Save our Summits

Latest closure - Coochin Twins Glass House mountains.



Mt Warning 95 Anniversary celebration

Thankyou for celebrating 95 years of the remarkable history of Mt Warning National Park at the Breakfast Creek Car Park Saturday 3rd August 2024

Report and Pics here


Mountain climbs closed off or threatened

CLOSED!

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CLOSED! or Threatened With Closure

Mount Warning - CLOSED!
Mount Warning - CLOSED!
Mt Beerwah - Threatened
Mt Beerwah - Threatened
White Rock Ipswich - Closed!
White Rock Ipswich - Closed!
Mt Warning is my Ferngully
95th Anniversary Mount Warning National Pak
Mount Warning Update April May 2024
Mount Warning April 2024

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Events

mt Beerwah opening day event

Report by Andy Flanagan

Our inaugeral event was a great sucess with mother nature putting on a beautiful crystal-clear morning for our celebration of the re-opening of Mt Beerwah on the 12th of August 2023. Ive arrived at 5am to see the sunrise from it's summit with my son, Rohan, and a first timer, Tess. There is a slither of moon in the sky, it's very dark and the sky is sparkling with stars. The car park already has more than a dozen cars and lots of excited people milling around with their head torches chatting and waiting for friends to arrive. We are all very excited because QPWS has had this mountain closed for over 2 months due to some ugly vandalism on its rock.

 

Tess is a bit nervous, Roh and I have done this many times so we assure her that she will be safe. This climb is to a magnificent 550m high razor back summit and should be treated with great respect, not for beginners or people with a fear of heights. We recommend first timers always go with someone who has lots of experience on this peak. As with, I dare say, every mountain on the planet there have been fatal accidents here.


There are toilets at the head of the trail but no drinking water. This hike/climb will take us about 2-3 hours so we recommend taking a day pack to keep both hands free. Include all the usual like water, first aid, phone, snake bandage and a snack. A head torch is also essential at this time of day. Appropriate shoes with sticky soles are very important, approach shoes with vibram soles highly recommend.

 

We set off up the trail towards the start of the climb which begins with The Slab. It’s a good qualifier, so if this first 30m section proves beyond your skill set turn around now as there is plenty more sections like this. I know Tess is up for this as she successfully tackled Tibrogargon for the first time a few weeks ago without much trouble. I prefer to have 2 experienced climbers to guide beginners, one to go above and one go below.

The golden glow of predawn on the rock is magical as we slowly and carefully make our way up, winding left and right picking the easier lines but also preferring to stay on the rock and away from the fragile flora. This rock is igneous and was formed about 25million years ago. Unlike volcanoes of similiar age that have all but eroded away, the Glass House peaks were never classified as volcanoes as they never saw the light of day when they were forming so the molten rock hardened under pressure causing it to have a small crystalline structure making it very hard and strong.

 

We arrive at the top just as the sun clears the ocean horizon revealing a magnificent crystal-clear winters day. There are about 20 happy smiley chatty people already here to welcome us. The 360-degree view is spectacular with Mt Warnings 1170m summit visible 170Km to the south (closed for dubious reasons), Mt Coolum, Tibrogargon, Coonowrin and all the other Glasshouse peaks scattered across the coastal plain. All these magnificent climbs open for those with adventurous souls to enjoy, for now.. (except Coornwrin). The current management plans for some of these peaks reveals that they will likely be closed over the coming years, very surprisingly Mt Coolum being on this list.

 

Tess is ecstatic to be on Beerwah’s summit for the first time. We cant stay long as I’ve volunteered to guide another couple of friends up later plus I have a short speech to deliver at 8am about the recent closures of summits across Australia. The trip down is slow, careful and very social, with lots and lots of very happy & familiar faces enjoying Beerwah’s re-opening.

If you’d like more information on these climbs please contact us via our facebook group or email. Thanks again for all your support to get this beautiful summit opened. www.SaveOurSummits.org                  

MISSION STATEMENT

The issue that has brought us together is our fear of being locked out of the places that mean so much to us. The mountain summits in particular represent so much to so many of us.


The Kiwi mountaineer, Sir Edmund Hillary who, along with the Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, were the first people to summit Mount Everest, famously said, “it is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”. Until I first climbed Mount Beerwah in Queensland’s Glasshouse Mountain region, this quote didn’t mean anything to me. I had a lifelong debilitating fear of heights… but the day I first summited Mount Beerwah, this controlling fear evaporated, never to return.


Since that day, just four short years ago, climbing these mountains has been a figurative (and I dare say literal) life saver for me. This is my personal experience, but it is by no means unique to me. We have countless people who will testify to the same: the experience we gain in climbing these mountains is literally priceless, and its benefit to our emotional, physical, mental and spiritual health surpasses any amount of therapy. This is the therapy that money simply cannot buy! And the fear of losing this is what has brought us together today.


There is historical, current, and increasing pressure on our Governments and National Parks Services for the closure of numerous places of natural beauty across our nation, including many mountains.


The push for closure comes with various rationales including, but not limited to:

- Being places of cultural significance to Traditional Owners;

- Ecological issues;

- Safety issues.


As these places (and especially the mountain summits) hold such special value to this community of hikers and climbers, we would like to be represented by having a place at the table as an equal stakeholder when these matters are being debated.


Mount Warning in Northern NSW is a recent closure we are trying to have re-opened. Also, Mt Beerwah in the Glasshouse Mountains has a temporary closure that we believe may become permanent. These are just two examples of many. These mountain summits have contributed greatly to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health of 10’s of thousands of people.


We will be petitioning for:

- Continued, ongoing and permanent access to mountain summits throughout Australia.

- Equality for all Australians, with equal consideration of our views and needs.

- Evidence of safety concerns so we can assess their validity and input accordingly.

- Consultation and input on ecological issues.

- Protection of our National Parks from the small minority of people who litter and/or vandalise these places of such natural beauty. We will be calling for harsh consequences for, for example, the person responsible for the recent vandalism of Mount Beerwah in the Glasshouse Mountains. We stand together, united in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters in strongly denouncing this despicable act.


Mount Beerwah in particular has been closed for extended periods of time in the past for safety reasons.

However, this current closure is because an ignorant, disrespectful and uninformed person decided to use a grinder to grind graffiti into the base of the mountain.


The mountain was closed by QPWS in consultation with the traditional custodians to allow the Jinabara People a time of cultural healing. We stand in complete unity with our indigenous brothers & sisters in strongly denouncing this blatant act of vandalism.


We are concerned however, that having already been extended, this rolling ‘temporary’ closure could become a pathway to a permanent closure as this has long been the stated agenda of the traditional custodians.

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