The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has proposed a new walk in the Wollumbin National Park, with a master plan on public exhibition until 27 February.
NPWS North Coast Branch Director Russell Madeley said the Caldera Rim Walk would climb over 500 metres in elevation. ‘The proposed Caldera Rim Walk would take bushwalkers to the top of the inner Tweed Caldera, through rainforest, wet sclerophyll and drier eucalypt forest,’ said Mr Madeley.
‘The proposed walk would take in spectacular views of Wollumbin summit and the surrounding caldera.
‘The Master Plan proposes an eight kilometre return, Grade 4 hiking track which would require a reasonable level of fitness and experience.
Part of the park previously undiscovered
Mr Madeley said the new walk would provide access to part of the park previously undiscovered by visitors, but with easy access from Murwillumbah and Tyalgum, along the existing Tweed Hinterland Rainforest Way Scenic Drive.’
The walk would be subject to rigorous environmental and cultural heritage assessments that are undertaken for the construction of visitor infrastructure in all NSW national parks.
The Caldera Walk Master Plan is on exhibition from 13 February until 27 February 2023 and is available here: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/caldera
A substitute/placebo for the public by a wily NPWS management – having effectively banned the superior Mount Warning walk?
So take away an iconic walk and replace it with one not as good, then expect kudos? I feel like I’m at a magic show and there has been a sleight of hand that I have seen.
A fire trail in the sun, complete with tick infestation. Cultural safety looks a lot like revenge.
Agree with Rob, reopen the Mt Warning walk.
I have always felt that Mt Warning ( Wollumbin ) is the people’s mountain. It is a landmark seen from the Gold Coast to Byron Bay, 100,000+ people used to climb it every year and it receives the first sunlight in the morning.
It would be good if they reopened the Mt Warning ( Wollumbin ) summit walk.
The new trail is nice but climbing Mt Warning ( Wollumbin ) was very special to many and a great tourist attraction for the Tweed.
There was a perfectly good, and exceptionally popular hike in existence for the last 100 years…
Closed under a barrage of lies, dishonesty false reports.
Mt Warning Summit climb should not be closed. Expense apparently part of the issue with keeping it open, yet budget now found for an entirely new track?
Agree John, I hope common sense prevails and the Wollumbin summit walk is restored and reopened. This was such a fantastic experience for local people and for travellers which attracted many people from around the world. It is so puzzling why it was closed and extremely disappointing for future generations who will never get to experience such a special place. I was fortunate enough to visit mount warning in 2011 when I was 6 months pregnant and then had the opportunity to hike to the summit in 2019. I hope to be able to take my children to the summit one day.
The proposed Caldera walk is unnecessary as there is a perfectly usable summit trail that the government would be better to invest their time and resources into. It has been unequivocally established that there is no reason to have the summit track closed. There are indigenous custodians supporting the open use of the summit trail for all members of the Australian community. Let’s focus on restoring the trail that honors the community spirit that was built a hundred years ago before we start on a new Caldera track.
All “extra” walks into our wild environments are greatly needed, connecting communities to the land, BUT, NOT at the disgusting closure of the Mt Warning Summit walk, undertaken without any fair and proper due process. I call for the immediate re-opening of the Mt Warning Summit walk. Give it back to the people, for today and the future.
It does look like a brush turkey, especially from the SE and NE. I think “cloud catcher” is wishful.
Yeah right, trample on the cultural wishes of the local Aboriginal Tribes, your rights of access to tromp all over sacred sites should always beat theirs of course. Why not feel privileged, we white fellas have always had the right in Australia since 1788 to diss Aboriginal sacred sites, tradition, culture, language, landrights, you name it. Why change now, when your rights to go anywhere when you feel like it are threatened by their mere respect for their ancient beliefs? Next they’ll be wanting to abseil up cathedrals for fun and excavate your great grandma’s grave for their housing developments! I mean to say fellas, you have to draw the line somewhere and preserve your traditional values and show your superiority over everyone else!
If my map reading is accurate, that proposal is merely a repurposing of an existing fire trail, laid out without any thought to views, points of interest and rain forest makes up an infestiminal portion of the area traversed. Most of it is dry scrub and not a pleasant place to be for a fair portion of the year. It is a very poor third or fourth best to the existing summit trail, which has been widely enjoyed for over 100 years. So just why are Parks NSW so determined to use smoke and mirrors to distract from the obvious solution, ie make the necessary repairs and reopen the summit track. Hell they could probably get most of the labour for free if they co-operated with the community instead of warring with them for once. Mt Warning is a special place to a great many of us, respect that!
Nice to have as many walks as possible – but this does not and can not replace the mount Warning walk.
A ‘view of’ does not substitute for an ‘experience on’ -any more than a view of a birthday cake can substitute for eating it.
