Blue Mountains National Park blanket lockout is a gross “overreaction” by the NSW Government

Leading Blue Mountains environmentalist Keith Muir has called the shutdown of the Blue Mountains National Park a gross “overreaction” by the Parks Service, akin to closing all beaches along the 2000km New South Wales coastline after a fatal shark attack such as at Little Bay on 16th February 2022.  That didn’t happen.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) management executed its unjustifiable decision to close the entire 2,690 km² Blue Mountains National Park indefinitely from 9am on 6th Wednesday, April 2022, save for keeoing accessible two road access lookouts at Evans Lookout and Govetts Leap in Blackheath.

Parks’ decision was simply kneejerk fear of resultant litigation following the tragic rockslide that killed two people on Wentworth Pass in Wentworth Falls on Monday 4th April 2022 and as significant rain is predicted later in the week. The site was within 300m of a known previous deadly rockslide above on National Pass back in November 2017.

Postcript:

Actually, it just drizzled. The weather bureau got its forecast wrong…yet again)
Reacting to the closure news posted by the Blue Mountains Gazette, Mr Muir said:
“This is an overreaction to a very sad event. Equivalent to closure of every beach after a fatal shark attack”.

Mr Muir is an elder statesman of the bushwalking industry and a former executive director of the Colong Foundation (rebranded last week as the Australian Foundation for Wilderness). He stepped away from his official role two years ago.

Environmentalist Keith Muir enjoying a hike in the Blue Mountains National Park

“It’s a very sad event but it’s a very rare event and needs a nuanced approach rather than a shutdown of any at risk walking track. This is similar in a way to the feral horse issue when politicians responded to get the issue quickly off the agenda. The Parks service had done due diligence, it’s not as if they were being irresponsible to the risk, but it’s an overreaction and preempts the coronial inquiry which will come up with a more considered position.”

Mr Muir said the Parks Service and the council “can’t protect the public from every single tree or every single rock in the park, its just impossible”.  He added “recreation also has mental health benefits and greenspaces need to be kept open for that reason alone”.
“Maybe they are the first climate change deaths in the Blue Mountains?”

The Parks service and the council can’t protect the public from every single tree or every single rock in the park, its just impossible. Maybe they are the first climate change deaths in the Blue Mountains?

Blue Mountains tourism has taken a kick in the guts in the last few years with bushfires/backburns, La Niña climate phase bringing widespread torrential rains and flooding, the pandemic lockdowns from the imported China SARS2 Virus and now the imposed NSW governmental blanket lockout of the Blue Mountains National Park.

Blue Mountains Adventure Company manager Andy Mein has responded:
“We are resilient and safety is paramount in our line of business.  Yes we’ve had a rough run for the past few years. The guides have suffered as a result, but the companies who employ them also suffer and ultimately their demise will have a greater impact on the guides.
I am likely going to cancel all trips regardless of them being in the Blue Mountains National Park up until the end of Sunday this weekend.  This includes a two-day 86 student outdoor education programme employing eight guides per day Wednesday and Thursday.
This is not the first time we’ve done this in this summer season and sadly I am well practiced at managing the cancellations and refunds.  Overreaction or not, cancelling is the only option in light of the weather and the tragedy on Monday.”

Another PC overreaction.

Meanwhile, Council Mayor Mark Greenhill said Blue Mountains Council was working with the NSW Government’s Parks Service following the landslip at Wentworth Falls and assessment of walking tracks in the area…
“This co-ordinated approach will determine priorities for track closure in the National Park, as well as council-run walking tracks. Walking tracks will be assessed based on risk. I have asked council to close any tracks that are in at risk areas.”

“At risk areas”.  What did that mean?  Anywhere there are rocks and trees?

Postscript:

21st April 2022:
Sixteen days (two weeks) later, Blue Mountains Council decided to re-open most of its bushland reserves with its 135kms of hiking tracks, but with the following exceptions:

  1. Waterfall Loop Walk (Lawson) remains closed due to an unresolved rockfall and landslip back on 24th March 2022
  2. Victory Track (Faulconbridge) remains closed due to a rockfall and landslip as of 23rd March 2022, and previously back in 2020
  3. Leura Cascades (Leura) public toilets remain closed since back in February 2020 for an unexplained reason.
  4. Charles Darwin Walk (Wentworth Falls) remains closed since back on 17th February 2020 due to flood damage and associated hazards until further notice.
  5. Prince Henry Cliff Walk (Katoomba) remains closed due to a landslip and storm damage back in 2020.
  6. Terrace Falls (Hazelbrook) hiking track network remains closed due to a rockfall since back on 1st April, 2022.
  7. Bedford Creek (Woodford) remains closed from carpark 2 since 2020
  8. Zig Zag walking track (Lapstone) remains closed due to rockfall since back on 2nd April 2022.
  9. Pulpit Rock Reserve near Blackheath remains closed due to RFS/NPWS abandonment of firefighting response and suppression of the Gospers Mountain private pile burn next to Army Road on 26th October 2019 and their subsequent resorting to desperate backburning that got out of control two months later in late December 2019.
Blue Mountains Council is not prioritising nor interested and capable of maintaining the 135km of hiking tracks under its custodial care.
Council only repairs hiking tracks on its bushland when it receives a state or federal government grant.  As such, the entire bushland within Council control ought to be sold over to the NSW Government for the Parks Service to manage and maintain.