Natimuk locals fear rock climbing ban will ‘kill’ tiny town in Victoria’s northwest
Furious Natimuk residents say the rock climbing ban at world-famous Mt Arapiles will destroy local businesses and push professionals out of the tight-knit community.
Victoria
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Most Victorians would struggle placing Natimuk on a map, but every year tens of thousands of mountain climbers visit the tiny town to climb in the world-famous region.
Located near the globally renowned Mt Arapiles in the state’s northwest, Natimuk is the heart and soul of the climbing community.
But locals fear it is at risk of being “killed off” after Parks Victoria controversially banned rock climbing in the area.
With around 80,000 day visits to Mt Arapiles a year, Natimuk is expected to take a huge hit.
The ban will diminish global visitation, destroy businesses and push professionals out.
Natimuk local Wayne Webb owns The Climbing Shop, the only gear store in town and the surrounding area.
The father of three said the restrictions will force his Main St doors to close.
“I’m gutted. I just bought the business 18 months ago,” he said.
“I’m going to have a huge sale because I need to turn in the cash because I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few months.
“The longer I leave it, the harder it will be.”
It’s unclear when the ban will come into effect and what routes will be impacted but it’s believed up to half will be shut.
Mr Webb said the local economy will take a huge beating and “kill the town”.
“Natimuk is one of those little towns that has defied the odds,” he said.
“In the last 20 years, it has doubled in population but with the bans in place the economy will get hammered.
“It’s going to ruin the town. It’s going to destroy the town. It’s going to kill the town.”
Mr Webb said he expected day visits to drop by 90 per cent.
“I know it’s not a total climbing ban but it might as well be. It’s a complete farce. This is just anti-community,” he said.
“They’ve got this harebrained idea that they are going to turn it into some kind of mecca for Indigenous tourism.
“Sure, they may get some tourists out of it but most will say it’s a bit of nothing.
“But people come back for climbing. They spend weeks here every year.”
According to the Victorian Climbing Club, an estimated $12.3m was directly and indirectly pumped into the economy from rock climbing at Mt Arapiles in 2018.
“The economic value of rock climbing is increasingly recognised internationally and in Victoria reduced access may result in the loss of millions of dollars to regional communities,” the 2021 paper read.
Bill Lovel and his wife Anne have managed the National Hotel for 14 years.
The publican said he was “dumbfounded” by Parks Victoria’s decision.
“It’s actually devastating to be honest,” Mr Lovel said.
“It wouldn’t ruin the business but it would certainly make one hell of a mess of it.
“I would just like to be able to negotiate this. I understand we need to look after our cultural heritage but the climbers have always respected the land.”
Mr Lovel said he expected to lose about 45 per cent of business when the ban was introduced.
He said he was most concerned about emergency service workers who stay in his cabin accommodation when they undergo training on Mt Arapiles.
“We have a very good relationship with Victoria Police Search and Rescue, Special Operations Group and Fire Rescue Victoria,” he said.
“They all come up here and do their training, they usually book for a week so in total that would have to be in the vicinity of $20,000.
“I know Search and Rescue are here in December and they have booked in for another two occasions.”
Dr Ashlee Hendy and her husband Chris Glastonbury moved to Natimuk in 2020, opening a climbing coaching business together three years later.
“We have shaped our lives around the concept of living in this community for the climbing,” she said.
“Some of the decisions we have made are not so easy to reverse so it gives us a lot of insecurity in what our future looks like.”
The couple, along with their two-year-old daughter Ella, fear they may be forced out of Natimuk.
“We definitely don’t want to leave but we might not have a choice,” she said.
“We have to be ready for anything now. I don’t think the people making these decisions may have considered the enormity of the impact on a personal level.”
Rock climbing mates Nick and John have been visiting Natimuk and Mt Arapiles since the late 1980s.
The pair, from NSW and ACT, said they spend about $2000 in the local community every stay.
“It’s a 1000km for us to drive here, it’s a long way to travel but we are happy to do it because of what this place offers,” Nick said.
“With the bans in place, I’m doubtful about whether I will come back next year.”
John said there was “no reason” for the ban.
“We would like to respect the traditional owners’ wishes but we don’t really see any winners,” he said.
“No one wants to damage Indigenous artefacts, we want to look after them so there should be no division.”
Parks Victoria cited secret cultural heritage investigations as the driving force behind the decision.
It’s believed tens of thousands of artefacts, scarred trees and rock art were found but the artefacts were predominantly stone chips and much of the rock art invisible to the naked eye.
The survey work was done in conjunction with the local Barengi Gadjin Land Council.
Environment and Climate Change opposition spokesman James Newbury urged for the ban to be reversed.
“Jacinta Allan has broken her iron clad promise not to lock-up our parks,” he said.
“The ban shamefully locks the community out of the natural environment they have cared for, for generations. The ban must be reversed”.
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