Will the latest changes to access in the Grampians present the region's climbers with a unique opportunity?
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A Halls Gap resident believes so.
It comes as the Victorian Climbing Club has slammed Parks Victoria's introduction of protection areas in parts of the national park where Traditional Owners have rediscovered items of cultural heritage.
Within the new areas are Taipan Wall, in the national park's north. Climbing website thecrag.com states there are 97 climbs and 1713 routes at this location.
Also affected is access to the Bundaleer area, west of Halls Gap and Mount Rosea, contains 154 routes and 2445 ascents according to the same website.
Claire Evans, a member of the Gariwerd Wimmera Reconciliation Network, said the new closures would be temporary.
"That needed to happen from a legislative perspective - under the Aboriginal Heritage Act (2006) - because of the reveal of cultural heritage values," she said.
"It hasn't been a choice on anyone's part and therefore I guess there was nothing really to consult about.
"The next part of this process is the bit that's different. We are outside the Special Protection Areas, so we have a broader scope to work through this at this point and not have it tied to the landscape management plan.
"There is a genuine willingness and desire on the part of Traditional Owners to learn more about the recreational activity, do further assessments and have a detailed look at climbing areas and start a conversation about whether or not co-existence is possible."
Ms Evans said this meant a decision on reintroducing climbing at these locations could be made sooner rather than later.
By contrast, she said the Greater Grampians Landscape Management Plan would ultimately determine the future of access at the eight original sites. This plan is under development following consultation in 2019, and is due to be released for feedback next month.
"With COVID-19 limitations there is no specific timeframe, but that's where we are at the moment," she said.
Ms Evans said the GWRN was involved in the initial site assessments, to determine where there was an opportunity for co-existence between cultural recognition and climbing.
"The majority of our group is from a climbing background, so the catalyst for us forming was the access bans in Gariwerd, but we quickly realised the whole conversation is not unique to climbing or the Grampians or indeed Dyurrite (Mount Arapiles)," she said.
"It was a conscious decision on our part to focus on reconciliation instead of a specific issue.
"We have been pursuing a reconciliation-led approach. We aren't a representative climbing organisation involved in future decision making, and we are there as a resource at the invitation of Traditional Owners. Our end game is to step away from this specific issue and focus on wider reconciliation."
Victorian Climbing Club president Kevin Lindorff, of Natimuk, slammed Parks Victoria for not consulting with the group before making Friday's announcement.
"I challenged Parks Victoria reps on today's Zoom meeting that Parks had not invited climbers to any of its assessments over the last year and a half," he said.
"They announced the new bans to us today without any prior 'heads up', let alone seeking any constructive input in advance," he said.
"The climbing community is gutted by this sort of cavalier approach to 'consultation' by Parks - they are happy to consult, but only after they have already made the decisions.
Mr Lindorff said climbers had been supportive of cultural heritage protection and had a history of working with land managers and traditional owners in this regard.
"Our recent 'beefs' have not been about the importance of protection of cultural heritage, but rather the way Parks has proclaimed bans without any meaningful prior conversations," he said.
"The huge blanket bans prohibiting climbing from over 550 square kilometres of the Grampians are disproportionate and discriminatory.
"Not a single suggestion that we have made that would be a win-win for traditional owners and for recreational climbers has been looked at seriously by Parks Victoria.
"Even at sites where assessments have shown no cultural heritage exists and there is no significant risk to environment by low-impact climbing, it has not rescinded any bans."