Access to Rocky Tom requires a 10 minute drive and a half hour walk.
The traditional access has been via Flagstaff Gully. Back in the day you used to be able to drive right to the top of Excalibur Buttress in a decent 4wd. These days there is a gate at the Flagstaff Gully Reservoir that makes this approach about 40 minutes. See Craglets for this approach.
A shorter (about 30 minutes) and easier approach is via Geilston Bay. Turn right off the East Derwent Highway on to Golf Links Rd, then left onto Fairfield Rd. Follow this to the end, then right on to Geilston Creek Rd. Follow this and park and the end of the road.
Walk along the fire trail sign posted "Pickering Hill Reserve" to the gate. Take the single track which heads down to another road. Follow this for a few metres before another fire trail heads up the gully (Faggs Gully). Follow the fire trail up the gully for about 5 minutes before the road heads up right. Keep going up the gully for a few more minutes along rough single track until you get to a point where the road crosses the gully again (RTB010). (You can easily mountain bike to this point to save a few minutes).
Turn left up the steep fire trail. Follow this steeply up the hill for several hundred metres to where it flattens out at a saddle between two hills (Seager Saddle). The hill up to the right is where the Rocky Tom cliffs are (marked on the map as Caves Hill). Keep going for another 100m to the next little rise. For the Ark turn right and head straight up the hill for a couple of hundred metres to find a distinctive yellow overhanging boulder. (See the topo for what you are looking for).
For the Menagerie, keep following the fire trail down and rightward around the hill for another couple of hundred metres to where there is a small rock to the right of the track. Keep going another 20m to another chunk of rock, then head straight up the hill. You first get to a low, lichenous boulder, the Menagerie is another 30m or so above this.
There is another approach that takes about 15-20 minutes and hasn't got as much uphill. Turn off the highway onto Sugarloaf Rd, and take the second turn onto Hyden Rd. Where Tempys Rd goes off to the right, keep going straight ahead onto the dirt track. Park at the end of the track at the gate (RTB020). From the gate walk straight ahead up into the paddock. After a couple of minutes follow the paddock up right. Once you crest the hill you can see Rocky Tom. At an old fence line there is a fire trail on the right side of the paddock. Follow this, and go right when it forks. Follow the track down to Seager Saddle and then find the boulders as per above.
The traditional access has been via Flagstaff Gully. Back in the day you used to be able to drive right to the top of Excalibur Buttress in a decent 4wd. These days there is a gate at the Flagstaff Gully Reservoir that makes this approach about 40 minutes. See Craglets for this approach.
A shorter (about 30 minutes) and easier approach is via Geilston Bay. Turn right off the East Derwent Highway on to Golf Links Rd, then left onto Fairfield Rd. Follow this to the end, then right on to Geilston Creek Rd. Follow this and park and the end of the road.
Walk along the fire trail sign posted "Pickering Hill Reserve" to the gate. Take the single track which heads down to another road. Follow this for a few metres before another fire trail heads up the gully (Faggs Gully). Follow the fire trail up the gully for about 5 minutes before the road heads up right. Keep going up the gully for a few more minutes along rough single track until you get to a point where the road crosses the gully again (RTB010). (You can easily mountain bike to this point to save a few minutes).
Turn left up the steep fire trail. Follow this steeply up the hill for several hundred metres to where it flattens out at a saddle between two hills (Seager Saddle). The hill up to the right is where the Rocky Tom cliffs are (marked on the map as Caves Hill). Keep going for another 100m to the next little rise. For the Ark turn right and head straight up the hill for a couple of hundred metres to find a distinctive yellow overhanging boulder. (See the topo for what you are looking for).
For the Menagerie, keep following the fire trail down and rightward around the hill for another couple of hundred metres to where there is a small rock to the right of the track. Keep going another 20m to another chunk of rock, then head straight up the hill. You first get to a low, lichenous boulder, the Menagerie is another 30m or so above this.
There is another approach that takes about 15-20 minutes and hasn't got as much uphill. Turn off the highway onto Sugarloaf Rd, and take the second turn onto Hyden Rd. Where Tempys Rd goes off to the right, keep going straight ahead onto the dirt track. Park at the end of the track at the gate (RTB020). From the gate walk straight ahead up into the paddock. After a couple of minutes follow the paddock up right. Once you crest the hill you can see Rocky Tom. At an old fence line there is a fire trail on the right side of the paddock. Follow this, and go right when it forks. Follow the track down to Seager Saddle and then find the boulders as per above.
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The Ark is 50m or so down and right from the base of Lone Tower. It faces down the hill and can be hard to find. Best accessed from The Menagerie boulder as it is more prominent when approached from downhill.
The Ark is 50m or so down and right from the base of Lone Tower. It faces down the hill and can be hard to find. Best accessed from The Menagerie boulder as it is more prominent when approached from downhill.
4. Vampiros Lesbos V5 (SDS) Sit start 3m right of 3 on small edges. Up to good holds at head height. Dyno for lip then pull onto slab and into groove. Probably better as a V4 stand start, as the sit is pretty awkward.
6. Victory in Thebes V5 (SDS) Start 2m right and down from 4 on lip of low overhang. Up powerfully through the bulge to finish up the highest part of the boulder. A great problem.
The Menagerie boulder is directly below Excalibur buttress 100 metres or so and is clearly visible from this area. Many eliminates / variants exist on this boulder so only the main problems have been documented.
V1 (SDS) Up around left from the bottom face is a bit of a bulge. Sit start, then follow the lichen free holds to the top.
V4/5 (SDS) The line just right of the arete, starting at the big flat hold, up to the highest part of the boulder. Keep on the R face. Starting to the R at the flake and moving left is an alternative start.
1. Achey Breaky Flakey V5 (SDS) No longer extant, the loose flake broke. Start as for 2, move left onto loose flake, dyno for lip.
4. Jack Jumper Arete V6/7 (SDS) Arete behind tree from sitting start to hard mantle. A great problem, but the landing is a little dicey, bring a couple of mats. Follow the arete directly - a bit easier if you pike and move right to top out.
5. V3 (SDS) Sit start with feet on hanging pedestal. Pull up for small edges dyno for good holds and pull onto slab. Variation finsh: Traverse the lip to finsh for 7.
6. Rhinocerous V4 (SDS) Start as for 5. Traverse right to incut edges, up to large slot then up onto slab (ie. finish as for 7). Many variants / eliminates exist.
7. V3 (SDS) Sit start under small cave on good holds. Straight up to slot via good holds. Mantle onto slab.
V? (SDS) There is a problem starting as for Orang-Utan but climbing up through the roof to finish as for Rhinocerous.
8. Virgin Buster V9 (SDS) Start as for 5. Move left and around arete to finish as for 3. Crux is past arete.
1. V? Start on huge hold at rear left of roof. Climb out to lip then right past holds on Seams Direct (climb) to large jug. Move down and right to finish on Slavery (climb)
3. V? Start on holds just right of 1. Move right then straight out to lip along thin crack. Jump off or finish as for 1.
