Category Archives: Parks Victoria updates & info

Big Rock & Flinders Peak, You Yangs. Change of Conditions/Reopens

Posted on by
Reply

DSC02974 (567x425)I have been working recently with Mark Urqhuart and his team at the You Yangs. The You Yangs really is shaping up to be a great recreational resource close to Melbourne. The park provides valuable space for a number of user groups to pursue their recreational activities. Besides the obvious walking, nature sights and picnic facilities, groups such as the horseriders, mountain bikers and us, the climbers can do what we love doing best. Following on from recent discussions please see the official announcement below regarding some great changes to a couple of areas at the You Yangs.
Parks Victoria has recently reviewed rock climbing arrangements at the You Yangs Regional Park. Through discussions with CliffCare, Licensed Tour Operators and park staff, a number of restrictions have been changed. These changes are consistent with the changes with the Parks’ usage, visitation and demand for recreational experiences, along with the absence of Peregrine Falcons from the east side of Flinders Peak for a number of years.

  • The Sunday and Public Holiday closures to climbers on Big Rock has been removed.
  • The permanent seasonal closure of sites on the east of Flinders Peak from August to November has been removed. A temporary closure of sites may be invoked if the birds return, with closures posted on site and within Argus.

Further changes to increased access are being investigated and will be posted in due course.

Regards

Mark Urquhart
Ranger in Charge – You Yangs & Serendip

Access & Environment Officer report March 2013

Posted on by
Reply

As Dan was being particularly mean last  month   by not letting me have the whole issue of Argus for my writings,  I have had to keep my bushfire info for this one!

This bushfire season has been one keeping everyone on their toes both in Victoria and interstate.  With the cliff environments  often in remote areas, it pays to be aware when making choices to go camping and climbing and if possible, have some kind of plan in place should you find yourself in a hotter than you like situation.  As I noted in the last issue, there are some guidelines for bushfire season in the parks where we climb.  The information below has been taken from a new leaflet. For the full leaflet of information visit here: http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/151662/Hiking-and-camping-brochure.pdf

I have outlined some of the major points and explained the Fire Districts and Fire Danger Rating systems in a simplified form.

The various areas in Victoria are broken up into nine fire districts.  Each of these will be given their own Fire danger rating and Total Fire Ban restrictions. So take note of the district you are/will be in and the rating they have given for it.  Fire Danger ratings are predictions on how bad a fire could be if one started . This takes into account the weather conditions and the district itself. This is by no means a perfect science but can give you some idea when making your plans.

FIRE DANGER RATINGS
Code Red –the worst conditions for a fire and the parks in the district will be closed
Extreme and Severe – Hot,dry and windy conditions. Fire would likely be uncontrollable and fast moving if one took hold. Reconsider your plans
Very High, High and Low Moderate – If a fire started, it could most likely be controlled.  Be aware and minimise any risks.

FIRE DISTRICTS
Central Dandenong Ranges, Southern Goldfi elds,Mornington Penninsula, Phillip Island, Yarra Valley, Great Ocean Road (East)
East Gippsland Gippsland Lakes, Lakes Entrance
Mallee The Murray (North)
North Central Yarra Valley, Central Goldfi elds
Northern Country Northern Goldfields, The Murray (Central)
North East Great Alpine Road (West), Alpine Resorts
South West Great Ocean Road (West), Twelve Apostles,The Otways, Southern Grampians
West & South Gippsland Gippsland Lakes, Wilsons Promontory
Wimmera Northern Grampians

BEFORE YOU GO

• Monitor weather forecasts for the area you plan to visit and pack a portable AM/FM radio to monitor local weather broadcasts during your visit.
• Know the fire weather district that you plan to visit so that you can remain aware of the Fire Danger Rating for that area and if there are any fire restrictions.
• Check the Fire Danger Rating and if there are fire restrictions. www. cfa.vic.gov.au or call the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.
• Pack clothing that can help protect you if you are caught in a fire. Natural fibre long pants, a light long-sleeved wool jumper or close weave cotton shirt offer the best protection.
• Pack a mobile phone programmed with numbers for the Victorian Bushfire Information Line and local park or Department of Sustainability and Environment offices.
• Download the FireReady smartphone app to access fire danger information and receive alerts and warnings.
• Carry hard copy maps. GPS or mobile phones can be affected by smoke and may lack coverage in remote areas.
• Leave your itinerary and mobile phone numbers with someone in case of an emergency.
• Check if any access roads, parks or forests are closed by visiting parks.vic.gov.au. For your own safety, do not enter closed parks or forests.

