Climbers react to Mt Beerwah closure protest in Glass House Mountains

Two adventure business owners who regularly climb the Glass House Mountains peaks have reacted to an Indigenous man’s protest to close Mt Beerwah.

Climbing Guides Australia owner Mason Minto says a shutdown of Mt Beerwah will lead to other Glass House Mountain peaks being closed.

A climbing business owner fears the loss of his livelihood if a Sunshine Coast hinterland mountain was to close.

Climbing Guides Australia owner Mason Minto said a shutdown of Mt Beerwah could mean the closures of other peaks in the Glass House Mountains.

Jinibara culture man BJ Murphy has started a peaceful protest at the base of Mt Beerwah and is encouraging hikers and climbers not to scale the peak.

His goal is to close the mountain.

Mr Murphy said the mountain was culturally significant to the Jinibara people who also felt personally responsible and carried out “sorry business” every time an injury or death occurred.

Jinibara culture man BJ Murphy is calling for the Mt Beerwah climb to permanently close. Picture: Contributed

The protest follows incidents on the mountain including the tragic death of Breanna Foley, a paraglider who crashed into its side and another hiker falling on March 25.

Mr Minto said he had only climbed Mt Beerwah “about 15 times” in 25 years because there were other mountains in the area, like Mt Tibrogargan or Mt Ngungun, which were more appropriate for the groups upon which his business relied.

Currimundi woman Breanna Foley, 28, who tragically lost her life at Mt Beerwah. Picture: Contributed.

He started Climbing Guides Australia in 2014.

The climber said a big part of his business was teaching new climbers safety and respect for the environment.

Mr Minto said he feared a closure of Mt Beerwah would signal the start of other shutdowns in the Glass House Mountains.

“I’m concerned with closures, I imagine Beerwah will probably be closed, Tibrogargan will follow and if that is the case then I lose the ability to keep my business going,” he said.

Climbing Guides Australia owner Mason Minto says a shutdown of Mt Beerwah will lead to other Glass House Mountain peaks being closed, which will wreck his business. Picture: Contributed

The business owner said he had noticed vandalism, including people carving their names onto rocks at Mt Ngungun, but “it’s not climbers” at fault.

“It’s the general public having a lack of understanding,” Mr Minto said.

Climbing Guides Australia owner Mason Minto trains climbers and leads groups in the Glass House Mountains. Picture: Contributed

He said they needed more education on how to protect the environment.

Fellow Ipswich-based adventure business owner Craig Sadler supported Mr Minto’s views, especially about the need to educate the general public on environmental conservation, and said the closure of Mt Beerwah may push people onto other peaks.

He regularly visits the Glass House Mountains area for his business and personally.

The Summit Adventures owner said nearby Mt Coonowrin, more commonly known as Crookneck, had been closed for many years because of the danger posed to hikers and climbers.

He worried closures of other mountains would push people to try and scale more dangerous peaks.

“If you close off one part of the Glass House where are they going to go?” he said.

“Crookneck for instance is a very very dangerous piece of rock, even just walking there is dangerous.”

Mr Sadler also said any closure of Mt Beerwah would increase foot traffic on other mountains like Mt Tibrogargan, which was already under pressure.

He said he felt safer climbing Mt Tibrogargan “on ropes” than using the tourist track because people “sliding” down the mountain, or using their bottoms to descend, was polishing the rocks and making it more slippery.

As of the morning of April 14, a poll conducted by the Sunshine Coast Daily that asked if Mt Beerwah should be closed to climbers showed that more than 1100 people had voted.

Nineteen per cent of voters stated “yes” and 81 per cent voted “no”.

Originally published as Climbers react to Mt Beerwah closure protest in Glass House Mountains