Frog Buttress
Also known as: Mount French
Scenic Rim views; premier SE QLD crack crag; historic birthplace of QLD hard trad
The climbing
What there is to climb at Frog Buttress, and whether a mixed-ability group can split up here.
400+ routes (theCrag)
Insomnia 23 (first 23 in Aus); Brown Corduroy Trousers; Whistling Kite (hardest); Hard Nose 25; Odin; Conquistador; Blood Brothers 19
Many single-pitch lines side-by-side; split beginner cracks vs hard crack testpieces along one buttress
Best for trad-competent parties; climbs feel 3-4 grades harder than book; not beginner sport groups
Rock & setting
Columnar rhyolite/trachyte; usually bombproof; occasional small flakes peel; loose blocks near top
Single-pitch trad; vertical parallel-sided cracks/corners/aretes; smooth-sided; sustained; up to ~25m
NW-facing flank of Mt French; limited shade; morning sun
Popular, more so than ever; busy winter weekends; quiet weekdays
Season & conditions
Cool dry winter days; summer only pre-dawn 5-11am
Apr-Sep
Long mild winter days, cool nights, prime friction
Summer heat/humidity; mozzies and rain more prevalent summer; wet-weather seepage
Approach & gear
NP day access free; camping fee per person/night, pre-book QPWS; phytophthora boot-scrub station in use; bolting technically illegal in NP. Confirm.
Permits and operators change - confirm before booking.
~5-10 min; from carpark past toilets, North Lookout path then steep dirt track down to cliff
Mt French NP via Boonah; ~100km SW of Brisbane; car essential
1-2 racks cams fingers-fist; nuts/hexes; 3-5 bolt brackets (carrots); helmet; 60m rope, two ropes for long routes. Mobile reception good at cliff, poor at camp/carpark
Limited Mt French NP campground (pre-book, pay in advance); Boonah hotels/AirBnB/caravan park
Toilets and running water at carpark/campground; no water at cliff
Bolting & safety
Sparse; old carrot bolts and dodgy pitons on faces/aretes; retro-bolting frowned/chopped; top anchors tricky and loose. Confirm.
Loose top-outs and rockfall; helmet essential; sandbagged grades; ethics strict no chipping/retro-bolt; wood fires banned
None required; guided intro courses available via operators; trad self-sufficiency expected
Call 000/112; base sign marks Left/Right sides for SES; Boonah Hospital 24hr (07) 5463 3300
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand crag report. Coordinates are approximate.