WHILE IN A FOREST OR PARK

• Check for fire warnings or alerts in areas you will be hiking or camping
• Be prepared to change your plans on hot, dry and windy days. Parks and forests may be closed in these conditions.
• Identify suitable places along your hiking route such as a hut, large body of water or cleared area that could provide shelter if you cannot leave the area and there is a fire. These are last resort options only and do not guarantee your survival.
• Be prepared for Code Red days. If you are in a park or forest and a Code Red day is forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early the next day and return only when it is clearly safe to do so. Never travel into a high risk area (areas that are heavily forested, have thick bush or long, dry grass, or coastal areas with lots of plant life) on a Code Red day.

Do NOT expect an official bushfire warning. Due to the sheer size and geographic spread of Victoria’s parks and forests, it is not possible for every visitor to personally receive a warning. It is your responsibility to remain alert and aware of the current weather and fire conditions.

HANDY CONTACTS

• Victorian Bushfire Information Line – 1800 240 667
• www.cfa.vic.gov.au
Twitter – @CFA_Updates
Facebook – www.facebook.com/cfavic
For park and forest closures and information, go to parks.vic.gov.au or call 13 19 63
For road closures and traffic information, go to vicroads.vic.gov.au

Victoria Range Fire Update

Posted on by
Reply

The Victoria Valley complex fire  fire burnt long and hard, from the 14th of February and was declared officially under control on the 6th March.  20 days of unrelenting fire. Speaking yesterday to someone who was fighting the fire, they noted that it was the most fierce  they have ever dealt with. Fingers have been crossed for the best outcome for the myriad of cliffs and climbing areas that dot the Victoria Range.

A meeting was held today between a number of climbing community representatives and Parks Victoria Grampians rangers. Steve Monks, Malcolm Matheson, Simon Weill, Earl from Hanging Out and myself, Tracey Skinner, met with Ranger in Charge Dave Roberts, Zoe Wilkinson and Claire Evans from PV to discuss the outcomes of the Victoria Valley complex fire.The issues that we are faced with and how we can move forward. It is still very early days yet in regards to assessing the areas so the following information is based only on what has been gathered so far and this can be open to change as more information comes to hand. What I can say is that PV staff are really keen to open as much as they can, as soon as possible.

From aerial photographs that were taken of some of the areas last week, it appears that The Gallery, Red Rocks,Millenium Caves and Muline have been moderately burnt whilst Eureka Wall, Lost World and Red Sail areas have been severely burnt.  Fortress and Chimney Pots area again look to have been moderately burnt and patchy in areas. There are other areas obviously and as time goes on, more information on these will come to light. There is currently a Rapid Assessment team in place who will be reporting back shortly.

At this stage, the Victoria Range will remain temporarily closed for at least 4 – 6 weeks. Priority for reopening will be for those areas that have been impacted the least which from our early discussions points to The Gallery, Red Rocks, Millenium Caves and Muline.  The campground at Buandik has been hardly touched by the fire but the pedestrian bridge that connects climbers to the Gallery is now gone. Keep in mind that as yet, no on site assessments have been made.One of the main concerns with reopenings will be a number of the roads that are needed to access the areas. Red Rock Road, Harrops Track and Syphon Road have all been badly damaged and these will all need to be repaired before access can happen. This can be a lengthy process and will come down to funding but these roads are a priority and Parks staff have them high on the agenda.

As noted Eureka Wall, Tower, Red Sail  and Lost World area look to have been severely impacted so closures to these areas will more than likely be in place for a lot longer.

There are a variety of issues which can affect and delay reopenings and need to be assessed – such as soil stability – let’s hope the rains don’t come in one fell swoop when they do.

Over the next few weeks, more information will come to hand and I will also be letting the climbing community know how they can help. We will be looking at recruiting some volunteers to help with onsite assessments of the climbing areas.

Please respect all park closures and know that we will be all working as hard as we can to work together to get some areas opened and back to climbing status.

For those hoping for an Easter Vic Range jaunt – best to plan elsewhere.  Rosea and Bundaleer will be open. Redmans road is open which means  the Barbican cliff areas are accessible.  Campgrounds such as Boreang, Borough, Smiths will be operational.  Strachans unfortunately has been completely razed to the ground. And of course Northern Grampians is still accessible with a good selection of climbing areas and campgrounds.  Stay tuned for more updates.

Huge thanks to the climbing reps who took part and for the Grampians PV staff who have been hot off the mark and set up this meeting so we can hit the ground running.

Grampians Victoria Valley Fire Is Now Contained – Update

Posted on by
Reply

Great work by all the crew and volunteers  on what finally looks like containment lines around the Victoria Valley Complex Fire. Two weeks of burning and fire management and as noted, with no help from weather. Still lots of work to do to ensure it stays under control. Then will come assessment of damaged areas. Check out the  5.00 media release below as well as the most recent newsletter which came through lunchtime today. Please note the closures and abide by them.

