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Mt Warning: no decision in 2025 -Merry Christmas from Minister Sharpe

NPWS have provided the following media statement about the "temporary" closure of the Mt Warning summit track: The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has extended the closure of the Wollumbin summit track to allow additional time for careful consideration of the site’s future. For more than a decade, access to the Wollumbin summit track has presented complex challenges. The NSW Government is committed to enhancing consultation processes for the future management of the track. NPWS acknowledges the uncertainty the process has caused the community and businesses. For Aboriginal people there is a deep cultural and spiritual significance of Wollumbin, which is a declared Aboriginal place. Ensuring that all stakeholders, particularly Aboriginal custodians, are meaningfully engaged is critical to any future decisions about the site. For community, council and business the future of this site is also important. NPWS will continue to maintain and develop visitation opport...
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Save our Summits, Access Australia Series Part 1: Arapiles

 Save our Summits, Access Australia Series Part 1: Arapiles Part 1 of a series of webinars looking at access issues across the country.  ACAV president Mike Tomkins provides a run down on the bans to rock climbing at Arapiles and the Grampians.
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Vic Gov racist policy declares war on Arapiles rock climbers

 Mt Arapiles is one of the world's best rock climbing destinations. For decades people have flocked to this remote western Victorian mountain to climb its stunning crags. It seems this will no longer be the case with the woke Victorian Government now putting most of the mountain under lock and key with bans to most of the routes. In doing so it has started a war with the climbing community it will inevitably lose. If you want to climb...do it! “It’s a wipeout folks. The literal beating heart of climbing in Australia has been ripped out and discarded’’ The Australian's John Fergusson reports: Rock climbing at the  world famous Mt Arapiles  in Victoria will be gutted under Labor after Parks Victoria cited secretive cultural heritage investigations as the driving force behind the decision. The site is one of the world’s most  significant rock climbing areas  and arguably Australia’s nursery for the pursuit. Up to half of all routes are predicted to be shut. The ban...
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Mt warning to feature in Hornsby By-election

They say you'd have to mad to run for politics. Well the closure of Mt Warning certainly has not done much for my mental health. I'm running as a Libertarian Party candidate in the Hornsby By-Election on October 19. If you live in the electorate and want to help out, get in touch. Less Taxes. Less Red Tape. Marc Hendrickx is a geologist and author and has lived in the Hornsby Electorate for over 20 years. With a background in regional mapping and engineering geology, he now runs a consultancy specialising in landslide risk assessment. He holds an MPhil from Macquarie University and is an advocate for public access to natural sites, running the " Right To Climb " blog and serving as President of  Save our Summits Association . His books " A Guide to Climbing Ayers Rock " and  " A Guide to Climbing Mt Warning " may be purchased through Connor Court Publishing. Marc has been an active member of the Berowra RFS for nearly a decade and was awarded the ...
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NSW Budget Estimates - Mt Warning

 At NSW Parliament Budget estimates this week Hon John Ruddick MLC used part of his time to question senior bureaucrats from NPWS about the closure of Mt Warning and future of the the summit track. Hon John Ruddick MLC, Libertarian Party NSW Of note was an admission by Naomi Stephens (NPWS Executive Director of Park Operations Coastal)   that the current "temporary" closure would end on the 31/12/2024. Unfortunately, we did not hear what was going to happen after this date - another extension to the rolling "temporary" closures that have been in place since March 2020, a reopening, or a permanent closure.  I have sent a follow up question to Ms Stephens and will post the reply, if it comes.  A lot of the questions by John were "taken on notice" highlighting the lack of knowledge by both the Deputy Secretary, National Parks and Wildlife Service: Atticus Fleming and Ms Stephens. We are waiting to hear the answers.  In April 2024 I sent Atticus Fleming a copy...
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Mt Warning - Vikki Campion Show 16 August

 I appeared on the Vikki Campion Show on TNT radio 16 August. Link to the show below (from 15:45): https://tnt.news/podcast/marc-hendrickx-and-james-ashby-on-the-vikki-campion-show-16-august-2024-2/ If you want a copy of my book: A guide to climbing Mt Warning head to Connor Court ... 
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Mt Warning - Harry Creamer speech August 3, 2024

Mt Warning was officially opened as a National Park on 3rd August 1929 by Hon Francis Boyce the NSW Attorney General. He rode to the summit with his wife to attend the festivities. The mountain was dedicated to all Australians forever. To commemorate that event we held a celebration of the 95th anniversary of the opening of the park on August 3, 2024. Amongst the speakers was Harry Creamer ex NPWS anthropologist. Harry spent the early part of his career interviewing Aboriginal elders about their cultural knowledge in NSW in the 1970s and 1980s. These elders still had ties to deep Aboriginal culture. They never indicated Mt Warning was a place the public couldn't access. He has a vast knowledge of Aboriginal Heritage. His reports have been omitted from heritage studies used to lock the public out of Mt Warning and he has been thus far ignored by the media. His voice deserves to be heard.  Thankyou Harry for your honesty and for sharing your knowledge. I hope NPWS pay attention....
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Mt Warning - radio interviews 2GB and 4BC

Had a wonderful time celebrating the 95th Anniversary of the Mt Warning National Park last week thanks to all involved and all who attended. Event report available at save our summits. Mt Warning 95th Anniversary celebration John and Marc at the summit Links below to radio interviews with Ben Fordham on 2GB on Monday August 5, and on the 4BC morning show with Gary Hardgrave 6 August 2024. BEN FORDHAM 5 August 2024 GARY HARDGRAVE 6 August 2024
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Fight for Awe and Wonder - AUGUST Events

August looking like a big month for Right to Climb. Please see if you can come to one of the events listed below. We need your voice, we need your passion. We are lost without it. Firday August 2. Mt Warning Hotel Uki, from 5:30pm. Have a drink and dinner with  Hon John Ruddick MLC NSW Libertarian Party. And prepare yourself to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the Mt Warning National Park on the 3rd. Likely sunrise climb.  SaturdayAugust 3. Breakfast Creek Carpark at the foot of Mt Warning, Mt Warning Road, Uki. From 10am. Celebrate the 95th anniversary of the declaration of the Mt Warning National Park. Say Happy 95th Birthday to this outstanding natural wonder. Gifted to all Australians. Let's reopen the park! Sunday 4th August Keep the Gate open on Awe and Wonder. Moving forward Sunshine Coast An afternoon with Marc Hendrickx and Carolyn Rogers: Keep open the gate of Awe and Wonder Sun 4 Aug 2024 1:30 PM - 4:15 PM Norh Shore Community Center, 4564 https://www.tickettailo...
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Mt Warning - epetition response from Minister

Minister Sharpe has completed her official duties in regard to the e-petition with the standard head in the sand response (see copy below), joining the same congo line of bureaucratic indifference established by the previous Minister Matt Kean . If this gets your goat up join us at the Mt Warning carpark on 3rd of August at 10:00am when we celebrate the 95th anniversary of the park and recreate the 1929 opening ceremony. Link to event .
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