Thanks to Go Fund Me supporters

We launched a Go Fund Me campaign earlier in the year to try and raise funds to launch a legal campaign to prevent the ban from happening. I posted the following update there today:

A short note to say thankyou to all who contributed. The funds raised did help in obtaining legal advice about the ban and this is also useful now to help inform other campaigns to save access to other natural spaces in the country (eg Grampians). Unfortunately, we were well below the amount required to launch a meaningful legal challenge. Given the likelihood of a win in a lower court it's also highly likely that Parks Australia would have taken it all the way to the High Court meaning costs would easily have escalated into the millions. 
The ban on climbing will take place on  Saturday. There are a few last-minute actions in play (see http://righttoclimb.blogspot.com/2019/10/call-for-minister-to-act-on-world.html) dealing with a lack of due diligence on the part of Parks Authorities in regard to the climb infrastructure and the 1987 World Heritage Agreement, in particular, the summit monument, but none are likely to prevent the ban taking place. 
With the ban in place it is possible that those prevented from climbing may be able to raise a new complaint with the Human Rights Commission. My bid on this failed as the HRC viewed there was no chance of conciliation and I was still able to climb when I lodged my complaint. The ban will remove the later point. 
Dealing with Bureaucrats over the last two years has provided enough material to fill a season of Utopia. I am looking at writing up the experience but there is no rush now. Supporters here will get a free copy. 

Thanks again for your support and sorry it did not prevent the ban from going ahead.  For information about climbing after the ban see this blog post... http://righttoclimb.blogspot.com/2019/06/climbing-ayers-rock-after-ban.html

Special thanks also to Julian Malnic for helping with scripts and contributing photos. I'm sure in a parallel universe things panned out a little differently.... from Quardant

Feds kick in to Restore Tiger

Uluru Station has received a federal grant to refurbish heritage monuments at Ayers Rock. The renovation work will be completed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the handover of the land to Traditional Owners, overseen by the Fraser Government on July 20, 1979.

Work will include restoration of the bronze statue of the first Aboriginal Director of the Station, Anangu man Tiger Tjalkalyirri, and repair of the 1970 summit monument and other minor repair works.

Tjalkalyirri’s statue was erected in 1991 by station owners to commemorate his role in the handover of the former National Park and its conversion into a successful cattle station and tourist resort that currently employs 6000 mainly indigenous staff.

The resort currently attracts over a million visitors a year and has received numerous awards for conservation, innovation and culture. The via ferrata routes at Mt Olga have become a bucket-list item for international adventure travellers.

Tjalkalyirri was awarded an Order of Australia medal for his services to the local community and tourism in 1985, shortly before his death. He was an early guide to explorers and tourists at the rock.

Footage of Tiger and Mitjenkeri Mick climbing Ayers Rock in 1946 with Lou Borgelt and Cliff Thompson remains a favourite with visitors and plays on a continuous loop on screens in the foyer of the cultural centre. Tiger was also a great entertainer at the park, traditional performances at the Uluru Arena still include a homage to Tiger in the form of his celebrated “Putcha” dance.

Uluru Station advise there may be minor delays for climbers of the Rock as sections of the climbing chain will also be repaired.- Red Centre Times (10/4/2019)

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

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