Latest indigenous site that could be off limits to hikers
A popular NSW hiking track may soon be off limits to tourists after calls for it to be shut off to pedestrians were revived following the official closure of Uluru’s climbing track.
Mt Warning, in the northern NSW Tweed ranges, is considered sacred in the eyes of the Bundjalung people, the land’s traditional owners, but has become a major tourist attraction for the area.
Bundjalung Elder Robert Corowa told the Courier Mail it was disturbing to see people climb the mountain, also known as Wollumbin, and he had even seen people poo on it before.
“I am very motivated by what I’ve seen at Uluru … we’ve been trying to pull the chains down and stop people climbing it for years,” Mr Corowa said.
“I’m ashamed to go there … it makes me really sad to watch people climbing it. I don’t want to let people think they’ve got the right.”
Rainforest Park Manager Mark Bourchier argued that if the mountain was to be closed to the public it would have a negative impact on tourism, as it attracted about 100,000 people a year, according to the publication.
The topic has long been a point of contention in council chambers, according to Councillor Warren Polglase, who said the timing was optimal to ban hikers due to the Uluru closure.
The Uluru climb was closed for good at 4pm on October 25 after hundreds of tourists flocked to the red centre to be among the last to hike the ancient rock.
Uluru is a sacred site and of great spiritual significance to the Anangu people.
The National Park board decided in 2017 to ban the climb in what park operations manager Steven Baldwin said was a "triumph" of joint management and the Anangu people bravely showing they were not beholden to government or tourists.
-With AAP
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.