The proposed Rim Walkis just a deflection to make out NPWS are doing something positive, it is all beaurocratic mumbo jumbo smoke and mirrors. Who would walk on a tick infested fire trail walk with no shade, no one. So why are NPWS trying to sell this stupid idea on us ? The real story is the disgraceful mismanagement of the existing Wollumbin/Mt Warning Summit track. No need to waste money on another one in the wrong place when we already have the track built by early pioneers 100 years ago !!
What a load of BS! Second rate walk will never replace the joys of the summit walk.
The summit trail and the summit could have also been declared a historical site at the same time it was declared an aboriginal place in 2014, acknowledgement to all people who regard this place as significant, cultural and special. And access and respect shown for all.
As if this new proposed track from NPWS isn’t insulting enough, they have the disrespect and arrogance to promote it as “summit like”. What a joke.
How and why can NPWS close down a free to climb mountain saying it’s sacred to the oldest living culture, whilst elsewhere in the state (Yuin country) promote a $1000pp (minimum) cultural experience by advertising it with, “be immersed in the world’s oldest living culture on a sacred mountain” ?
Quote from one of the WCG members in an article from The Guardian June 2022, “It would make me feel so happy and proud to know Wollumbin will be looked after for my grandkids and their grandkids and generations to come”.
Well, that’s just what we all want. But not just kept for ourselves. We are all of this country now and have connection to it.
PLEASE reopen the Wollumbin (Mount Warning) summit track 🙏
Reopen the Summit trail to ALL Australians and tourists.The access to Wollumbin (Mt Warning ) is not for an activist male indigenous minority to dictate and in doing so create social and cultural divisions.
The NPWS need to find a solution that acknowledges traditional owners ( not the activists) and their genuine connection to the mountain, while making safe access for all those who wish to experience the wonder of the mountain in a respectful way.
Both groups can be catered for if there’s a will. This other proposed Caldera Rim walk is a poor substitute and not a solution.
It’s time NPWS and NSW government sorted out this mess , it’s going to create a groundswell of angry hikers if a fair and suitable solution isn’t found.
Perhaps a culturally sensitive compromise could be negotiated by only allowing men to climb it.
This access seems to be before the landslip that has Tyalgum Road closed. No views from this angle, trees are above you not below, as from a summit. Who pockets the dollars?
This plan is a smokescreen for the tall story told by bundjalung Aboriginal groups so NPWS could close the mountain and giving these men sole access to the site and have locked the women out hoping to sever the continuous, intrinsic spiritual connection we women have had to this mountain. I am the grandaughter of Millie Boyd and the daughter of Marlene Boyd and the women in my family have been the traditional custodians of that mountain pre-records, not the men. It has never been a ‘men’s only mountain’ yet a distant relative has used my family papers to claim he is the custodian by saying women are not allowed on that site and only the male lore men would climb the mountain when there were problems in (NOT BETWEEN) the tribes. Experienced mountain climbers agree that this is a ridiculous claim since it would have taken days to climb to the peak without machine-made tracks and chains, clearing weeds and fallen trees so there is no way our most clever old Pops would have been put at risk like that. My distant relative went on to say that Nanny Millie Boyd was not a lore woman but just a ‘keeper’ when NPWS have access to a wealth of evidence that confirms she was indeed the senior Githabul Ngarkabul lore woman and custodian of her time. Be good if Byron Shire would wake up and stop worshipping at the altar of bundjalung, our tribal boundaries are not shire by shire, Githabal Ngarkabal are one of the oldest races of people in the world and what you think of as ‘bundjalung country’ is actually our country. My culture and connection to this land is ancient, unlike ‘bundjalung’ tribes that arrived around the same time as the Maoris to NZ, about 900 years ago as refugees from the Pacific islands (three brothers story).
Wow lots of stretches here, sounds like “Rent-an-Elder”
NPWS & Native Title have been looking at this for close on 40 years now talking with ALL the families & groups & identifying & listing ALL the real owners & all the families agreed everyone has there proper land. NO Men have access because its just for initiated men & now there are none. If you were real you would have been in the talks & know that the Mens Area is the top half AND the Women’s Area is all around the bottom. Half a day to a day for the young men to climb at most & there were no weeds then.
Everyone has a say & has there own views but some are only ideas not facts.
But you saved the Big Lie for last that Bundjalung only arrived 900 years ago. Totally insulting. Totally untrue & proved wrong. Just trying to make trouble. You should be ashamed.
17 of the 18 comments barely mention the new walk just harp on about wanting Wollumbin reopened for totally selfish and disrespectful reasons. Do you people also want Uluru reopened?
God help the Voice referendum if this is your level of cultural respect and understanding