face to finish. TB.
Lee Cujes, Philippa Newton 06/03/1999

RecommendedRecommendedRecommendedVisions Of A Transmitter 45m 18
This obvious twin cracked corner 5m L of Classical Gas soars upwards for 30m until confronted by a roof. Traverse R (or climb R through this) and climb the juggy face to finish. Beautiful, well protected climbing.
Marten Blumen, Dan Meyers 1994

RecommendedRecommendedRecommendedVisions Of A Transmitter DF 45m 18
Mega exposure! Jug haul through the roof directly to finish up Ensorcelled's wide crack.
Neil Monteith, Marten Blumen 1995

RecommendedRecommendedRecommendedEnsorcelled 45m 17
Start: As for Icehouse.
It's magic! Classic, sustained climbing with excellent protection. Climb Icehouse past the tree at 5m to ledge on R. Climb the skyrocketing corner directly above the ledge to roof. R through this (big hex) and directly up the wide crack above.
Lee Cujes, Philippa Newton 06/03/1999

RecommendedRecommendedRecommendedIcehouse 45m 16
Start: Start 2m L of Visions Of A Transmitter below the tree at 5m.
A superb climb up an exposed face crack which is easier than it looks. Climb the juggy face for 40m until the final crack section makes things a little tricky. Belay off chains. The protection is good, but because the rock is a bit weak, be sure to place a lot and make sure it's bomber.
Tony Dignan, Steve Bell 1975

Six Sided Hell 45m 20
Start: 1m R of Sticky Fingers.
Up slab to shaft. Up this with awkward placements to ledge. Clip FH and blast through bulge. Continue up shaft on RP's, small wires and a FH to ledge. Finish directly up Hex Heaven's flared corner.
Lee Cujes, Erik Smits 08/08/1999

Hex Heaven 50m 16
Start: At Sticky Fingers.
Climb SF to its belay tree. Sling this and traverse two metres R onto arête. Up L side of this on good holds but limited protection to pillar (belay possible). Finish up flaring corner (hex heaven) to TB. A somewhat contrived offering since the addition of Six Sided Hell.
Rob Scott 1991

RecommendedSticky Fingers 18m 12
Marked ‘SF’. Climb the slab up and L to the base of the crack. Layback and jam up this with good protection to the small tree. Rap off.
David Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

RecommendedAngie 18m 13
Start: 2m L of Sticky Fingers at the obvious flared chimney.
Marked 'A'. Bridge chimney with good protection in the R crack to the ledge and tree. Rap off.
Steve Bell, Barry Overs, Dave Gilleson 1971

Bloodsucker Warning 45m 18
Start: Marked 'B'.
1) 15m (10) Climb the easy twin grooves to the L of Angie to the TB.
2) 30m (crux) Up onto top of short pillar, then fire directly up the face above with minimal protection until the juggy face crack is reached. Climb this great crackline to the top and TB.
FA (13 A2) Dave Kahler & Steve Bell 10/72 Darrin Carter, John Hattink 2/93

For this next climb walk from the summit of Ngungun towards Coonowrin for 50m until a chain is reached. Rap down this chain to find a DBB. The climb starts here.

RecommendedRecommendedPocket Full Of Kryptonite Sport 12m 17
Start: From DBB.
A good sport route which is bearing the brunt of much traffic. Follow the worn pockets up arête and corner past three BR’s to the top. Hard for the grade but well-protected.
Darrin Carter, Darren Watter 10/12/1993

The following two routes are located midway up the cliff. To gain the start ledge, do Bloodsucker’s first pitch.

