Gara gorge bouldering guide
WARNING
Bouldering can be hazardous. The editors of this guide accept no responsibility for inaccurate information, or for any controversial grades of routes. The editors also assumes users of this guide have a high level of climbing ability, will have received training from a rock climbing instructor, will properly use appropriate equipment and will take great care for their and others safety.
Gara gorge is such a convenient and great bouldering spot with 100+ routes ( in this guide so far) on a variety of thin crimps, gritty slopers, huge flakes and a bit of everything else thrown in.
Location
Gara gorge / Blue hole is about a 15 minutes drive east of Armidale. Take the Waterfall way out of town until just past past the speed zone change and then turn right into Castle Doyle road. Follow this all the way until the road turns to dirt and then another km or so will see you at the Natioanl park. Follow the road to the right past the first car park and park at the second one. Most problems are within a few hundred meters of here!
See Google Map
Route Codes and Pictures on Flickr
Each route has been given a unique code to help identify it. This guide has also been intregrated with Flickr (an online photo site) so that the most interesting pictures for a route are shown. Click on the thumbnail to view other pictures of any route. You can help contribute photos for this guide by using Flickr and tagging your photos with 'bouldering' and 'gara' and its route code, eg 'ne10'.
Definitions
- SDS
- Sit down start
- HB
- High Ball
- R
- Risky bad landing
Star rating
* - You gotta try it if you're near it
** - Worth walking to, just for this problem
Western Boulders
Tank Boulder
Only about 20m south west of the car park next to the water tank this is a great warm up area.
Icarus / Crack boulder
Walk past the Tank boulder for 30m. Pretty easy to find.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| W6 | V4 | ** SDS Awesome moves on only the right hand face | |
| W7 | V11 | Icarus | Thin crazy overhung crimps. Follows three bolts |
Hill top
About 20m behind and to the left of the crack boulder.
Quickdraw boulder
Just over the hill is a very faint dual track running away from the farmers fence. These are on the north side.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| W22 | V | Ordinary | |
| W23 | V1 | * Crimps then high mantle | |
| W24 | V3 | ** Thin textured features |
Three cracks boulder
Near the bottom of the faint dual track further away from the farmers fence.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| W18 | V1 | Thin dirty moves | |
| W19 | V1 | Up crack with little tree growing in it | |
| W20 | V2 | * thin balancy layback | |
| W21 | V0 | * Nice finger crack |
Central Boulders
Metal Walkway Boulder
About 20m into the Threllfall walk as you cross a metal walkway there is a overhung block on your right.
BBQ Boulder
Visible from the BBQ's just walk straight up the hill (south) away from the creek.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | V | Thin | |
| C2 | V | Thin | |
| C3 | V | Thin |
Red Lichen boulder
Visible from the BBQ's just walk straight up the hill (south) away from the creek.
Picnic Table Boulders
From the main picnic tables keep walking east to a seperate grassy area with single table. A track leads up the hill and the warmup boulder is 5m left of the track.
If you keep going up the track you will get to the Main Ridge boulders.
Main ridge boulders / Little Ayres rock
The walking track takes you right past these. The most obvious feature is the big split rock on the right which is Little Ayres Rock.
Lower Main ridge boulders
On the down hill side of the Main ridge. Can also be approached from lower via the picnic boulders.
Southern Boulders
From the carpark follow the old dual track south past the toilets. After about 100m it splits faintly heading east and south. Follow the south track.
If you walk along the south arm of the old dual track this is the first big rock you see on your left about 50m away.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| S9 | V1 | * Slab climb | |
| S10 | V4 | ** Huge dyno to slap then weird mantle | |
| S11 | V3 | ** Tricky layback |
Hidden away by itself on the right, almost down in the swampy area.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| S12 | V4 | A little peice of Yarrowyck | * SDS Undercling to painful unrelenting right smear |
Keep walking and onthe left is this large obvious boulder with a hollow side facing you, like a big kidney shape.
Eastern Boulders
Follow the old dual track all the way east or cut though via the Main Ridge boulders.
The Catacombs
Right at the end of the old dual track is a turning circle. Walk south on a thin single track for barely 20m and then downhill. The wicked roof problem should stand out.
By itself just off the thin track that leads down into the gorge to the south.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| E14 | V00 | Easy crimps up slab | |
| E15 | V2 | * SDS Awkward arete |
North Side
Sorry but no topo's yet. To get to the north side, cross the metal bridge and walk along the Threlfall track for about 500m. Once the gorge starts to drop away go bush away from the gorge and hike up the hill to meet the return leg of the track. There is a big odd pile of logs that looks like a miniture log house, and just after this (east) about 10m is a couple boulders with some nice problems.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| N1 | V1 | Slab climb | |
| N2 | V3 | Around to the right a burly undercling then up left nose |
After warming up on these keep walking east for another few hundred meters, crossing a bridge or two, and then head up to the top of the hill away from the track. There is at least 15 problems here including some high quality easy and hard ones.
| Route | Grade | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| N3 | V5 | Spider Man | ** 5m high crimp problem trending left onto an easier rail. |