Mt Warning: MP John Ruddick, ‘Right to Climb’ protesters defy ban

A NSW MP has defied a climbing ban at iconic Mt Warning in a stunning act of defiance after a four-year closure.

A NSW MP has defied a climbing ban at the iconic Wollumbin-Mt Warning in northern NSW as part of a protest to have the famous hiking site reopened to the public after a four-year closure championed by a mysterious Indigenous group.

Libertarian MP John Ruddick joined “Right to Climb” campaigner Marc Hendrickx to scale the summit at dawn on Saturday, just a day after Mr Hendrickx became the first person fined by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for climbing the ancient volcanic mountain overlooking the Tweed Valley.

Mr Ruddick took to Facebook to post a video and photo of him and Mr Hendrickx atop the 1159m summit.

“Good morning from Mt Warning,” he said in the video.

John Ruddick (left) and Marc Hendrickx defied orders not to climb Mt Warning. Picture: Facebook

“People asked me why I wanted to climb it and I said ‘well look, if the government tells me that I can’t do something and it’s illogical that they’ve told me to do that, I just want to do it.”

Mr Ruddick said he was among about 20 people who defied the climbing ban.

The protest was held to mark the 95th anniversary of the declaration of the Mt Warning National Park.

A light plane towing a banner that read “Reopen Mt Warning” flew across the sky ahead of the rally.

Mr Hendrickx has been a vocal critic of the long-running saga which has seen the world-famous hiking track just south of the Gold Coast “temporarily” closed to the public since early 2020.

Wollumbin has become a lightning rod for debate over access to natural landmarks amid fears it would be “the next Uluru”, with a mysterious committee known as the Wollumbin Consultative Group expressing a wish to have access barred permanently to all but a select group of male members of the local Indigenous population.

Mr Hendrickx led a group of protesters in a climb of the mountain back in April and was confronted by a ranger from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

A sign from the sky during the protest climb. Picture: Facebook

On Friday, he received a $300 fine – express posted by courier – just one day before the rally at the base of the mountain.

“This happened three months ago and we spoke to the ranger and were told to leave the area and I thought if they were going to fine me they would have fined me at the time and they didn’t,” he told The Courier-Mail.

“For a fine to turn up now looks like it is trying to instil some fear in the community and a bit of intimidation to make sure people don’t climb the mountain.”