“Misinformation and lies”: Mt Warning protesters threaten to defy climb ban

Protesters are threatening to defy a ban on climbing the Mt Warning-Wollumbin walking track at a rally this weekend, as anger grows over plans to permanently close the popular site.

A protest rally against the permanent closure of the iconic Wollumbin hiking track in northern NSW has been called for this weekend, with threats by some to defy the ban and scale the summit.

Wollumbin, also known as Mt Warning, has been closed for almost three years after concerns were raised by a secretive indigenous group about its cultural significance.

More than 100,000 people a year had previously climbed the 1159m mountain – the central vent of an ancient volcano and the first place in Australia to catch the sun’s rays – near Murwillumbah.

Mt Warning, also known as Wollumbin, in northern NSW

In October, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service released the Wollumbin Aboriginal Place Management Plan which recommended the “immediate” closure of the popular site.

It followed claims by the Wollumbin Consultative Group, whose makeup is shrouded in mystery, that access to the mountain “is not culturally appropriate or culturally safe”.

Following a meeting last month which canvassed possible compromises to reopen the track, the NPWS said it would be “a decision for the Aboriginal custodians”.

Hiking enthusiasts involved with the Re-Open Mt Warning Facebook group have organised a protest rally on Saturday to demonstrate against the mountain’s closure.

Mt Warning, also known as Wollumbin, sits near Murwillumbah in northern NSW

In a post “calling all friends of Mt Warning”, protest organisers say NPWS bureaucrats have closed the park “and will ban all future public access on the basis of misinformation and lies”.

“There are at least 8 indigenous stories about the mountain yet for over 20 years NPWS have only promoted one view, the one that would have men, women and children banned from the park,” the post reads.

Protest organisers say the “true indigenous custodians” of Wollumbin are the Ngarakbal – Githabal people whose late matriarch, Marlene Boyd, had given her blessing for people to “climb the summit and witness creation”.

They also rejected claims the climb was dangerous and that people scaling the summit were causing environmental damage.

Re-Open Mt Warning campaigner Marc Hendrickx told followers that while there were no “formal plans” for a protest climb, “individuals can make up their own minds and take their own risks”.

“Beware security guards may now be stationed near the gates and perhaps consider other routes,” he warned.

“Also keep in mind the potential for fines.”

The protest is planned for 11am, NSW time, in Knox Park at Murwillumbah.