Wollumbin National Park summit, formerly known as Mount Warning, could be closed permanently abc.net.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abc.net.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service is set to permanently ban climbers from ascending Wollumbin in Northern NSW.
Government documents reveal the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) are closely examining the possibility of permanently closing the site to climbers “due to safety risks and visitor impacts on Aboriginal cultural values”.
Wollumbin has been closed to climbers since March last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. In the documents, the NPWS identifies the interim closure to climbers as an opportunity to consult with the local Aboriginal community and tourism businesses.
Wollumbin is a sacred place for the Bundjalung people, who are custodians of the site. For many years, a sign at the base of the site has asked people to rethink climbing the mountain out of respect for its Traditional Owners.
Secret government documents have revealed official plans to permanently close the iconic Mount Warning walking track in northern NSW before the end of next year. The trail to the world-famous extinct volcano in the Tweed Valley, known to the indigenous community as Wollumbin, has been closed since last March because of COVID-19. Thousands of people trek to the peak of the mountain each year to take in breathtaking sunrises over the valley to the ocean. But public fears have been growing that Mt Warning could be declared off-limits to hikers forever, as has happened with Uluru in the Northern Territory.
The Mount Warning trail in the Tweed Valley in northern New South Wales could be shut to tourists as early as next November, state government documents have revealed.
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