Security guards paid $7k a week to guard Mount Warning

A war of words has broken out after security guards were hired to guard a popular mountain which has been closed to the public since March 2020.

A war of words has broken out after security guards were hired to guard a popular mountain closed to the public since March 2020.

Mount Warning in Wollumbin National Park in northern NSW was closed in March 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Then in December 2020, the track was closed again due to safety concerns.

In July 2021, the Wollumbin Aboriginal Place Management plan recommended the track be closed permanently, a recommendation which resulted in the then NSW government closing the mountain “pending further discussions”.

Mount Warning attracts roughly 127,000 visitors every year, when it’s open.

During its closure, the mountain has been guarded by security to the tune of $7000 a week.

NSW upper house MP John Ruddick told news.com.au it was a “sad and terrible joke” that private security guards were hired to keep people away from a mountain.

Security stationed at Mount Warning on Australia Day this year. Picture: Sam Stolz

“Mount Warning is(part of) a national park like any other, it is a taxpayer funded asset of our state that should be enjoyed, appreciated, and respected by all Australians,” he said.

“This is why I am seeking support for a parliamentary inquiry; this inquiry will empower all community stakeholders to have their say rather than just a few.

“It is my hope that this will lead to the reopening of Mount Warning in a respectful and responsible way.

“Ngaraakwal Elder Marlene Boyd who sadly passed away said ‘How can the public experience the spiritual significance of this land if they do not climb the summit and witness creation?”.’

Hikers defied a climbing ban at Mount Warning to scale the summit for an Australia Day sunrise. Picture: Adrian Hoffman

Reopen Mount Warning campaigners on Australia Day. Picture: Sam Stolz/NewsLocal

The Wollumbin Aboriginal Place Management plan argued public access to the site has resulted in vandalism, the dumping of rubbish, increased erosion, and illegal installation of infrastructure.

The document said the key cultural and spiritual values of the place cannot be respected or protected if the general public continues to have access.

The plan also states the mountain is considered a “men’s site” and that the “sanctity” of Wollumbin Aboriginal Place “may also manifest physically”, making people sick or putting women in “physical danger”.

“For example, if women access areas that are restricted to men, women are in physical danger and likewise for men,” the plan stated.

NSW environment minister Penny Sharpe declined to comment to news.com.au.

On January 26, almost 100 protesters gathered to rally against the closure of the mountain.

Campaigner Marc Hendrickx, who wrote the book A Guide To Climbing Mount Warning told The Daily Telegraph the national park and the summit “deserves better than the misguided treatment it has received from the current authorities”.

Mr Hendrickx said the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service “let the country down”.

“The closure was based on lies and falsehoods about the environmental impact of visitors and the safety of the walking route,” he said.

Originally published as Security guards paid $7k a week to guard Mount Warning