The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) has published a scathing review into Park Victoria’s procurement process in regards to assessing Aboriginal rock art sites at rock climbing areas in the Grampians and Arapiles by the archeologist Robert (Ben) Gunn and Parks Victoria staff member Jake Goodes. These two key players in the climbing bans are not named in the report but we are very happy to name them here. We knew this was suss all along and it’s good to see this has actually caught the attention of the government department responsible for checking how “effectively public sector agencies are providing services and using public money“.
Continue reading Auditor-General investigates Parks Victoria and archeologist Ben GunnCategory Archives: Parks Victoria
Management Plan Submissions Have CLosed
Submissions closed 24th January 2021
Parks Victoria gave the community 10 measly weeks to give them feedback on their diabolical plan to gut climbing in the Grampians – the submission deadline was Sunday 24 January 2021.
Continue reading Management Plan Submissions Have CLosed
Off the Charts – the real route losses in the Grampians
We have crunched the data on the proposed route closures as detailed in the draft Greater Gariwerd Landscape Management Plan and the results are pretty shocking. Parks Victoria didn’t list individual route closures – instead they used the misleading term “climbing areas” when announcing what was being closed. Why is it misleading? Because each area can vary wildly in how many routes/problems they contain. 32 “areas” on PV’s list contain less than 5 routes, whilst come areas contain over 100 (the average per area is 25). Even worse 26 “areas” out of 86 on their approved list contain less than 5 “ticks” on the crag – a good judge of an area’s popularity (is a crag with 5 ticks even worth assessing for climbers damage?) We extracted data from thecrag.com to get the real figures on the potential climbing losses if this management plan goes forward (which is highly likely).
Continue reading Off the Charts – the real route losses in the Grampians
4500+ Climbs Closed – 38% Gramps and Arapiles Now off-Limits
- Half of Grampians climbing routes are now closed
- Tiger Wall, Castle Crag, Fang Buttress and Black Ians Rocks latest areas to close to all visitors
- Greater Gariwerd Landscape Management Plan draft has been completed
- Parks Victoria confirms SPA & no climbing rule near Roses Gap Recreation Centre
- Parks Victoria forced to reprint signage after admitting errors
We are going to just start with an update on statistics so everyone is on the same page when it comes to understanding the extent of the current climbing closures in the Grampians and Arapiles region. We have included this weeks Arapiles and Black Ians Rocks closure announcements.
Continue reading 4500+ Climbs Closed – 38% Gramps and Arapiles Now off-Limits
Sign of the Times – Protection Rules Relaxed for Profit?
- Latest about Taipan from GWRN
- New PV sign says tour operators can climb in Victoria Range SPAs
- The Roses Gap Recreation Centre mystery
- Minister’s letter confirms expiry of Interim Protection Declaration at Arapiles
- Aboriginal Victoria denies Special Protection Areas are associated with Aboriginal Heritage Act or Regulations
- Draft Grampians Landscape Management Plan “hoped to be out for public comment by the end of this year”
- Graffiti rampant in Grampians according to PV
- Roundtable 5 announced – then delayed?
Arapiles Protection Declaration Expires
- Arapiles’ Brain Death Boulder (Dyurrite 1) Interim Protection Declaration expires without renewal
- FOI docs reveal archeological work is never put out to tender
- Castle Crag & Mitre Rock potentially on the chopping block
The following is a quick look at the timelines and discrepancies associated with the closure of the Dyurrite 1 site – known to climbers as the Brain Death Boulder at Arapiles.
Continue reading Arapiles Protection Declaration Expires
Legal Action in the Supreme Court (Plus Formal Complaints)
- October 2020 sees climbers vs PV in court
- VCC submits a formal complaint to Victorian Ombudsman’s Office
- ACAV submits formal complaint to Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists
- New FOI documents reveal dodgy archeological procurement from PV
- Victorian Climbing Management Guidelines launched
Divided We Fall
- Community divided over recent closures
- Bans a big legal bluff
- New Grampians & Arapiles guidebooks cancelled
- 22% of Arapiles bouldering now off-limits
- Grampians Peaks Trail installs “huts” for commercial use
Continue reading Divided We Fall“Taipan was supposed to be what was left for us to climb, now that’s gone too”
Taipan, Spurt and Bundaleer – “Temporarily” Banned
- Parks Victoria announce “temporary protection zone” around Australia’s best climbing areas
- All access, including bush-walking is prohibited as of today
- Climbing access organizations VCC & ACAV were given no advance notice of these bans
- Gariwerd Wimmera Reconciliation Network has been consulting with PV & TOs about these site closures since at least June
- Bans cannot be adjusted until after new management plan is announced (next year at earliest)
Declaration Protection – It’s Official
Many people woke this morning to the dramatic news on the radio that Arapiles was now closed. Thanks ABC for giving us all a pre-coffee heart attack! Lucky it was just media hype. But what really happened is newsworthy all the same.
Continue reading Declaration Protection – It’s Official
Save Grampians Climbing 