Mt Arapiles is one of the world's best rock climbing destinations. For decades people have flocked to this remote western Victorian mountain to climb its stunning crags. It seems this will no longer be the case with the woke Victorian Government now putting most of the mountain under lock and key with bans to most of the routes. In doing so it has started a war with the climbing community it will inevitably lose. If you want to climb...do it!
“It’s a wipeout folks. The literal beating heart of climbing in Australia has been ripped out and discarded’’
The Australian's John Fergusson reports:
Rock climbing at the world famous Mt Arapiles in Victoria will be gutted under Labor after Parks Victoria cited secretive cultural heritage investigations as the driving force behind the decision. The site is one of the world’s most significant rock climbing areas and arguably Australia’s nursery for the pursuit. Up to half of all routes are predicted to be shut. The bans will shatter the local Natimuk community, diminish global visitation and lead to the closure of the iconic Pines campground that for decades has been the quirky heartland of climbing.
The Victorian government dropped the news to climbers on the eve of the Melbourne Cup and the US elections amid a looming revolt that will test Parks Victoria’s authority and credibility. Climbers have condemned the move after a process that has created a broad and growing political backlash. Climbers and environmentalists have always argued that cultural heritage should be protected but the selectiveness of the cutbacks and the lack of accountability has fuelled anger.
“It’s a wipeout folks. The literal beating heart of climbing in Australia has been ripped out and discarded,’’ Save Grampians Climbing reported.
Save Grampians Climbing estimates that up to half of all routes at Mt Arapiles, about 340km northwest of Melbourne, will be closed. Mt Arapiles, also known as Dyurrite, was heavily grazed and used as a former rifle range before climbers helped remediate much of the cliff-facing landscape. Parks Victoria says the cultural heritage surveys found tens of thousands of artefacts, scarred trees and rock art.
The artefacts are likely to predominantly be stone chips.
Scar trees are ubiquitous in western Victoria, especially around lakes, rivers and swamps but rock art is much less common.
Much of the rock art is invisible to the naked eye. The survey work was done in conjunction with the local Barengi Gadjin Land Council. Parks Victoria said: “Between November 2020 and February 2023, Parks Victoria with the support of the Barengi Gadjin Land Council conducted archaeological and environmental surveys at Dyurrite (Mount Arapiles) and Mitre Rock in the Dyurrite Cultural Landscape (Mount ArapilesTooan State Park).
“These surveys were intended to record cultural heritage, regionally significant threatened plants and investigate the impacts of recreational activities on this rich cultural and environmental landscape.
“The study’s specific focus was climbing areas identified through the Crag – a global online database of climbing and bouldering areas – and the informal trail network that has been created linking climbing areas to each other and to the formal track network.
“Located on the sandstone escarpments on the eastern side of Dyurrite (Mount Arapiles) and the sandstone escarpments of Mitre Rock, the study area included 153 climbing areas and more than 35 kilometres of informal walking tracks leading to, and between these climbing areas.”
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