Mt Warning closed till November

Mt Warning closed till November - WTF!

NPWS have very sheepishly updated their Mt Warning information page. They now indicate the Mt Warning Summit Track will remain closed until the end of November 2021. There has been ample time since it was closed last March 2020 for the chain to be replaced and the walk reopened to the public. This is getting beyond ridiculous!

May

July

Now November-WTF!

I have updated an earlier letter to Minister Matt Kean asking for an explanation and when I can expect a reply to an official complaint about NPWS mismanagement of the Park I sent in February. In the meantime, if you want to climb to the summit, note the potential for a fine and take care on the trail, it's currently in a poor state thanks to NPWS neglect.

Dear Minister,

I note NPWS, without consultation, have now put off a decision about Wollumbin National Park and the Mt Warning Summit trail until November 2021. I am still waiting on NPWS to reply to a formal complaint I raised in February.

As indicated in my previous correspondence there are 1000s of Australians looking forward to walking to the summit of Mt Warning once again and experiencing the life-affirming, glorious views of nature available from the summit lookouts. Local businesses will be further impacted without compensation for NPWS mismanagement of the park as this unnecessary closure drags on. In the time it has been closed the chain could have been replaced for a small cost that could have been reclaimed from park users by charging a small fee.

The information about the summit walk provided by NPWS on its website still omits the views of the traditional owners, the Ngaraakwal. In 2007 before she died Ngaraakwal elder and custodian of Mt Warning Marlene Boyd provided this inspirational message about the Mt Warning summit walk: "How can the public experience the spiritual significance of this land if they do not climb the summit and witness creation." It is a great insult to her memory that NPWS refuse to post those wonderful words at the base of the climb and at the summit.

As has been pointed out previously NPWS safety claims about the walk are debunked. Expert engineering consultants engaged by NPWS confirmed my own expert findings I provided to the Minister and NPWS in January that the summit walk is as safe as any other grade 4-5 bushwalk in NSW. The chain claimed to pose a safety risk has been removed and the rock scramble to the summit is similar to many other in the state, on walks that remain open to the public.

The cultural claims are contested. NPWS have breached the ACT in not properly consulting with the rightful indigenous custodians who support public access to the summit.

The claims of environmental degradation are exaggerated.

The state of the track is the worst in 20 years but remains passable, a testament to NPWS lack of care and neglect. A recent increase in reported injuries to track users is due to NPWS failure to maintain the track.

In light of the above can the Minister please explain why the summit walk is still closed?

Can the Minister provide a date the summit walk will reopen to the public?

Can the Minister guarantee the views of Ngaraakwal custodians will be duly acknowledged through signs placed in the park?

Can the Minister provide assurances that the track will be properly maintained in the future in respect of the hard work and dedication of volunteers who constructed the track in the first place?

Can the Minister provide an indication of when NPWS will reply to my complaint?

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Right to Climb

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