Centrelink’s Robodebt computer scam (2016-2018) intimidated 2030 vulnerable Australians to suicide
Do politicians in New South Wales read the news, else are they so in such a self-absorbed bubble mindset that...
Read More‘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
Service NSW Micro Business Grant debt collectors go ‘low-brow’ handover to Revenue NSW. It’s ‘Robodebt Mark 2.0’
Despicably, Service NSW's contracted debt collectors have started resorting to invoicing Approved Grant Applicants (grant recipients). This is a sudden...
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Nature Trail’s 2021 Application for the Micro Business Grant – to benefit others’ memories of lodgement
Part of Nature Trail's policy is to record and maintain vital records. This of course applies particularly to each our...
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If Service NSW grant ‘audit’ was legit, then such notification would have been communicated via its dedicated secure website portal
In this grossly mishandled matter, the current Minns NSW Labor Government's mega-department, Service NSW, if indeed its ongoing so-called grant...
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The COVID-19 Micro Business Grant: ‘Introduction’ on Service NSW website – this original copy from April 2021!!
For the record, Micro-Business Grant applicants may remember this early grant offer by the Berejiklian Liberal NSW Government back in...
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Service NSW Micro Business Grant – Terms and Guidelines
Many small business in New South Wales currently adversely impacted by the Minns Labor Government's extortion scam by its mega...
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Basic Hiking Needs lesson from Dr Mosley’s Heat Stroke Death for our Blue Mountains
Dr Mosley's Heat Stroke Lesson Popular television medical presenter Dr Michael Mosley (67) on 5th June 2024 tragically succumbed to...
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We win the war against Service NSW ‘indian giving’ grant audit
Vindicated! The year-long ‘audit’/’compliance review’ by Service NSW (New South Wales Minns Labor Government) into the $15,214 pandemic compensatory...
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Nature Trail has had to go political against the P2P Commissioner Anthony Wing’s unconscionable $110,000 fine threat
When one 's very livelihood in trying to setup a small business under government mandatory lockdown and then is further...
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Our business venture is digging in – P2P liquidator Anthony Wing ignores our compliance and continues to intimidate and harass – he wants us to go bankrupt
In the Trenches - as our new struggling business venture cops a dearth of visitation trade due to government lockdown,...
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[This webpage last updated 3rd October 2022]