Sacred sites – a warning to us all

Great article in the Spectator by Tony Letford

We are being misled about indigenous history

They are at it again. Another group of First Nations people is trying to close a part of a national park because it is a ‘sacred site’. This time it is Mt Warning, aka Wollumbin, on the far north coast of NSW. It is ‘sacred’ to the Bundjalung people and, until recently, attracted over 100,000 visitors annually who took the 8.8-kilometre round-trip to the summit to enjoy the spectacular coastal views.

Closing down walking trails around Australia because they impinge on sacred sites is increasingly common. When Uluru was closed down it was national news but the closure of less well-known sites such as St Mary’s Peak in the Flinders Ranges and various parts of the Grampians National Park in Western Victoria is passing almost unnoticed. A recent edition of the ABC programme Four Corners dealt with problems in Kakadu where traditional owners are threatening to close the entire park unless Canberra allows them a greater say in managing Kakadu.

The story was a masterpiece of obfuscation as it avoided any suggestion that indigenous intransigence was contributing to Kakadu’s problems.

In an attempt to appease the locals, federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley removed the three most senior Canberra appointees and promised to pay greater attention to the desires of the traditional owners. At least one walking track near a major tourist attraction is now closed because of ‘potential damage to sacred sites’.

As an atheist I do not accept that there are such things as sites which are sacred due to their connection with holy spirits. Thus I do not believe that the ground on which the Vatican or Canterbury Cathedral are located is sacred. I do accept unreservedly that the Catholics and Anglicans for whom these sites have tremendous spiritual significance have every right to consider them as sacred ground and they have that right because they subscribe to a set of beliefs and teachings which have been passed down from one generation to the next over several centuries.

Read the rest at the Spectator!

Comments

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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