Plans to close Mount Warning-Wollumbin trail have sparked outrage among hikers
A decision to close a popular hiking trail out of respect for the original Aboriginal guardians and to prevent people from taking photos of it has sparked a backlash.
The Mount Warning trail in the Tweed Shire in far north New South Wales will soon be closed to visitors.
The Wollumbin Consultative Group (WCG) and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service have produced a management plan presenting plans for permanent closure.
Mount Warning, known to traditional owners as Wollumbin, attracts more than 127,000 hikers to its scenic trail each year.
The WCG has deemed the site not “culturally appropriate or safe” for use by hikers or for capturing images for tourism purposes.
A decision to close a popular hiking trail out of respect for the original Aboriginal guardians and to prevent people from taking photos of it has sparked a backlash. In the picture hikers at the upper end of the path
The Mount Warning trail in the Tweed Shire in far north New South Wales will soon be closed to visitors
News of the decision to close the site has caused a backlash from hiking enthusiasts.
“Soon all of Australia will be considered cultivated land and we will not be able to climb a mountain or cross a river. Shame,” one wrote on Facebook.
Another added: “My culture says I will climb this mountain whenever I feel like it. I’m fed up with this over-regulated country… time to poke the finger at authority.’
A third person claimed the trail was a “great, healthy and challenging activity” to do with friends.
“A truly disgusting decision,” they wrote. “And to call it ‘culturally inappropriate’ is a farce.”
The NSW Government announced that the future of the trail would be determined by WCG officials.
Environment Secretary James Griffin said the use of the route is contrary to Aboriginal cultural values.
“The Wollumbin Consultative Group has long held the view that public access to the Summit is inconsistent with the region’s cultural values,” he said.
Mount Warning, traditionally known as Wollumbin, attracts more than 127,000 hikers each year to its scenic trail. Pictured is a hiker at the top of a bush walk
News of the decision to close the site has caused a backlash from hiking enthusiasts
The WCG said the site has both physical and spiritual significance to the community.
“Wollumbin is connected to a broader cultural and spiritual landscape that encompasses creation, dream tales and initiation sites of men from deep antiquity,” it said.
The organization drew up a management plan in which they disclosed their plans for an early closure.
“The closure of the Wollumbin Aboriginal Place is requested immediately by the Wollumbin Aboriginal WCG stakeholders,” the plan reads.
The trail in the national park leads to a stunning extinct volcano and welcomes hikers from across the country and the world.
For years, Aboriginal elders have been calling for the trail to be abolished, similar to the closure of the Uluru via ferrata in 2019.