RecommendedWitch Hunt 14m 21
Start: At the thin crack running up the blunt pillar 4m to the R of Keyhole's leaning pillar.
Climb straight up the pillar with difficulty, then traverse L to the ledge below the start of Pocket Full Of Kryptonite. Two FH’s and small SLCD’s.
Neil Monteith 1996

RecommendedTower Of Power 18m 16
This novel route climbs the outside of Keyhole’s leaning pillar. Access by Bloodsucker’s first pitch or rapping in from Pocket Full Of Kryptonite’s chains. Belay on R of pillar’s base. Scramble up R to clip first FH, but route must be started directly from base of pillar. Balancy start passing two FH’s, then natural gear to top. Scramble up 3m to belay at base of PFOK.
Lee Cujes 13/02/1999

Back to the base of the Main Cliff. 5m L of Bloodsucker.

Keyhole 45m 6
Start: Marked 'KH'.
Scramble up the vegetated gully to the base of the leaning pillar which forms a chimney. Climb up and inwards to the 'keyhole' and squeeze through with difficulty. Bush bash upwards to a TB. Leave this one for the bushwalkers!
Dennis Stocks, Bob Fick, Darryl Poole 09/09/1967

Feeling Groovy 40m 15
"Havin’ some fun…" Marked 'FG'. Straight up the deep hand crack which becomes very vegetated at the top. Finish easily up blocks. Good protection but poor climbing. TB.
Trevor Gynther, Steve Bell 10/1973

Feeling Groovy VF - 15
From the second stance on Feeling Groovy take the L-trending crack and then finish up the top of Heartache.
Col Smithies, Betty Margetts 15/11/1990

Heartache 40m 17
Start: Marked 'H'.
The start offers good climbing with a nice hand crack but soon the climb deteriorates to the likeness of its two predecessors.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 1970s

Stand To 40m 16
Start: Marked 'ST'.
A contrived hand crack which becomes very vegetated. Not great.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

RecommendedDeep Purple 25m 13
Start: Marked 'DP'.
Nice climbing up the corner with good protection and crackwork. Rap down off tree or continue up the chimney or twin grooves above.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 12/1972

Leaning Tower 27m 14
Start: Marked 'LT'.
Start up the nice handcrack but this soon turns into a wide offwidth. At the widest point, squeeze through the crack and chimney up to ledge. Rap off or continue up one of the crack lines above.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 10/1972

RecommendedRubber Soul 45m 15
Start: Marked 'RS'.
Climb the fun, pocketed wall with twin cracks to the ledge and TB. Continue up the easy chimney above.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler, Bob Bell 10/1972

Gyroscope 45m 15
Start: Marked 'G'.
Juggy climbing up the groove to a grass tree blocking the corner. Climb around this and up easy crack to finish. Good protection throughout most of this long route.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

RecommendedSpeed King Warning 45m 21
Start: Marked 'SK'.
An impressive route for back in the day. Hard and desperate climbing up the thin shallow crack leads to easier ground and the good crack above. Be careful with protection down low.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1973

Marathon Warning 45m 18
Start: Marked 'M'.
Desperate bridging up the under protected flared chimney leads to easier ground. Take many small SLCDs and wires.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

Baby Driver Warning 25m 19
Start: Marked 'BD'.
Bold face climbing up the blank wall with only small RP's as protection. Once past the first 10m, it eases to fairly juggy climbing and a TB.
FA (17 A1) Barry Overs 3/9/1970 Neil Monteith 23/3/1994

Carmen Revisited 40m 16
Start: Marked 'CR'.
Up the broken wall with good protection to a small corner. Climb this past a chockstone and onto a ledge. Bridge up the hard chimney on the L and surmount the overhang to another stance. Finish up the twin cracks to a TB.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

Fallen Knight 25m 17
Start: Marked 'FK'.
A nice looking crack but the climbing is only average. Finish on halfway ledge of Carmen Revisted and rap off.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

Previous Commitment 40m 17
Start: Marked 'PC'.
A very contrived thin hand crack which eventually joins Bridge Over Troubled Waters. If you can avoid the temptation to stray, this climb is quite hard and sustained.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 1970s

