Buchan Limestone

3rd November 2001

Neil Monteith, Kathy Dicker, Marcel Geelen, Jaq, Nick & Jen McKinnon,

This is some info I have scribbled up for Argus about what I saw and climbed when I went to the Buchan area last weekend. I hope it’s of some amusement to you. We didn't do any new routes but we did find a lot of unreported climbs (some of very dubious merit). I will list some of the info I unearthed....

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Wilson’s Caves
This popular caving area seems to have been visited by some deranged bolter who has 'established' at least six routes on the rocks walls on the outside of the cave entrance. Since there is a large sign stating 'It is illegal to damage caves or karst features' just above the cliff this seems quite bad. The routes aren’t even that good and are very small and over bolted. The routes on the lower wall are particularly pathetic offerings. All of 5 meters high, they are easily bouldered with a crash mat. The bolts are excellent and very new looking (a year old?). Glue in rings and European expansion bolts. The slightly better routes are actually located INSIDE the entrance to the main cave. These are on good rock and have some bolts that look about 5-10 years old.

Armchair Flat - Matt Brooks crag from 2000
Access to this cliff was fairly dodgy. Four barbed wire fences (one electric that I found out the hard way!), a waist deep creek and quite a few nettles finally get you to the cliff. It takes about 20 minutes to walk in. The area is very rural. Instead of natural bushland it’s all weeds and cow manure with the occasional rabbit. The limestone wasn't the greatest quality and some of it crumbled quite alarmingly. Matt seems to have done an excellent job of bolting the routes, all being ringbolted with rap anchors. There is NO potential for new lines on this small cliff. All the routes are about 15m high on slightly overhung rock. By far the best line there is 'Verdonesque' 15m 24. If you were giving stars to routes only at Buchan including the Pyramids than this would get three stars. Its an excellent knife edge arete on small pockets and edges. I thought 24 was a sandbag grade. More like sustained 25. The route 'Avignon' was also quite good, but it was much closer to grade 20 than 22. Nick and I found it no harder than its neighbor Vous Le Vu (19). Amadeus (21) felt about right with its grade. Overall it’s a nice little area with shade in the morning and some nice green grass to chill on. It would keep you entertained for a day at max.

Marcel on impressive limestone of Vous Le Vu (19), Armchair Flat

Marcel on impressive limestone of Vous Le Vu (19)

Nick on Vous Le Vu (19)

Nick on the fine stemming corner of Avignon (22), Armchair Flat

The Pyramids
After opening and closing EIGHT gates on the private road to get this area we finally got stopped by a locked gate with a Private Property sign. We got permission (reluctantly) from the owner and walked across his flat to the base of the hill. The lower cliff had very little potential for new routes but did contain the greatest amount of wasp’s nest I have ever seen. We then thrashed our way up to the Pyramids proper (is there a track???). The area was nice and tranquil with a few good lines. Nothing really stood out apart from the Carrigan routes described as 'hand cracks' in the guide. They are more like subtle finger crack weaknesses. You certainly wouldn't be jamming up them! Nick and I both had a go on Matt Brooks 'The Egyptian' 26/27. The line is well bolted in a great position but the rock is very bad. Nick and both took plummets from exploding hand and footholds and it only seemed to get worse the higher we went. NOT classic climbing. The grade seems suss also. More like 25. The loweroff ringbolts at the top are not in a safe enough position to be used to rap off other routes on this pillar.

We then went and checked out the Sinkhole crag located directly behind the Pyramids. Matt Brooks has been hard at work here also it seems. There are three ringbolted bolted projects about the same vintage as 'The Egyptian'. It looks like he just bolted them, and has not been back to try them since. There still seems to be a fair bit of loose rock around. The bottom of this area is INFESTED with head height nettles, which makes this a far from pleasant area to climb at. We wore full-length pants and tops and had to beat our way in with big sticks. We spotted a few more good hard lines on nice rock but by then we had had enough. No ones going to visit a cliff 370km from Melbourne, with eight gates to get there, a 30min slog up a weed infested hill and completely filled with nettles. The caving is good though!