One of Australia’s most naturally beautiful places could become the last to be closed to visitors due to a ban by traditional owners.
Horizontal Falls in Western Australia’s Kimberley is a hugely popular destination for tourists from the state, around the country and around the world.
But the Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation (DAC) wants to ban all boats from sailing through the spectacular cliffs because it is a culturally sensitive site.
If the ban goes through, Horizontal Falls will join other popular destinations in the country that have been closed to tourists due to cultural sensitivities.
Visitors have been threatened with hefty fines in some cases, while hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ money has already been spent hiring security to stop tourists from hiking up a mountain in NSW.
Horizontal Falls (pictured) could become the latest tourist destination to be closed to visitors due to a ban by traditional owners
The WA government does not want the falls, which are worth tens of millions of dollars to the local economy every year, to be cut off from tourism in any way.
“These are unique, world-class experiences, and it’s something West Australians want to do,” WA Tourism Council’s Evan Hall said. 9News.
The falls are formed when seawater flows quickly through two short, narrow gorges about 300 meters apart.
DAC said the area they call Garaan-ngaddim is “a powerful, sacred place.” Our people lived there all year round and we still feel their presence.
‘It’s a quiet, calm place. But it can be dangerous. You don’t have to rush through it; we have seen how the country reacts when people disrespect its power,” the Corporation said.
Dozens of tourists were injured in a horror boat incident at Horizontal Falls in May 2022.
This raised concerns about the safety of traditional owners, with DAC saying: ‘We ask visitors to be quiet in Garaan-ngaddim, respect our cultural obligations to care for the land and culture and keep you safe.’
The Corporation said tourists are still welcome to see the falls and its beauty, but not to tour the cliffs by boat.
“It is a lot safer to enter our national parks and our unique areas with a tourism operator than to travel for free and independently,” Mr Hall said.
The WA Government said the area has significant economic, cultural and social value.
“It is an iconic tourism experience in Australia’s northwest that creates local jobs, attracts visitors from around the world and generates visitor spending in local communities.
“We want Horizontal Falls to remain open to visitors so that the economic benefits can continue to flow – especially to the local community.”
Mr Hall added: ‘We really want to make sure the experience is there for everyone, but in a safe and culturally sensitive way.’
“These are unique, world-class experiences, and it’s something West Australians want to do,” says Evan Hall (pictured) of the WA Tourism Council.
The traditional owners said in a statement: “We have never supported boats speeding through the falls.
‘In the past, (tourist) operators didn’t listen and we had nothing to say. Now they are starting to understand and respect how sensitive this place is for us.”
In NSW, taxpayers have paid more than $100,000 to stop hikers from climbing an iconic mountain after it was declared ‘sacred’ for cultural reasons.
Private wardens were hired by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in April for $7,000 a week to prevent access to Mt Warning in Wollumbin National Park in northern NSW.
In Victoria, a mountain climber was threatened with a $346,000 fine under cultural heritage legislation after visiting an iconic destination.
The visitor was left stunned after receiving a letter following their visit to Grampians National Park in Victoria on October 18.
Victoria’s First Peoples-State Relations unit is reportedly monitoring climbers and other visitors after rock climbing was banned in the area in 2019.
The ban was introduced in an effort to protect indigenous heritage, including petroglyphs that are so worn they can only be viewed through special X-ray glasses.
The Horizontal Falls (pictured) are formed when seawater flows quickly through two short, narrow gorges about 300 meters apart
A mountain climber was threatened with a $346,000 fine after his car was linked to alleged cultural heritage violations in the Grampians (photo: a climber on nearby Mount Arapiles)
The photo shows the letter from First Peoples-State Relations in Victoria
The mountaineer’s home was visited twice by an investigator from the First Peoples unit, who alleged that a vehicle registered in their name was linked to cultural heritage violations.
In the latest incident, a leading Aboriginal organization has come under fire for its attempts to use the ‘culture police’ to inspect homes and farms in Victoria.
The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council warned that its staff investigating alleged cultural heritage violations needed more power to do their jobs and would be allowed to enter private properties without the owner’s or tenant’s permission.
The council, which is under the wing of Victoria’s Department of Premier and Cabinet, used an example of an Indigenous person’s remains possibly being in a shed but not retrieved because permission from the occupying forces was needed to enter .