‘Mountains Drums’ Blog

Welcome to ‘Mountains Drums‘.

This is Nature Trail’s field blog expressing views and insights about the goings on out in the Blue Mountains great outdoors from our local experiences over decades.

This blog is written mostly by one of our regular Mountains hikers, Flex, plus also our Tour Director Steve’s contribution articles from time to time, as he’s see fit to raise.

We also invite our guests to submit their own article to this blog. Just email us at:

steve[at]naturetrail.com.au

 

The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area covers over a million hectares of native vegetation and is arguably a bushwalker’s paradise of choice.

Yet over more than twenty five years of hiking the Blue Mountains, we continue to observe and read about those accessing the Blue Mountains great outdoors and those managing this World Heritage failing to learn from the wisdom of others before them – the requisite knowledge, skills, experience, preparation and attitude to appreciate and not harm or being harmed.

At Nature Trail we relish the great outdoors and value the Blue Mountains and its magnificent and expansive world heritage region.

But while we embrace the outdoors experience, fun and adventure, we are critical of those who foolishly risk life and limb and who recklessly encourage others to do likewise.

Whilst the Blue Mountains may still be of world heritage value, we do not see world’s best practice nor leadership evolving in outdoor recreation nor in custodial management.

Hardly a week passes without reports of helicopter rescues of injured hikers, canyoners and rockclimbers, of lost hikers, benighted hikers, missing hikers and of deaths by those setting out ignorant or just poorly prepared.

We constantly read reports by locals of the threats of invasive tourism, ugly mass tourism, the dominance of a tourism oligopoly, of poor track conditions and neglected signage, of the underfunded and understaffed National Parks and Wildlife Service.

We observe the disconnect between government authorities delegated with custodial responsibility for protecting and managing the natural values of The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, and with tourism providers and consumers.

More recently we’ve observed multiple landslips left neglected for months and years, that then shut down many hiking tracks (as well as critical road and rail access).  Government repeatedly allows wildfires to burn, in 2019 left to incinerate 80% of the world heritage area and other ‘National Parks’ so-called throughout New South Wales.  Governmental abandonment of its national quarantine responsibilities allowed an imported China Virus Pandemic shut down Blue Mountains tourism and visitation completely for two years (2020-2021).

Each tragic instance/incident is reported in isolation, but as if some freak event, then it’s soon forgotten by the media.  No lessons are learned by authorities responsible, no improvements are applied to safety standards or education to visitors/users.  So inevitably, similar tragic instances/incidents repeat time and time again.

 

One purpose of this Mountains Drums blog serves is to share local knowledge and goings on about the Blue Mountains region’s great outdoors to all.  Also, it is to highlight management problems, many chronic; and to question why the governmental custodians and managers of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, fail to listen, learn and deliver world best practice leadership.

Our hiking blogger Flex does not hold back.  This ‘Mountains Drums‘ blog is intended to be a wake up call to the Blue Mountains community to lift its game and to actively challenge government responsible.

 

The articles on our Mountains Drums blog form part of Nature Trail’s contribution to the Blue Mountains community in which we live, operate and share.  We value the beauty and  sanctity that the natural Blue Mountains offers.  We value the safety and viability of our Blue Mountain community at the same time.
Responsibly, we are concerned when these vital values are undermined.  So then we speak out as informal ambassador locals about where we live.

Of course visitation is for fun; but safety must come first, and then the fun a reassuring second.
Every participant recreating in the great outdoors deserves to return well to their loved ones.  Through our ‘Mountains Drums’ blog channel we choose to fairly tell what’s been happening in our neck of the woods.  We tell it warts and all.
To contact Flex at Mountains Drums email:  flex[at]naturetrail.com.au


Blog Posts

 

NSW Police Commissioner refuses to reveal $20+ million cyber-fraud of Micro Business Grant
Government Indian Givers, NSW Government Corruption, NSW ICAC refuses to investigate systemic corruption
By Flex / March 6, 2025

NSW Police Commissioner refuses to reveal $20+ million cyber-fraud of Micro Business Grant

If we suspected the NSW Labor ICAC was corrupted by Labor's Minns Mafia, well we now have our suspicions also...