RecommendedBridge Over Troubled Waters 40m 15
Start: Marked 'BOTW'.
Easy crack climbing leads to a stance at the section of missing pillar. Traverse R into PC and bridge boldly up the twin cracks. Above this, climb the tricky twin cracks to finish. Jamming technique useful.
Barry Overs, Ron Collett 30/09/1970

CUFA 40m 16
Start: Marked 'CUFA'.
The offwidth start sees few ascents and rightfully so. It features poor rock and unenjoyable thrutching. This wide crack eventually narrows down to a magnificent twin cracked corner in an exposed position. Good pro.
Unknown 1970s

Not Recommended For Children 35m 18
Start: Marked 'NRC'.
A fluctuating crack which is only reasonably protected. At the roof traverse R into CUFA's excellent top half.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

Cantankerous Cantaloupe Warning 35m 16
Start: Marked 'CC'.
Hard for the grade. Underprotected up a thin crack line to a ledge. From the ledge, climb crack system to top. A confident leader is required.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

Gone Cruisin' 30m 16
Start: Marked 'GC'.
Hard for the grade. A bold and somewhat underprotected crack climb. This thin subtle corner requires confident crackwork. Similar to Cantankerous Cantaloupe.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 1970s

Bourgeois Bullshitter 30m 17
Start: Marked 'BB'.
Boulder the start until the crack opens. Climb this underprotected groove to a small ledge. Finish up the corner above.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 1970s

RecommendedRecommendedRecommendedFeargrounds For Insanity 20m 24
Start: 2m L of Bourgeois Bullshitter.
A stonking line which is being loved to death. Pretty soon the holds will be worn off. Boulder to a high FH, then a hard move follows. Once on the small ledge clip a BR then fire up the demanding face past another two BR’s. Bridge above the last BR for five metres (natural pro) to ledge and chain. Rap off.
Neil Monteith, Marten Blumen, Darrin Carter 1994

Stop The Bus 25m 17
Start: At the thin corner 2m L of Feargrounds For Insanity . Marked 'STB'.
Up corner with suspect protection. Needs cleaning in the crack. Hard for the grade.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 1970s

Strawberry Fields 25m 22
Start: Marked 'SF'.
A very hard start up the thin twin cracks leads to an easier top half. Protection is sparse in the lower section so careful placements are needed.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 1970s

Ultra Violet Catastrophe 23m 14
Sunscreen optional. Marked 'UVC'. The obvious angled offwidth on the R side of the leaning pillar. Good protection and sustained climbing all the way to a TB.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 10/1972

Alchemist 60m 5
Start: Marked 'A'.
An enjoyable scramble up the rock and bush on the L side of the Main Cliff. On the upper half, trend R across the tops of the other climbs for an exposed finish.

Nursery Cliff
This small cliff, situated at the summit of Ngungun, is perfect for the beginner. To get to the base of the cliff, walk along the rocky summit ridge, then take the worn path L (south) at the detached pillar 40m before the summit proper. The lines here are both juggy and for the most part well-protected (no bolts on this section of cliff please). This area is great to learn to lead on natural protection and top-ropes can be set up with ease on the trees above. Be warned - the trees at the top of these climbs may be unsafe. Test your anchors before putting your life onto them.
 
Climbs are listed from R to L.

Razor Sedge 10m 10
Start: Marked 'RS'.
Well named. Easy groove at far R of crag.
Peter Leeson, Peter Burton 06/08/1994

Dishonour Before Death Warning 10m 13
Start: Marked 'DD'.
Pocketed corner that gets progressively easier, with one small SLCD placement halfway up.
Neil Monteith 1995

Flatliner 15m 17
Start: 1m L of Dishonour Before Death.
Good climbing, and a much better version of Silver Lining. Up black, L-facing corner-crack with increasingly reliable protection to meet Silver Lining at lip of roof.
Lee Cujes 25/02/1999

Silver Lining Warning 15m 16
Up pillars past vegetation to base of large roof-capped corner. Up this with tricky pro on R wall and arête to roof. Through easily to top.
Lee Cujes 25/02/1999

