Climbing bolts removed near Aboriginal art at Mt Alexandra

In a move to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage, volunteer climbers, in collaboration with Gundungurra representatives, have removed bolts from several climbing routes at Mt Alexandra, Mittagong, after learning of the presence of significant Aboriginal art in the area. Climbers recently discovered that the land manager, Wingecarribee Shire Council (WSC), had been aware of the culturally sensitive art site since 2009 but had not communicated this information to the climbing community. You can read more about this in our first article about this situation.

Upon learning this information, members of the climbing community promptly contacted local Aboriginal representatives to apologise and seek guidance on how best to proceed. The primary aim was to preserve the art and protect the integrity of the area. We have had the pleasure of meeting and working with Aunty Sharyn Halls and her son Jim Halls as Gundungurra representatives.  Attempts to engage with Council were unproductive.  

With the endorsement, input and supervision of the Aboriginal representatives, climbers undertook the careful removal of climbing bolts from the routes close to the art earlier this week. The work was completed in a manner designed to minimise further impact on the site.

The art is immediately below, or at the start of Biafra and Los Hermanos a la Dentiente, routes established in the 1990s. Garth Miller, who put up Los Hermanos as a teenager in 1992 before going on to international fame, is supportive of the route’s removal. A more recent addition to the left of Biafra, Bruised Poonarmee, was also removed. The bolt removal also closes several link-up routes such as White Arrow.  

The art consists of faded, but clearly visible charcoal motifs. The archaeological reports suggest these motifs represent flying foxes, a shield, a kangaroo and human figures. Being charcoal, enhancement with manipulation of light wavelength is usually unhelpful. With permission, we have reproduced some of the images below.

There is now a good buffer around the art. It is important not to touch the art or rock in the debolted sector, stir up dust, light fires or place bags against the wall in this area. Regarding further protection, we will be guided by what the Gundungurra representatives decide with WSC. We are grateful to have worked in partnership with Aboriginal custodians to do the right thing, although it would have been better to have been able to do this in 2009 when the art was first notified.

The art carries immense cultural and historical value.

This episode also highlights the need for increased transparency and improved communication from councils and land management authorities. Climbers urge local authorities to ensure that relevant information about cultural heritage is communicated early to recreational user groups in the future.

It is also a reminder for climbers to look closely at areas under overhangs and to familiarise themselves with the Aboriginal Heritage Information System to try and prevent any such instances moving forward.

The episode at Mt Alexandra serves as a reminder of the need for cooperation and mutual respect in the stewardship of shared natural and cultural landscapes. Both climbers and Aboriginal representatives hope that their collaborative response will set a precedent for how similar situations are managed elsewhere in Australia, but stress that prevention of such instances is paramount.