OPINION : Tarana - Culture versus Climbing?

By KEVIN WESTREN
Friday January 4, 2002

On Saturday 1st December 2001, National Parks & Wildlife Service conducted a Planning Workshop at Tarana to allow stakeholders and interested parties to have early input to a draft Plan of Management for Evans Crown Nature Reserve. Wearing two hats, I attended as Sydney Rockclimbing Club (SRC) Access Officer and Cliffcare Vice President.

This event was deliberately not reported at the SRC’s December Meeting. I waited to see the official written summary of the workshop before commenting, because on the day, the eighteen participants worked in two separate groups, and I was therefore only aware of what had transpired in my group.

It is interesting to note that unlike the situation that applies for National Parks, the Service is not required under the Act to provide for public comment on a Plan of Management for a Nature Reserve.

In addition, the Regulatory Impact Statement accompanying the NPW Regulation 2001 says, under the heading of Sporting and Recreational Activities, that "recreation is generally considered inappropriate in nature reserves".

In the SRC’s Upper Blue Mountains guidebook, the introduction to the Tarana area advises in bold, underlined, text "No fires, no new routes, no brushing – don’t stuff it for the rest of us. The NPWS would love to close this crag!!"

Earlier, Mark Colyvan had written similarly in his guide to Tarana (published as an insert in "Rock") and he also included a facsimile of a letter from NPWS outlining the Service’s position with regard to climbing at Evans Crown.

New routes continued to appear, some of them excessively wire-brushed, and gleaming metal ‘infrastructure’ sprouted in a highly visible manner. The evidence of cooking fires is obvious, as are the signs that people have camped in (at least) one of the overhangs. This is in direct contravention of signage at the start of the access track, and regulations controlling activities in nature reserves.

Because of all the above, I attended the workshop with some trepidation, anticipating there might be a bit of "climber bashing" or at the very least strong criticism of past actions. I adopted the stance that I was present to represent climbers but not to defend their excesses.

The workshop began with a Welcome to Country message delivered, in the dialect, by Wiradjuri elder Bill Allen, who is the aboriginal liaison Ranger based at the NPWS Bathurst office. After an overview of current management of the Nature Reserve from Kim de Govrik (NPWS Kanangra Area Manager) Bill Allen told us about the significance Evans Crown holds for the local Wiradjuri people as well as the neighbouring Gundungara and Dharug people.

Ceremonies were held amongst the tall prominent granite boulders and the area still holds great significance for the local Aboriginal People. Although the whole area of Evans Crown is important spiritually, there are parts with special significance to men and others of special significance to women.

I asked Bill whether the Wiradjuri people wanted to close the area to climbers, or even all visitors. He answered with what might be termed the ‘Uluru Response’ --- "While we would prefer that you did not use the area we are not seeking to ban access". However, from further discussion, it was clear that they find certain climbing routes particularly offensive and will want them closed and any bolts, route markers, et cetera, carefully removed.

The sensitive issue of problems resulting from women being present in men’s areas, and vice versa, did not arise within my workshop group, but from reading the official summary of the day it is clear this was considered by the other workshop group.

In the ‘workshop mode’ we covered a wide range of issues, problems, and possible solutions to be addressed in the Plan of Management. Many of these related to the direct environmental impacts resulting from human activities in the Nature Reserve and on adjoining lands. The physical impacts can be defined and addressed. The spiritual impacts can not be seen and so present a greater challenge.

Therefore, in my view, the most important consideration for us as climbers is the need to respect the cultural significance of the area and consider how we might avoid any conflict with Aboriginal sensitivities.

And keep in mind the fact that should the Minister for the Environment, at some time in the future, decide to declare Evans Crown an Aboriginal Site then it is most probable that climbing -- indeed all non-indigenous or scientific visitation -- would be prohibited. The protection available for such sites appears to exceed that given even to Nature Reserves!