Half of the Climbing at Arapiles/ Dyurrite to be closed

 

Rock climbers are realising with increasing horror that the vast closures of climbs in the Grampians/ Gariwerd are to be replicated at Arapiles/ Dyurrite. Furthermore, the “consultation document” makes clear that submissions will not influence the areas to be closed. Cynically, it was released late on Monday in Victoria, a day in the middle of what most Victorians consider a long weekend. The accompanying press release from the Premier is a mastery of spin. The Dyurrite Cultural Landscape Plan makes depressing reading for any climber.

Extent of Closures

Parks Victoria says “The majority of rock-climbing areas will remain open to the public in the Dyurrite Cultural Landscape.” However, it appears that this is a technicality, as 48% of the 153 climbing areas are to be closed and only 41% of the climbing areas will remain open. The remaining 15 areas may potentially be opened after management actions. Right at this moment someone will be crunching the numbers and grades of climbs slated to be closed but if you ever aspired to climb anything on the Pharos, much of the Northern and Far northern group, Colosseum Wall, Yesterday Gully, Pinnacle Face or Mitre rock you had better do it quickly. These areas are added to other areas already off limits, including Declaration Crag, the Plaque, Castle Crag and Tiger Wall. The only reprieve seems to be that the Bard area may reopen. This outcome is of national and international significance. Closed climbs cross all grades and include Tip toe Ridge through Agamemnon, Lamplighter, Entertainer, Christian Crack, Trojan, India to Punks in the Gym. 

One fifth of the “open” areas will be closed until “management work” is done. Given that many areas in Gariwerd are yet to be assessed and opened, it seems unlikely that this will happen rapidly. 

The entire northern section of the park, including Mitre Rock, is to be placed in a "conservation zone" with no climbing or off-track walking permitted. In addition to the other proposed closure areas, many of the shaded summer climbing options will be off limits. 

Once again, we see the confusing situation where licensed tour operators are allowed to take groups into an area off limits to recreational climbers at Bushrangers Bluff. 

Purpose of the new Plan
The aim of the draft states p4 “The principal management direction of this (draft) amended Management Plan is to enable rock climbing to continue within the Mount Arapiles -Tooan State Park (Dyurrite Cultural Landscape) in a way that does not harm cultural and environmental values.”

This in itself is hard to argue with. However, the accompanying fact sheet does little to help climbers understand why half the climbing areas are off limits and that climbing there is considered to be harmful to cultural heritage. Surely if anything impacts the visual aspect of this cultural landscape, it is the telecommunication tower sitting on the summit! In addition, on page 15 it says vaguely “Recreational activities will not be permitted near cultural heritage. These areas will be managed for preservation”. By this statement it seems that climbers should be grateful that climbing is allowed at all. What defines "near", what defines “cultural heritage”and what defines “harm”? An attempt is made in appendix 1 p 44:  to define harm “harm, in relation to Aboriginal cultural heritage, includes (sic) damage, deface, desecrate, destroy, disturb, injure or interfere with”. How climbing harms cultural heritage is not apparent. Obviously, putting bolts in art would be harmful. (Parks Victoria- did you ever prosecute yourself for that? Oh wait, you just falsely blamed climbers). 

How were the areas assessed? 

The Fact sheet states: "Parks Victoria with the support of Barengi Gadjin Land Council, applied a Decision Framework created for the protection of cultural heritage in the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park and adapted for the Dyurrite Cultural Landscape (Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park). The framework provided a systematic evidence-based platform to consider survey results and guide final decisions about recreational access.” there is a lovely flow diagram in the draft plan, but the actual decision-making process is opaque

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Aboriginal Cultural Heritage is not Disputed

The Fact sheet explains: The Wotjobaluk Peoples have lived in, been a part of and cared for the Dyurrite Cultural Landscape for tens of thousands of years. Wotjobaluk Peoples connection to Dyurrite is cultural, physical, spiritual, psychological, emotional and economic. Traditional Lore and Custom indicates that Creation Ancestors were instrumental in forming many of the iconic landscape features in this area, some of which represent their physical remains. This area is understood holistically as a living cultural and natural landscape, not just a place that contains evidence of past occupation and use.

