A GUIDE TO CLIMBING MOUNT WARNING
The Fight for Awe and Wonder
Marc Hendrickx
Paperback, 220 pages, $39.95
ISBN: 9781922815804
October 2023 release
Mount Warning National Park provides one of the most outstanding
experiences of the Australian Landscape on the east coast. Mount Warning
was an immense shield volcano active 23 million years ago, and is now
regarded as the best preserved and largest eroded shield volcano in the
southern hemisphere. The original volcano was over 100km in diameter and
likely reached over 2000m high. The 1159m peak of Mount Warning is the
solidified remains of the main central vent of the volcano. 360 degree
views from the summit to the Pacific Ocean beaches, the Tweed River
valley and the surrounding forested ranges forming the caldera walls are
simply extraordinary. Since a 9km track was constructed in 1909 over
3.5 million people – families, friends and individuals have made the
journey to the summit to experience the exhilaration of the climb, the
awe inspiring vista and for some, the joy of witnessing the first
sunrise on the Australian Mainland.
More recently public access to the Park and Summit have become
contentious as post-modernist political concepts have captured the minds
of Park Authorities trusted with managing the Park on behalf of the
Public. There has been a push to close the Park on the grounds public
access offends some Aboriginal groups. Other Aboriginal groups challenge
this belief, including those that have the closest connection to the
mountain – the Ngarakwal People. The matriarch of this group, the late
Marlene Boyd stated in 2007 “I do not oppose the public climbing of
Mount Warning - how can the public experience the spiritual significance
of this land if they do not climb the summit and witness creation!”
This wonderful endorsement of what we all feel when we visit these
remarkable natural places has been long ignored by the authorities.
A Guide to Climbing Mount Warning is a celebration of the Park and
summit experience. The Guide is packed with historical information,
facts and figures that demonstrate official views about the mountain in
relation to environmental damage, safety and Aboriginal perspectives are
fundamentally wrong. Moves to close the Park are more about politics
and misconceptions about risk management. This flawed approach will
result in a National Park that will have no visitors. Awe and wonder to
be hidden behind a locked gate. This would be an insult to the millions
who have climbed and those who worked so hard to create the Park in 1929
preserving this wonderful place and the adventure it holds for future
generations to explore and enjoy.
