Right to Climb

I appeared on Michael Gray Griffith's Cafe Locked Out show on April 23, 2024. Link to video HERE . Some notes I made for the show... Re-Open Mt Warning The distinctive peak of Mt Warning in northern NSW was named on 16 th May 1770  by Captain James Cook as a warning for dangerous shoals along the coast further north. The first recorded ascent was in 1868 by Frank, Lou and Arthur Nixon with Aboriginal men Nelson and Maloney. Mt Warning and shield – peak on left, photo by Steven Gibbs Locals in the nearly town of Murwillumbah saw the potential of the mountain to attract visitors owing to the awe inspiring views of the north coast available from the summit, and in 1909 volunteers completed a 4.4km track to the summit. The last 200m or so involved an adventurous scramble up a steep rock slope. Construction included numerous drystone walls and steps worthy of heritage listing but ignored by its current managers, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). On August 3, 1929

Mark your calenders!

Some notes and photos of SOS community meeting and protest climb 12-13 April 2024. Mountain legends (thanks SOS) Community Meeting 12 April Mt Warning Hotel Uki. Thanks to everyone who attended the Community Meeting at the Mt Warning Hotel in Uki on Friday night. Speakers included Craig Evans, myself, the great Andrew Flanagan and Uki local Amulet Ov Acorn with some welcome input, facts and questions from the audience. Video of my speech. For me it was wonderful to meet people who have assisted with our petition and others who shared wonderful stories about climbing and working on the mountain. The petition should break the 10k mark next week (Broke 10k on afternoon of April 15). I understand any debate in Parliament will likely be in the first or second sitting week in May - keep an eye out. To get better than 10k on what is a rather obscure NSW Parliamentary petition system that excludes legitimate stakeholders from SE QLD and the rest of the country is a great achievement. Thank you

Recently appeared on the Bolt Report with Andrew Bolt discussing closure of rock climbing at the world class climbing spot - Mt Arapiles in Victoria and what we can do about it.   Marc on the Bolt Report 8 April 2024 Video link below Help us save Mt Warning by signing our NSW e-petition.- Link HERE 

In a radio interview with Jason Olbourne on TNT radio I missed the opportunity to talk about the Last Log Book of Ayers Rock. In July 2018 when I climbed the Rock with my daughters I left a blank 192 exercise book in a tupperware container at the summit memorial. This was covered in a series of posts in February 2019 (see  LAST LOG BOOK Part 1 ). The book was returned by Parks Australia using the self-addressed envelope I left with it. The first names were ours written at 4pm on the 17th of July 2018. The last date was the 21st of August, 2018. Over that time more than 2400 people had signed the book from 33 countries. The majority of comments were made by families like ours, visiting the summit to gain an experience of the natural world, bask in those glorious world heritage listed views and create memories to last a lifetime. The oldest climber was an 83 year old woman, the youngest not yet born. The contents make a mockery of claims by Parks Australia that few want to Climb. In fac

TNT Radio - a great media outlet for free thinkers. Interview with Jason Olbourne about the unfair closures of Ayers Rock, Mount Warning and other natural wonders. Link to come on this site HERE . At its core the issue is about who gets access to and has the right to enjoy the wonderful natural world around us. Sadly what Australian State and Commonwealth government authorities and politicians are saying about this, based on their actions and policy in banning the public from awe and wonder, is that access and enjoyment of these places should be based foremost on race and ideology and not on your rights as a citizen, not on your rights as a tax payer paying for maintenance and management of the parks, and not on what I see as our fundamental human right to experience nature and enjoy the natural world on our own terms without having to pay homage to anyone else’s beliefs. This is a fundamentally racist policy that is morally despicable and must be changed.