Calls for entry fees to save Mt Warning Wollumbin summit trail

As speculation continues that the Mt Warning climb will be closed forever, a proposal has emerged which could save the iconic attraction.

Hikers would pay to climb Mount Warning/Wollumbin under a bold plan to save the much-loved mountain.

The iconic hiking trail, just south of the Queensland border in the Tweed Shire, has been off-limits to visitors for more than a year as the National Parks and Wildlife Service considers shutting the summit climb forever.

New fears for future of Wollumbin/Mount Warning

Citing safety concerns over the final 100 metres of chain-lined track to the mountain top, Parks has claimed the closure would be reviewed this month, but there have been growing fears among fans of the famous climb that a decision to close the trail permanently has already been made.

In a last-ditch effort to have the track reopened, local bushwalker Craig Murphy has proposed a user-pays system which would generate enough revenue to pay for the maintenance required.

He has also launched a petition which he hopes will attract 20,000 signatures to lobby the department to reopen the hiking trail.

Visitors pay entry fees for national parks around the world, including in some Australian states.

A view of Wollumbin National Park (aka Mount Warning). Picture: supplied

Mr Murphy, who fell in love with Mount Warning – known as Wollumbin in the local Aboriginal dialect — said making people pay to climb was not ideal, but it was better than watching the destination cut off from visitors altogether.

“If we had to pay, at least that money could be used for maintenance and Parks wouldn’t be able to use that as an excuse,” he said.

“The safety concerns could be very easily overcome.

“The summit track attracts 170,000 visitors annually – if a $10 fee was charged that’s $1.7 million that could be used to improve access and safety and provide education.

“These visitors support local business, particularly in the townships of Uki and Murwillumbah where visitors buy food, souvenirs and artwork.”

He said it would be a “tragedy” if future generations were not able to climb to the summit, which is the first place in Australia to see the sun rise and boasts views from Byron Bay to north of the Gold Coast.

“It really makes me quite upset because it’s such a beautiful place and young kids who haven’t climbed it yet might never get that chance.”

A Parks spokesperson said a structural assessment by an independent engineer strongly recommended the closure of the 100-metre chain section used by climbers to access the summit and “catastrophic failure of this chain section was very high”.

“NPWS is currently assessing visitor infrastructure needs across the region and will be providing updates in due course,” the spokesperson said.

However, others have questioned those statements, with the Right to Climb group lodging formal objections with Parks and the NSW Ombudsman.

Petitions to reopen the Wollumbin summit trail can be found here and here

Originally published as Calls for entry fees to save Mt Warning Wollumbin summit trail