Media Release – Grampians Victoria Valley Fire is contained

Grampians Victoria Valley Complex Newsletter 27th Feb

Grampians Fire Updates – Victoria Range Closed-Updated newsletter 25 Feb 2013

Posted on by
Reply

grampians 2013

(PLEASE CHECK THE GRAMPIANS TAB TO SEE THE UPDATED NEWSLETTERS THROUGHOUT THE DAYS AS WELL AS BELOW)This post is old but the newsletters are new and contain new and relevant information
Due to a number of the fires now joining together, the closures below have been put inplace. Most of this affects the Southern part of the Grampians where there are a large number of climbing sites. At this stage the North and Central parts of the Park remain open and safe for visitors to enjoy but Parks Victoria advises visitors not to go overnight walking and for campers to stay in designated campgrounds only. Please be aware at all times though as conditions can change quickly. The information below is a quick overview – for more extensive information on the fires and for the map overview click hereGrampians Victoria Valley Complex Newsletter 25th Feb am
Map overview Grampians- Victoria Valley Complex 25 Feb map overview

The fires formerly known as Burnt Hut Track, Clutterbucks Road and Jensens Road have joined together and are now being called the Victoria Valley Complex. The size of the fire is approximately 12,000 hectares.
Southerly winds overnight and throughout the day have pushed the fire across the Victoria Range. Some spotting may be occurring. Planned burns completed last autumn along the Harrop Track within the Grampians National Park are expected to assist with controlling the spread of the fire to the west.

The fires in the Grampians National Park are affecting the southern end of the Park. For the safety of visitors the following closures have been put in place until further notice:
All areas of the Victoria Valley and Victoria Range Areas are CLOSED – Parks Victoria are advising visitors to the Grampians National Park that the Victoria Valley (area South of Mount Victory Road) and Victoria Range (West of the Serra Range) are closed.
Note: Subject to Change at any time
The Grampians Tourist Road has been REOPENED.
Road Closures:
Greens Creek Road at Glenelg River Road
Syphon Road closed at Lodge Road
Glenelg Road closed at Lodge Road
Serra Road closed at Grampians Tourist Road
Bullawin Road closed at Victoria Point Road
Glenelg River Road closed at Henty Hwy
Harrop Track closed at Billywing Road
Middletons Crossing Road closed at Victoria Point Road
Robertsons Road at Victoria Point Road
C Frys Road at Victoria Valley Road
K Crawfords Road at Victoria Valley Road
Bundol road at Victoria Valley Road
Cooks Road at Victoria Valley Road
Mokanger Road at Victoria Point Road
Yarram Gap Road at Grampians Tourist Road
Jimmy Creek Road at Grampians Tourist Road
Traffic Management Points:
At intersection of Victoria Valley Road and Bundol Road. This intersection is manned by Police.
Visitor Site and Walking Track Closures:
All climbing areas and tracks in the Victoria Range and Red Rock area
Strachans Campground
Buandik Campground
Boreang Campground
Ingleton Springs Picnic area
Red Rock Picnic area
Manja Shelter
Billimina Shelter
Chimney Pots
Jimmy Creek Campground
Wannon Crossing Campground

Grampians Fire Warnings

Posted on by
Reply

Lightning yesterday afternoon and overnight has started multiple small fires in the Grampians National Park.
There were 12 confirmed fires as of 10am this morning 15th February. There are six fires in the Mt William area, with others scattered around the southern parts of the Grampians.

Please note the following closures in the park. You can also download the newsletter with more information Grampians Cty Newsletter 15 Feb 2013 Evening

  • Bullawin Road is closed between Glenelg River Road and Victoria Point Road
  • Jensens Road is closed between Glenelg River Road and Back Road
  • Sheeps Hills Walking Track
  • Major Mitchell Plateau Track
  • Jimmys Creek Track
  • Mt William Road
  • Mitchell Plateau Overnight Walk

Parks Victoria and DSE advises visitors to the park not to go hiking or overnight hiking in remote areas including the Victoria Range and the Mount Difficult Range. Visitors should also stay away from the southern end of the Victoria Range and Victoria Valley.

For further information on these fires or other fires in Victoria check for the latest warnings and advice messages at either www.dse.vic.gov.au/fires or www.cfa.vic.gov.au

Or please contact the Victorian Bushfire Information Line (VBIL) on freecall 1800 240 667. Callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech/communication impairment may call textphone/telewriter (TTY) on 1800 122 969.