Hard Core Warning 15m 18
Start: 2m L of Silver Lining.
Marked 'BL'. Bridge up the flared corner/chimney to the small roof. Surmount this and climb to the big ledge. Finish up Walk The Line. Minimal protection.
Lionel Hartley, Peter Barnes 1992

Tree Line Warning 20m 15
Start: Marked 'TL'.
Juggy crack with minimal protection to ledge, then climb crack to top.
Col Smithies, Betty Margetts 31/05/1990

Side Line 20m 9
Start: Marked 'SL'.
Well-protected crack to ledge and top. Try to avoid the jugs in Walk The Line.
Col Smithies & Betty Margetts 08/06/1988

RecommendedRecommendedWalk The Line 20m 8
Start: Marked 'WL'.
The beginners classic! Up the juggy face crack with good protection to ledge. The top 4m tier is spectacularly pocketed, but poorly protected. A good first lead nonetheless.
Barry Overs, Steve Bell, Dave Gilleson 15/11/1970

Main Line 20m 10
Start: Marked 'ML'.
Up the crack, over the small bulge and up to top.
Col Smithies, Betty Margetts 12/10/1989

Cee Gee Also 20m 7
Start: Marked 'CGA'.
Pretty standard juggy climbing up to ledge, through mini rooflet, then up face crack above.
Col Smithies 24/03/1988

Cold Girl 20m 8
Start: Marked 'CG'.
Similar climbing to Cee Gee Also, but slightly harder.
Steve Bell, Dave Kahler 1970s

RecommendedAir Line 20m 12
Start: Marked 'AL'.
Good easy crack climbing up a nice groove.
Col Smithes, Betty Margetts 12/10/1980

Fine Line 20m 11
Start: Marked 'FL'.
Up the crack R of ledge with tree on it.
Col Smithies, Betty Margetts 18/10/1989

Denim 20m 12
Start: Marked 'D'.
Up the obvious pillar just L of Fine Line to crack and finish up this to top.
Peter Leeson, Col Smithies 09/05/1989

Angie Too 20m 10
Start: Marked 'AT'.
Pillar to sinuous thin crack, then past vegetation to steep juggy top.
Col Smithies, Malcolm Argent 25/08/1985

A 20m 13
Start: Marked 'A'.
Up the crack then thrutch up the black squeeze chimney to finish. Removes plenty of knee skin!
Unknown

Funky Bass Line 20m 16
Up between A and Ballsup onto vegetated ledge. Mantle up and place high runner in A's crack, then fire directly up the shallow open-book corner with technical protection to finish up wide crack. Yes, it’s contrived down low.
Lee Cujes, Menno Smits 21/02/1999

Ballsup 20m 11
Start: Marked 'B'.
Climb up the R side of the pillar with poor protection to start, then R up the juggy face crack. Crux is poorly protected.
Dave Kahler, Steve Bell 1970s

Bee Line 20m 7
Start as for previous climb, then bridge up the shallow chimney on the L using many big jugs.
Col Smithies, Betty Margetts 20/05/1990

Next In Line 20m 7
Start: Marked 'NL'.
A reasonable line which lacks the bomber protection of some of the other climbs.
Betty Margetts, Col Smithies 24/06/1990

Centre Line 20m 9
Start: Marked 'CL'.
Enjoyable but underprotected climbing. Take large SLCDs.
Betty Margetts, Col Smithies 24/06/1990

Plumb Line 20m 8
Start: Marked 'PL'.
Another good lead for beginners. Up nice groove with adequate pro.
Betty Margetts, Col Smithies 24/06/1990

Left Right Out 23m 5
Start: Marked 'LRO'.
Trend up and to the L onto a very juggy white wall. Climb this to top with good protection. This climb has some of the biggest holds in SE Queensland!
Rhys, Joy, Tully, & Skye Davies 24/06/1990


This page was last updated Tuesday, 31 March 2009.
Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Lee Cujes