Mount Tibrogargan

SPORT

TRADITIONAL

MAP

For years Mount Tibrogargan was living a lie. All climbers “knew” that the mountain was a tottering pile of death blocks waiting to fall down. Infrequent jaunts on the established multipitch trad routes didn’t do much to change this opinion. It wasn’t until the 90s and the emergence of the powerdrill did climbers truly discover what a gem this mountain could be. Today, ‘Tibro’ as he’s called, hosts a wealth of varied climbing. The special thing about Tibro is that it is vast enough to be able to accommodate all styles of rock climbing, from the ye olde routes of yore, established with piton and hammer, to the more modern routes which may be trad, mixed, or sport. These styles can happily coexist without treading on each other’s toes, which adds to the overall diversity of the climbing experience. A note on grading. The grading of routes on Mount Tibrogargan varies greatly. Many of the early routes (pre 1980) tend to be mighty harsh for the grade. The shorter modern routes are graded more accurately. TRAVELLING NORTH: After taking the Glass House Mountains Tourist Route (Steve Irwin Way) off the Bruce Highway, drive for 6.5 km to a left turn marked ‘Forestry Nursery’. This is the Matthew Flinders Rest Area. TRAVELLING SOUTH: From the township of Glass House Mountains, drive south down Steve Irwin Way for 5km and just after the Tibrogargan Creek turn right to the Matthew Flinders Rest Area. From the Matthew Flinders Rest Area, take the second left (Evans Road) under the railway bridge, then up right passing the disused nursery on your right, then take the signposted left turn towards the mountain (sandy dirt track). You’ll pass two more green National Park signs saying ‘Mt Tibrogargan’ before reaching the Matthew Flinders car park (aka “Climbers car park”), 1.3km from the main road turnoff, marked “P1”on the map.