Thousands of angry Australians have joined a petition urging the Victorian government to reverse a ban on visitors visiting a popular rock climbing spot.
More than 2,500 people signed the letter in the Victorian Legislative Assembly to stop the closure of Mount Arapiles, in the west of the state.
The area is known as the “beating heart of climbing in Australia” and up to half of the slopes will be closed following a four-year investigation into its Aboriginal heritage.
The state government informed Victorians on November 4 that visitors will no longer be able to access the popular area.
The move has caused outrage after Prime Minister Jacinta Allan vowed just three months earlier that she would not “lock down” the state’s forests.
“As Prime Minister and a proud Victorian country, I will never put a lock on our public forest,” she declared.
“The most important thing we can do for our bush is to make sure we enjoy it.”
Locals have called on the government to publish details of its plan to block access to the site and consult more widely with community groups, the Herald of the sun reported.
Thousands of angry Australians have joined a petition urging the Victorian government to overturn a ban on visiting a popular rock climbing spot.
Nationals deputy leader and shadow agriculture minister Emma Kealy criticized the prime minister for going back on her word.
“Natimuk and the global climbing community were shocked by the Labor Party’s decision to close the flagship climbs and beginner climbs on Mount Arapiles,” Ms Kealy said.
“Premier Allan said he would not close Victoria’s public lands, but that is exactly what he has done.”
The closure of Mount Arapiles will have devastating consequences for locals by reducing tourism.
The park’s closure will also result in a ban on people entering the iconic Pines Campground.
Parks Victoria said they completed research to uncover cultural heritage sites in conjunction with the local Barengi Gadjin Land Council.
The research, which took place between November 2020 and February 2023, found tens of thousands of indigenous artifacts, scarred trees and rock art.
The agency said they also conducted “extensive cultural and environmental surveys” that uncovered cultural artifacts dating back at least 3,000 years.
The park is also home to several threatened species of native plants and animals.
More than 2,500 people signed the letter in the Victorian Legislative Assembly to stop the closure of Mount Arapiles, in the west of the state
The artifacts found around Mount Arapiles are likely to be predominantly stone chips. Scar trees are found throughout western Victoria, but rock art is much rarer.
It is understood that most of the rock art found in the national park is not visible to the naked eye.
Mount Arapiles is a rock formation rising about 140 meters above the Wimmera Plains in Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park, near the town of Natimuk.
The site is recognized as the best rock climbing area in Australia and has more than 2,000 routes and hikes of varying degrees of difficulty.
Around 90,000 people visit the site each year.
A Victorian government spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that “more than half of climbing areas are open.”
“We want as many Victorians as possible to enjoy the outdoors, which is why we have invested millions in campground improvements, off-road vehicle and cycling trails and ensured duck hunting is here to stay,” he stated.