Shocking reason why Aussies are now banned from climbing Mount Arapiles

The mountain dubbed by mountaineers as the ‘beating heart of Australian climbing’ will be closed after a secretive four-year investigation into its cultural heritage.

Up to half of the tracks around Victoria’s Mount Arapiles, in the state’s west, will be closed after Parks Victoria found tens of thousands of native artefacts, scarred trees and rock art.

The mountain is known around the world as an incredible rock climbing location. Its closure is likely to have devastating consequences for the local Natimuk community as tourism declines.

The closure of Mount Arapiles will also lead to the closure of the iconic Pines campground.

The Victorian government shared news of the closure on Monday, just months after Premier Jacinta Allan promised she would not ‘lock down’ Victoria’s state forests.

“As Prime Minister and as a proud Victorian country, I will never put a padlock on our public forest,” she declared in August.

“I know there are people who are concerned about the future of our state’s forests. And I understand that there has to be a balance. There are areas we need to protect, areas we need to preserve.

“But for me, the most important thing we can do for our bush is to make sure it is enjoyed.”

Climbers lambasted Ms Allan for apparently going back on her word with a decision to close the epicenter of Australian rock climbing.

Save Grampians Climbing wrote: ‘It’s an extermination people. The literal beating heart of climbing in Australia has been ripped out and thrown away.”

What’s even more insulting is the fact that climbers were largely responsible for restoring Mount Arapiles, also known as Dyurrite, after it was previously used as a shooting range.

Opposition spokesman James Newbury accused Ms Allan of misleading climbers with her comments.

Parks Victoria found tens of thousands of native artefacts, battered trees and rock art around Mount Arapiles, a popular rock climbing destination

“Jacinta Allan has been caught talking with both sides of her mouth again,” he said.

‘Despite promising not to close our park, her government has been caught making secret deals. And within weeks, Labor has admitted it will ram new laws through parliament that will further confine parks. Jacinta Allan’s promises are worthless.’

It is likely that the artifacts found around Mount Arapiles are mainly crushed stone. Scar trees can be found throughout western Victoria, but rock art is much rarer.

Obviously, most of the petroglyphs in the national park are not visible to the naked eye.

The Victorian government confirmed last month it would legislate for a new Wombat-Lerdderg National Park and Mount Buangor National Park from Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park by November.

Parks Victoria said the survey, completed in partnership with the local Barengi Gadjin Land Council, was conducted between November 2020 and February 2023.

The Victorian government shared news of the closure on Monday, just months after Premier Jacinta Allan (pictured) promised she would not ‘lock down’ Victoria’s state forests.

“These surveys were intended to document cultural heritage and regionally important threatened plants and investigate the impact of recreational activities on this rich cultural and ecological landscape,” the report said.

‘The specific focus of the research was on the climbing areas identified through the Crag – a global online database of climbing and bouldering areas – and the informal trail network created to connect climbing areas to each other and to the formal trail network.

‘Located on the sandstone slopes on the east side of Dyurrite (Mount Arapiles) and the sandstone slopes of Miter Rock, the study area included 153 climbing areas and more than 35 kilometers of informal hiking trails leading to and between these climbing areas.’

Mount Arapiles is a rock formation that rises approximately 450 feet above the Wimmera Plains in Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park near the town of Natimuk.