Orang Utan Pass

[tom_brennan]

On Allan Wells' site, he mentions that:

On the sketchmap you may also notice "Orangutan Pass' below Clarke Head, named after a rude song Wally Roots and his fellow 'orangutans' in the Sydney Bush Walkers used to sing. This pass no longer exists due to a collapse on the cliff face.

Orang Utan Pass does of course still exist, since we did it a few weeks ago, but I am curious as to whether there has actually been any signficant cliff collapse over time. My understanding was that the ledge has always had a short precipitous section.

Andy Macqueen in his book Back from the Brink states under Wallace's steam engine and the Orang Utans:

Wallace had already found access to the bottom of the cliffs, using a relatively easy but dangerous pass at what the locals referred to as Surveyors Gully (not to be confused with Surveyors Creek), beneath Clarke Head. To negotiate this pass, one must walk along a very narrow shaly ledge with an enormous drop beside. To make it easier and safer, but no less formidable, Wallace bridged the gap with logs.

If Macqueen is right, it sounds like the pass has long had a very narrow shaly section with a large drop off.

Can anyone confirm (or deny) any significant changes over time?

[Grabeach]

Back in 2012 I too heard that the ledge had collapsed about five years before and that the pass was no longer negotiable, so I went down to have a look. Little had changed since my first visit in 1989. If anything, I thought it a little easier as some of the shale present in the gap of earlier years had eroded away to a more stable base. If you have access, Waysider No. 354 (Sept- Oct 2012) has my trip report including 1989 and 2012 comparison photos.

Is my original 1990 visitors 'book' still there just pass the crux?

[tom_brennan]

Is my original 1990 visitors 'book' still there just pass the crux?

Thanks Graeme, yep, still there, and not particularly frequently used!

[rcaffin]

It may be that Allan Wells has confused Orang Utan pass and Gordon Smith Chimney - maybe. GSC was a very interesting route up an improbably gully/corner near Mt Banks which could actually be done without ropes, but 10-20 years ago part of the cliff collapsed, leaving a boulder choke-up at a narrow point. I went up to the bottom of the jammed rockpile shortly after the collapse, and did not feel like poking it.

Cheers
Roger

[Grabeach]

but 10-20 years ago part of the (GSC) cliff collapsed

Roger;
Do you have any more info on this? It is generally accepted, eg. Back from the Brink Pg. 223 and other personal comments, that a landslide occurred in the GSC in the 70s which made it a lot harder. When I went up there in 1993 I would say that rope was definitely required. While I'm admittedly less in touch with such things these days, I've never heard of any further earth movement there since then.
An interesting tie in to the original thread is that the 1993 walk involved an initial descent of Orang Utan.

[rcaffin]

It must have been the late 70s then.
And I would NOT say that 'it made it a lot harder'; I would say that it made it excessively dangerous. As I said, I did explore up from the bottom after the slide, and it was definitely looking unstable. What actually happened was that some of the top cliff collapsed and funneled down, with a big block-up at the narrow chimney section. I backed off fast: I did not want to disturb the (huge) blockage.

We were a shade 'innocent' in those days, not knowing much about the route. I took my 5 or 6 year old daughter up it with friends. She walked where she could, and then rode on my shoulders. I passed her up the chimney bit and then carried her to the top. She did go to sleep rather quickly once in the car. My wife was NOT impressed later on when she inspected the route . . .

Cheers
Roger