The Victorian Climbing Club has lodged a civil case against Parks Victoria in the Supreme Court of Victoria, seeking permission to return to parts of the Grampians.
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In February 2019, Parks Victoria began strictly enforcing eight Special Protection Areas across the national park.
These prohibit rock climbing and other activities in these areas. The increase in enforcement activities followed concerns about damage to sites of cultural significance to Aboriginal Traditional Owners.
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VCC president Kevin Lindorff, of Natimuk, said the group was seeking to reinstate climbing access to specific locations within the prohibited areas in launching the action.
"We are perfectly aware and sympathetic to the fact there are cultural heritage sites sprinkled throughout those areas, and they need to be protected," he said.
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"What we've always argued is Parks has taken a quick administratively easy approach of saying 'We've got these existing SPAs, why don't we just say no climbing in there?', and with limited consultation," he said.
"There are some places I hope we can go to, but with some restrictions. And there would be other areas where there is no cultural heritage at all. We should be able to get in there."
Parks Victoria has previously stated future access to many climbing sites could be laid out in its draft Greater Gariwerd Landscape Management Plan, due to be released for public comment this month.
Mr Lindorff said the VCC was not convinced of this.
"We don't believe it will have the detail that covers assessments of hundreds of crags: It's going to be a general principles document about management," he said.
"It might be six or twelve months before it gets heard in court. In between times, Parks Victoria will lodge whatever documentation it wants to lodge in response to ours, and there may be mediation (instead of court proceedings)."
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