Right to Climb

The erroneous naming of Mt Warning as "Wollumbin" is at the heart of the current problems with public access. According to Githabul elder Harry Boyd, Mount Warning is not Wollumbin the cloud-catcher and has nothing to do with any warrior king. The whole caldera is Wulambiny Momoli or 'scrub turkey nest', a `djurebil' or increase site where hunting is forbidden so that Brush-turkeys may replenish their numbers. He and his supporters denounced the ‘Bundjalung nation' as a white fiction. 'There is no Bundjalung nation, tribe, people, language, culture, clan, nor horde, No Bundjalung anything.' LINK In this video James McKenzie recount his battle to return the name Wollumbin to its correct location.  

I have had a comment published in the Journal of Ecotourism! The article counters misinformation promulgated by NPWS and the original authors that there is only one Indigenous perspective about the Mt Warning Summit Walk. In fact the TRUE custodians support the public accessing the summit and sadly NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and researchers from Southern Cross University failed to consult properly with them.  Imagine the difference to visitor attitudes if Ngaraakwal Elder Marlene Boyd’s inspirational message "How can the public experience the spiritual significance of this land if they do not climb the summit and witness creation."  were posted at the foot of the walk or perhaps at the summit?  Text appears below. The online version is available via this LINK .  Journal of Ecotourism Comment on ‘To climb or not to climb? Balancing stakeholder priorities at an iconic national park’ by Erica Wilson, Noah Nielsen, Pascal Scherrer, Rodney W. Caldicott, ...

 As no reply has been received to my complaint sent on February 18. I have lodged a complaint about NPWS mismanagement of the park with the NSW ombudsman.  Progress will be posted here.  Here's the original letter: Dear Premier, Minister, NPWS Northern Region Directors, Cc various media groups.  This is a formal complaint about NPWS management of Wollumbin National Park in northern NSW. Documents obtained through GIPA/FOI reveal serious deficiencies in NPWS management of the park over many many years. It is clear from the documents that NPWS have misled the public and the Minister about safety issues and the true nature of indigenous opinions in the Park, and have actively “demarketed” the park for many years. NPWS have breached the public's trust and should be held to account. The documents reveal the following information: • A "Final Wollumbin Closure Event" is planned by NPWS for 25 November 2022. Documents show NPWS have NO intention of re-op...

Don't forget to add your name to these petitions to save the awe and wonder experienced from climbing to the summit of Mt Warning.... NSW Parliament e-Petition (NSW Residents) https://www.parliament.nsw. gov.au/la/Pages/ePetition- details.aspx?q=f+ ctI6ql9NAeq3jf4Yd/Cw== For the rest...  https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/queenslanders-want-to-reopen-mt-warning-summit?fbclid=IwAR2ctMNift4WN_57Q1R87x_36JKTKCQAlhYwpUQ3PO6jTwY4LTQeFvOoFUo

New South Wales National Park and Wildlife Service have been falsely claiming the risk of rock falls and landslides to summit track users is "Extreme". As an engineering geologist specialising in landslide risk assessment I found these claims to be ridiculous when I climbed the mountain in January. I have since discovered that NPWS organised a detailed geotechnical assessment of rock fall and landslide risk to summit track users by a leading geotechnical consultant in April 2018. However there is no mention of this report in NPWS information. It seems they are ignoring the findings of their own experts in their description of geotechnical risk on the mountain and they continue to promulgate misinformation and lie to the Minister and Public. I requested a copy of the consultant's report through the government' GIPA system and have now received a copy of the report.  Here's an example of how NPWS continue to report on rock fall and landslide risk on the Mountain, fr...