Read More
Australia Tax Office bullies using “AI” for illegitimate and fabricated debt collection
government fabricated debt collection, Tax Office Incompetence
By Flex / February 26, 2025

Australia Tax Office bullies using “AI” for illegitimate and fabricated debt collection

Anyone out there with a HECS debt, well be wary that the Australian Tax Office (ATO) is on an 'AI'-induced...

Read More
Chris Minns Mafia a one-term joke in cahoots with Robodebt 2.0 Sergeant at Arms, Greg Wells
Government Indian Givers
By Flex / December 19, 2024

Chris Minns Mafia a one-term joke in cahoots with Robodebt 2.0 Sergeant at Arms, Greg Wells

Current NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns must be corrupt to know about all Service NSW's extortionate scam and to sit...

Read More
NSW Government’s COVID NAZI Police fines scrapped retrospectively FINALLY!  – all remaining 29,028 meted out during Premier Perrottet’s tyrannical ‘we know what’s best’ regime
Government Indian Givers
By Flex / December 6, 2024

NSW Government’s COVID NAZI Police fines scrapped retrospectively FINALLY! – all remaining 29,028 meted out during Premier Perrottet’s tyrannical ‘we know what’s best’ regime

NSW Premier Perrottet's notorious COVID fine blitz.   Just recently, it has been reported in the media from Tuesday 26th...

Read More
Service NSW restructure again…to “market”…dole queue placements
Government Indian Givers
By Flex / November 20, 2024

Service NSW restructure again…to “market”…dole queue placements

Back in 2022, the NSW Government implemented its 'Service NSW (Salaries and Conditions) Employees Award 2022', with pay rises and...

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Service NSW restructure and more mass sackings – good!  Seriously shut down this mega-bureaucracy !
Government Indian Givers
By Flex / November 19, 2024

Service NSW restructure and more mass sackings – good! Seriously shut down this mega-bureaucracy !

NSW Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell's legacy mega umbrella Service NSW from 2012 is up for yet another political restructure and...

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Service NSW disingenuous Grant Clawback Values Statement
Government Indian Givers
By Flex / November 18, 2024

Service NSW disingenuous Grant Clawback Values Statement

The criminal extortionists at Service NSW must be kidding themselves in their bureaucratic bubble.   We found this rubbish on its...

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Complaint to ICAC against Service NSW Grant Clawback Extortion (PART 11):  Is ICAC unfit, itself compromised?
Government Indian Givers, NSW Government Corruption, NSW ICAC refuses to investigate systemic corruption
By Flex / November 5, 2024

Complaint to ICAC against Service NSW Grant Clawback Extortion (PART 11): Is ICAC unfit, itself compromised?

Our Critical Analysis of NSW I.C.A.C.'s response rejection letter to our substantiated complaints of corruption by the NSW Government: We...

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Complaint to ICAC against Service NSW Grant Clawback Extortion (PART 10):  ICAC Decision: This is not our job
Government Indian Givers, NSW Government Corruption, NSW ICAC refuses to investigate systemic corruption
By Flex / November 3, 2024

Complaint to ICAC against Service NSW Grant Clawback Extortion (PART 10): ICAC Decision: This is not our job

So on 16th October 2024, one receives an email from the I.C.A.C. dismissing our case outright thus, the ICAC Assessment...

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Complaint to ICAC against Service NSW Grant Clawback Extortion (PART 9)
Government Indian Givers, NSW Government Corruption, NSW ICAC refuses to investigate systemic corruption
By Flex / November 2, 2024

Complaint to ICAC against Service NSW Grant Clawback Extortion (PART 9)

We supply further evidence of NSW Government corrupt extortion to the NSW I.C.A.C. by email icac@icac.nsw.gov.au thus:   To date,...

Read More
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[This webpage last updated 3rd October 2022]