Girraween NP - Slip Rock

Eastern route to the Slip Rock.

Winter 2024 #7b.

Shots list : Two maps of the route - Slip rock from the paddock facing the eastern approach (880m) - Thick scrub in the lower reaches -Entrance to slabs - Noticeable large boulder - A granite gully opposite - The first set of slabs - Look back to Castle rock - Look back to the Pyramids - Higher first slabs - Boulders appear just before the rocky outcrop - The rocky outcrop is peppered with cairns (970m) - View to the Slip rock summit - Saddle crossing - There are random cairns along the next slabs - The middle section is mixed scrub and slabs - View back to the Pyramids - A channel is passed through at a long slab abutment - Lowest part of the highest slabs - The slabs ahead have undulations - The slabs have excellent grip - Four shots of the massive upper slabs - The highest slab with the highest point in the forest behind (1120m) - The two highest boulders - View to the Pyramids - View to a group of enormous boulders - There are more slabs to the North west - Drone take off shot.

Drone shots : Upper slabs - Forest high point - View to the Pyramids - Enormous boulders - Slip Rock.

From the Pyramids road (880m) I crossed the plains to a water course (a dry channel about two metres deep) below the first slabs. Staying on the right bank and passing through a belt of thick scrub, I ascended to the lowest slabs, and they led up to a large boulder beside a wide rock gully. The next slabs led up naturally from there. A little higher up the scrub became thick on the left, but the slabs can be followed on further by keeping right. At the top of the section, large boulders are approached, and here I kept a little to the left to reach the highest section of the rocks. The area is forested and has cairns placed on the low slab tops. In the map I refer to this as the 'Rocky high point' (970m). The Slip rock is visible from here, and an obvious forested saddle is crossed to reach the next line of approach. The next ascent is a little longer than the first, and crosses mixed scrub and slabs. Open rock can be kept to by weaving up through the section. Eventually we reach the open slabs of the summit area, which are enormous, and they are easily crossed to a highest slab. The highest point (1120m) is in an area of forest off to the north, and is a section of enormous boulders.