Paparazzi Cliffs

After hiking to find some new climbing spots on Mt Maroon a week ago, I returned with a friend and some climbing gear to tick off some new routes.

Another beautiful Autumn day, with a chill in the wind to remind me that winter is on its way. Cooler weather will make for better climbing, but the shorter days require additional planning as we soon found out.

We made it to the Paparazzi Cliffs mid morning and set off up the wall. The climbing was enjoyable, with plenty of thin climbing on small feet and hold holds to test our confidence in the strength of the rock. The climbing was further tested by having to constantly stop and look for the next bolt, well camouflaged against the lichen covered rock.

Moving on to the next climb presented more problems, with so many routes in close proximity there were a multitude of bolts to choose from, not knowing which was the correct line to take. Additional bolting had been done since the guide was released with new variant sections appearing making way finding especially difficult.

Still, it was a great day of climbing on some good rock in a beautiful part of the world. With the end of the day approaching I made it to the top of a 50m climb and stopped to sit and take in the amazing afternoon views.

I was back on the ground as the sun was getting lower in the sky, and we started back down the rocky slopes hoping to make it back to the trail before night overtook. We failed.

We made the mistake of aimlessly heading towards lower ground from the cliffs, hoping to pick up the distinct track further along the way. As the scrub was fairly light it was easy to miss the faint tracks, and the rock cairns were easily passed without noticing. Once dark it was nearly impossible to pick up where we should have been.

It was an almost moonless night, and under the canopy of the forest it soon became pitch black around us. Luckily I had a head torch and a hand held GPS, we slid and scrambled down shin deep thick leaf litter, loose scree slopes, down deep ravines, through sections of spiky lantana and too many spider webs to mention, getting turned around endlessly trying to navigate the several gullies we had to cross, all the while carrying backpacks full heavy equipment in low light. It was not a pleasant experience!

Eventually my GPS received some signals through the trees overhead and we found our way back to the exit of the ravine and the continuation of the trail. From there is was a not so simple walk following a sporadic fire trail, and finally through a field of waist high grass until we came out at the beginning of the north east tourist track.

Two and a half hours after we set of, we were back in the car and relieved to be heading home. Tired and sore, but thankful to be safe, we drove back to Brisbane pretty happy with how the day panned out. We will return, and this time remembering to plot a lot more way points on my GPS to ensure a trouble free return trip. Another adventure for the books.

More photos here

Exploring Mt Maroon and Northern NSW

After doing some amazing climbing recently I was determined to discover some more places to climb on Mt Maroon. Armed with some rough guides I set off to explore on a beautiful Autumn morning in southern Queensland.

Diverging from start of the north east summit track I came across a rough fire break, and continued along this until it finished at a steep gully. After scrambling past the gully I turned to head towards the face of the mountain while continuing further west. All the while gaining ground, I hiked further into the scrub, following faint tracks when they appeared. Finding a small featured wall I stopped for a quick bite to eat, looking out of an amazing view of the countryside.

I continued up some more terraces until I found what I was looking for, Paparazzi Cliffs. A handful of bolted climbing routes near some great looking caves. I sat down under the crisp clear blue sky and relaxed in the sun.

Heading back I stayed close the base of the mountain, finding more interesting rock formations, took the long way down the deep gully and returned once again to the tourist track. It was getting late in the day, but I started up the main hiking trail, veering off track half way along to find 'Viewpoint Buttress'. Orientating myself for a return visit with climbing gear, I surveyed some of the trad routes in the late afternoon as the skies turned grey.

Enjoying the day and not wanting to return to Brisbane right away, I drove to Urbenville as night closed in and stopped at the only pub in town. Tired and hungry after the long day I sat down with a large hot pizza and proceeded to finish it easily.

Back on the road and I kept driving south-west, further into northern NSW until I arrived at a favourite camp site of mine. Nestled on the banks of the upper Clarence River is a small patch of flat grassy land called Paddy's Flat. I arrived well into the pitch black night as the storm clouds had covered the sky.

Getting my priorities straight I cracked a beer, got a fire going, then set up my tent. I settled into my camp chair in front of the flames, in the drizzle, drank beer and listened to music until the last of the logs collapsed into embers.

It lightly rained throughout the night, and I woke in the misty early morning to a slightly damp temp. I brewed a fresh pot of coffee, had some breakfast and packed up my car.

Wanting to continue the adventure, after driving north through the Yabbra state forest I turned off towards Killarney. With all of the overnight rain I thought it would be fun to drive along the Condamine River Road, a 18km stretch of dirt road that crosses the Condamine River fourteen times. The rocky bottomed river was no more than 30cm at its deepest sections, not a problem for the patrol. It was still a very nice drive along the border of Queensland and NSW, the river in parts flanked by the steep sides the Koreelah National Park.

From there on it was a pleasant but windy and rainy drive back home to Brisbane. A fantastic weekend in a beautiful part of the world. I'll be back for more soon.

More photos here