Call for Minister to act on World Heritage in Danger.

ABC Alice Springs Breakfast Radio Producer Justin Fenwick spoke with Ms Nisha of UNESCO about what it would mean if the Park was declared a World Heritage in Danger Site. It seems likely that Parks Australia have not followed the proper procedures and risk placing World Heritage in the Park in danger. I have called on the Minister to suspend any plans to remove or destroy climbing infrastructure until UNESCO can complete its assessment.

Map in 1987 World Heritage Nomination showing summit path and lookout

Page 3 of the 1987 World Heritage Nomination in which the summit views are described.

Dear Minister,

I refer to revelations that were broadcast on ABC Alice Springs breakfast radio that indicate UNESCO were not properly consulted about the impact banning the Ayers Rock Climb and proposed destruction of climbing infrastructure (including the summit monument, chain and memorial plaques) would have on the 1987 World Heritage Agreement. The summit path and summit lookout are included in the nomination documents and the ban and destroying the monuments places this World Heritage in Danger. I call on the minister and the government to suspend destruction of the items so UNESCO can properly assess the impact. The minister has the power to do this under the act.

In the 1987 nomination, the summit views are described in the following way:

The Park is of great national and international significance. The huge monoliths of Uluru and Kata Tjuta are remarkable geological and landform features, set in a contrasting relatively flat sand plain environment. Distant ranges, especially to the south and west, and Mt Connor to the east highlight the scenic grandeur of the monoliths and create a landscape of outstanding beauty to both Aboriginal and white Australian culture. Views of the ranges which lie outside the boundaries of the Park (as does Mt Connor) add to the visual experience of the visitor. in addition, however, they form part of the land system of which the Park is an integral part. They also provide the visitor with visual illustrations of the extent of Aboriginal religious geography which relates land within the Park to land beyond its boundaries. Without question the Park contains outstanding scenery and a unique diversity of environmental values. In addition the Park and features within it are of great on-going religious and cultural significance to Aboriginal people in central Australia. Uluru (the Pitjantjatjara name for a rockhole located at Ayers Rock) is the most distinctive landscape symbol of Australia, both nationally and internationally. Images of Uluru are often used within Australia and overseas as the symbol of the Australian landscape.

Clearly the summit views, the track and summit monument (lookout) are all included in the Heritage Listing, and they are significant to both Aboriginal and White Australian culture, and other cultures internationally. Destruction of these features will place our World Heritage in Danger. If the government do not act they sell out the heritage of all of us.

Complete Radio interview featuring comments by Steven Baldwin (Park Ranger), Ms Nisha - UNESCO and Marc Hendrickx available via ABC (from about 2:04).

Mount Warning: Aboriginal claims about summit climb are contested

"How can the public experience the spiritual significance of this land if they do not climb the summit and witness creation." Ngaraakwal Elder Marlene Boyd RIP NSW NPWS have the following description about Aboriginal attitudes to people climbing to the summit of Mt Warning on their webpage about the walking track: Wollumbin, which means ‘cloud catcher’ to some Aboriginal People, is a traditional place of cultural law, initiation and spiritual education for the people of the Bundjalung Nation. Under Bundjalung law, only certain people can climb the summit. Out of respect for their law and culture, consider not climbing the summit. These claims, including the very name applied to the mountain, are contested and it seems there is another story that NSW NPWS have not properly acknowledged and have long kept from public attention. We came across this article from the Daily News February 24 2007 about Ngaraakwal Elder Marlene Boyd that makes for interesting reading. It seems

Mt Warning - Summit signing, time capsule

A Mt Warning Visit, summit signing Drove up the long road from Sydney, leaving early to grab a beer at the Mt Warning Hotel at Uki in the afternoon. There's a nice view of the summit from the smoker's deck. The tip of the mountain was catching clouds and then letting them go. I met Roger, a one-legged ex- navy seal and former security guard to Gloria Estafan. He was an interesting bloke, sucking a large Cuban cigar and slamming spiced rum on ice. He had one eye, apparently, he had lost the other blue pearl in a firefight with Somali terrorists in the Persian Gulf. We had a brief discussion of current affairs and the insanity of public parks being closed for no good reason, and vandalism of the tourism industry by a woke broken Bureaucracy - just light conversation. I mentioned I had a mission that might suit him and he agreed to join in. We headed to the Mt Warning Rainforest Caravan Park. Mt Warning from the Mt Warning Hotel Roads around the area are still not repaired from la

Chain and post removed at Mount Warning Summit Walk

The current situation is a disgrace and an insult to Park users and all Australians. The Minister must instigate an independent audit and review of NSW NPWS management of the Park and develop a brighter vision of the Park's future. The walk to the summit of Mt Warning in northern NSW is an iconic experience of the natural world. Views from the summit on a clear day provide an unrivaled vista over the Tweed River Valley, lush rainforests, eroded volcanic landscape and beaches on the coast. They fill visitors with a sense of awe and wonder. From a geological perspective, it is arguably the best-preserved erosion caldera in the world. The 4.4km (8.8km return) track was completed in 1909 but the hike was firmly established as a popular tourist attraction in 1929 with the declaration of the area around the mountain as a National Park. The opening ceremony was attended at the summit by 200 people, some rode horses up the trail. The standard of the early track construction is extreme

Right to Climb

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