Opinion: Rock climbing ban at Mt Arapiles shows Victoria’s cultural heritage laws are broken
The secret process used to ban rock climbing at the world famous Mt Arapiles dramatically highlights how broken Victoria’s cultural heritage legislation is. And similar access bans are spreading.
Opinion
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The move to gut rock climbing at the world famous Mt Arapiles in Victoria’s western region is something straight out of an episode of the political dark comedy Utopia.
The most wholesome and positive activity that you can imagine has been sacrificed on a false premise.
The government is committed and revolt is now inevitable.
On Monday, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced that the cultural wonder of Mt Arapiles will be secured by spending $1.7m of taxpayer funds on a new visitor facilities.
Unfortunately, for unfathomable reasons, about half the rock climbing in the area must be banned in the process.
This, we are told by government figures, will apparently bring to life what can only emerge as Australia’s most disappointing tourist attraction.
Sadly, there is barely any visible trace of the ancient culture that was once practised the region.
Among the 3,000 famous rock climbs at Mr Arapiles, there are only six minor examples of ancient art. Faint, small, but valuable.
Ravaged by thousands of years of bushfires and rock exfoliation – a small emu foot painting is the most impressive item I have seen in 22 years of visits.
It’s difficult to spot and well worth preserving. But it’s no Kakadu. Image enhancement apps are necessary to even find these last remnants.
Nobody is going to make the four-hour journey from Melbourne to view invisible art or rock quarrying remnants.
The protection of quarried rock chips is the policy that has killed climbing.
Nowhere else in the world protects chipped rock, formed when early humans sought basic cutting tools. Are we pioneers or fools?
There is not a single photo of the alleged cultural wonders to act as a draw card. What will the Google reviews show? Nothing.
In 60 years of climbing at Arapiles, there has been zero harm to any cultural heritage.
Climbers have been especially active in finding and reporting rock art. Educational signage is our recommendation.
Let’s celebrate what is left.
Yet the rich modern culture of rock climbing has been devastated by both the Allan government and Parks Victoria to allegedly protect something that was never at risk in the first place.
This sorry and tragic episode of political folly has been visited upon all Victorians courtesy of broken cultural heritage legislation.
All the reports are secret, there is no consultation and no compromise is considered.
If you wanted to stoke a culture war, this is how you would do it.
I am ashamed of our government.
This must be fixed if we are to avoid further Utopia episodes.
It is one thing to destroy a community of climbers. It is quite another to effectively write off businesses and farmers – the little climbers’ town of Natimuk is in mourning and the few businesses there face a grim and uncertain future.
Similarly access bans are spreading throughout Australia.
The local Sea Lake Mallee Rally, Mount Warning, The Glasshouse Mountains and many more iconic public land locations are going the way of Uluru. No touching. Secret business.
Heritage protection, hatched in bizarre secrecy, has failed every Victorian terribly.
Mike Tomkins is the president of the Australian Climbing Association (Victoria)
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