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Subscriber only A decision on the future of the Wollumbin summit track is yet to be made, according to a Tweed Shire councillor. Cr James Owen said he had spoken to the office of Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean and was told no decision had been cemented. This is despite lobby group Right to Climb releasing documents obtained through Freedom of Information which indicate plans for the track to be permanently closed from November 25, 2022. The mountain, also known as Mount Warning, was closed in March last year because of rising concerns about the pandemic, and has not reopened since.
Emergency services have responded to 44 significant visitor safety incidents at Wollumbin National Park since 2010. The Wollumbin (Mount Warning) summit track was closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, but this was extended when safety concerns were brought to light. Rumours have this week been circulating about the removal of the chain from the top section of the summit track, along with questions about what this work means for the future of the trail. The track s extended closure was due to be reviewed in May 2021, and a National Parks and Wildlife Service spokeswoman has confirmed this is still the plan. An independent engineer s structural assessment conducted in August 2020 strongly recommended that the 100m chain section used by climbers to access the summit should be closed to visitors as the chain and posts were reaching the end of their design life and the risk of further accidents or fatalities as a result of catastrophic failure was very high, the spok