While climbers can generally agree that Aboriginal Cultural Heritage needs recognition and protection and there is no dispute that Dyurrite was and is a culturally important landscape, it seems excessive that half the climbing areas are considered to be culturally damaging. 
Sitting on belay, in the late afternoon gazing across the Wimmera is a profound and peaceful experience. 

Camping

The draft plan also remains unclear about the fate of the campground. The uncertainty dates back to the old plan, but recent events such as cessation of rubbish collection have made climbers concerned about the long term fate of the Pines and Gums campgrounds. This area occupies generations of climbers consciousness in the same way that Camp 4 does at Yosemite. In Yosemite the camping area is given heritage status for its climbing significance and is protected. The Pines could yet be closed and this draft plan is the perfect opportunity to create some clarity and reassurance around this issue. 

Results

Sadly, one likely outcome of this draft plan is a false narrative- that climbing and cultural heritage are mutually exclusive. The opportunity to show that they can coexist with limited closures and creative management strategies has been lost once again. The great stewardship by climbers and improvement in the landscape after years of pastoral neglect will be ignored. Climbers will be portrayed as cultural and ecological vandals. Parks Victoria is just repeating its successful Grampians campaign. 

 

What can climbers in NSW do? 

The legislation that impacts climbing is predominantly state based, which is why each state has its own access organisation. Climbers who care about access need to belong to organisations in their state and we will be providing interstate submissions as we have done in the past. Arapiles/ Dyurrite is Australia’s (and amongst the worlds) best trad crag. We are all stakeholders in advocating for the area. 

Situations such as this exclusion often engender hatred and racism and there is no place for this. Aboriginal people have been excluded from their land for years. The land council is rightfully pursuing its own and its peoples interests and is seeking protection for Country. You can’t blame the land council. That the situation has become so polarising is a sad reflection of the Victorian political system that gave away parliamentary oversight of its Parks system and refuses to take responsibility for the mess. 

We will look to the response from Victorian Climbing organisations in terms of legal and protest avenues. Only the Gariwerd Wimmera Reconciliation network was consulted regarding this plan. It appears all other organisations including the recently formed Climbing Victoria which includes most of the Victorian climbing organisations and ACAV were excluded as stakeholders. 

Apart from joining your state based access organisation you can: 

•  provide feedback to Parks Victoria, though it has made clear that closed areas are not negotiable. https://engage.vic.gov.au/dyurrite
• Write to the Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan whose press release “Climbing and Cultural wonder of Dyurrite secured” is a great example of spin. Email her at  jacinta.allan@parliament.vic.gov.au
• Write to the Minister for Parks Victoria, Steve Dimopoulos at steve.dimopoulos@parliament.vic.gov.au

Preliminary list of closed areas: 

- Bushrangers Bluff Back Wall (Guide only)

- Colosseum Wall Area: all

- King Rat Area: White Mice Walls, Light Fingered Gully, Bum Rocks

- Pilot Error Area all walls- Pilot Error Cliffs, Cobwebs Gully, Louise Lane Wall)

- Atridae: House of Atreus, Agamemnon Area

- Organ Pipes Gully: Organ Pipes Gully Left Side, Organ Pipes Gully Right Side

- Upper Central Gully: The Torture Chamber, Skyline Walls

- Central Gully Right: Minstrel Pinnacle

-Major Mitchell Gully: Ali's Area

- Bluffs: Denim Wall,Blockbuster Ledge, Dead Eye Dick Wall

- Tiger Walls: all walls

- Castle Crag: all

- Voodoo Area: New Image Wall

- The Pharos: Front Wall and West Face, Uncle Charlie, South Face, Back Wall

- Pharos Gully: Ethereal Buttress, Cheops ButtresS,  Yesterday Gully (Upper and Lower)

- Pinnacle Face: all

- Northern Group: High Dive Gully, Mermaid Avenue

- Far North: Intrepid Gully, Leasehold Wall, Echidna Wall,  Werewolf Are

-Mitre Rock: all