Could Wollumbin Mount Warning be our next Uluru?

Climbers say Wollumbin (Mt Warning) could become the “next Uluru” after the ongoing closure of the mountain’s popular summit track was extended again. VOTE IN THE POLL

There are growing fears one of Australia’s most beloved mountains has become the nation’s new Uluru as another reopening delay threatens the future of the Wollumbin summit climb.

Wollumbin, also known as Mt Warning, is the first place in Australia to catch the day’s sunrise and has become a tourism Mecca for climbing enthusiasts heading to the Tweed Valley to scale the 1100m-high peak.

But it has been closed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with fears the mountain will become Australia’s “next Uluru” amid concerns from some Aboriginal groups who view Wollumbin, meaning “Cloud Catcher” in the local tongue, as a sacred place which should not be disturbed by visitors in much the same way Uluru is now off-limits to hikers.

Initially the Wollumbin trail was closed as the National Parks and Wildlife Service argued it was impossible to enforce social distancing and other health safety measures at the summit, before “safety risks” were cited as the reason for extending the closure.

The latest extension to the closure – the fourth in the past two years, was due to expire next week, but the NPWS has now extended the closure for a fifth time, until October 31.

Is the sun setting on the future of climbing Wollumbin (Mt Warning)? Picture: Bruce Westerlund.

The reasons listed on the parks website – “the impacts of Covid, widespread flooding in the region, and to allow further consultation with the Aboriginal community and other key stakeholders” are almost identical to reasons given for previous extensions to the closure, frustrating those who just want the issue resolved.

According to the website, “an Aboriginal Place Management Plan has been completed” in conjunction with the Wollumbin Consultative Group, but it did not say what that plan entailed.

Climbing advocate Marc Hendrickx slammed the situation of ongoing closures as a “farce”.

“Millions of Australians and international visitors have completed the walk to the top of the mountain and experienced the awe and wonder of the summit views without causing any damage to the park and its surrounds,” he said.

“The current farce that has seen the whole park left in limbo since March 2020 is purely due to NPWS failure to live up to its obligations and consult more widely with all the parties that will be impacted if access is banned.

“The mountain belongs to no one and is there for all to enjoy.”

Wollumbin (Mt Warning). Picture: Josh Powell Fussell.

A NPWS spokesperson insisted no final decision had been made and said further consultation was continuing.