Stapylton Campground Full Closure – 14th January – 16th January, 2013

Posted on by
Reply

stapylton campgroundFollowing on from the partial closure of Stapylton Campground on the 24th December 2012 the follow up full assessment will now take place by soil contamination experts. As a result, the whole of Stapylton Campground will be closed from Monday 14th January – Wednesday 16th January. For those unaware, the partial closure was due to small pieces of cement sheeting containing asbestos sheeting being found,(please read original post here)  The current advice is that the sheeting poses little risk to the rest of the campground. So that public safety can be assured however, the complete closure while the full assessment is undertaken, is a necessary precaution.
This assessment is to inform future management of the site. The partial closure of the affected area will still be in place after the 16th January until further notice.
This means that there will be limited camping spots available so when making your plans in the future, take this into account.  Alternate campgrounds are:
• Troopers Creek – Approx 16km away
• Plantation Campground – Approx 32 km away
• Smiths Mill Campground – Approx 38 km away

Stapylton Campground – Partial Closure

Posted on by
Reply

stapylton campground

 

 

 
Stapylton Campground has been partially closed as a precautionary measure due to small pieces of cement sheeting containing asbestos being found. The closure is on initial advice from soil contaminant experts. As asbestos is involved, the closure will remain in place until a further assessment can be undertaken by the experts, early in the new year. This assessment will then inform a longer term management of the issue.The section containing the small pieces of sheeting has been temporarily fenced off and the rest of the campground is still accessible. The advice is that in its present state, the sheeting is stable and poses little risk to the rest of the campground.

These remains of asbestos sheeting are from an old house that used to be on the site. The house was demolished and the sheeting containing asbestos was removed under the guidelines at the time for handling asbestos. While the majority of the demolition material was removed there was the risk that residual pieces would resurface over time.
Please follow the warning signs and don’t camp or enter the closed off area. The link to the map showing the area affected can be accessed here.Map – Stapylton Asbestos Area – 2
I will keep you updated on progress with the assessment. Other campgrounds you can access in the area are:
•    Troopers Creek – Approx 16km away
•    Plantation Campground – Approx 32 km way
•    Smiths Mill Campground – Approx 38 km away
•    Bush camping sites are also available on Coppermine Track, North of Troopers Creek Campground, opposite Golton Gorge Picnic area on Golton South Track.
PLEASE NOTE: No fires are permitted in bush camps and no facilities are provided (no toilets, picnic tables, no water).

Access & Environment Officer Report December, 2012

Posted on by
Reply

Araps campground world received a bit of a shake-up more recently when out of the blue, a new sign appeared with new campsite fees. There had been no pre emptive explanation and indeed, no accompanying explanation. The new fees $15.00 per night  per campsite (6 people including 1 vehicle) was a vast difference from the usual $2.00 per person per night. And to put it midly, it didn’t go down at all well with the campers.  They were in fact, not happy campers! A number of people quickly got onto the task at hand and spread the word about the fee structure. Social media and online forums got the word out there with instant feedback.  While forums can give you the veritable s***s, they are great for getting information out there and this was no exception. The climbing community rallied and sent letters and emails of complaint and better solutions to Parks Victoria. What eventuated was a fast moving resolution due to all those in the climbing community who put their feelings forward so eloquently and to fast moving local PV staff  who saw the issue from the start, listened and went in with full support to work with the issues and the legalities at hand. Their response was a direct result of the climbing community’s interaction.
By the time I returned to Australia, much work had been undertaken by local PV staff in response to the community feedback.  Mt Arapiles falls under the same fee structure as all other parks in Victoria.  While this blanket approach may work for a great number of parks, there are others where the uses are more specific and the demographic that uses the campground is at odds with this across the board fee structure.  The campground had been enjoying a $2.00 per person per night fee since the 1990’s when on ground staff realized that the pro rata system was a much fairer and more successful way of ensuring that camping fees were paid.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t in line with the National Parks Act fee schedule that applied to Mt Arapiles as part of the group of parks it belonged tog and the change was implemented to bring it back into line. The lack of communication with the user group at Arapiles in this situation was disappointing especially considering the close role it has had in helping to look after the parks interests. Following the issue brought to notice however, it was encouraging to see the speed in which Parks Victoria took on board the feedback and set in place actions to separate Mt Arapiles from the park grouping it existed in. Policies have now been set in place so that it has its own unique fee system that operates on a per person/pro rata system. At $4.00 per person per night, this is a much fairer system.  There has been a slight increase in the camping fee to bring it into line with the statewide yearly fee increase but considering that there has been none at the park since 1999, I think this is a fair call and one that users are agreeable to.
fees sign new
The question of what fee money is used for at the campground was a much repeated one. Contrary to what many people think, the fees recouped at Mt Arapiles  doesn’t go specifically to the park, rather it goes into the States consolidated revenue and this is regarded as a contribution to PV’s overall park budget. However Parks Victoria is required to demonstrate that the revenue raised by camp fees at Mount Arapiles makes an adequate offset to the cost of providing camping facilities. Some of the costs involved here:
•    Infrastructure costs for the bore water for the toilet block. (The bore recently had to be replaced).
•    Rubbish collection costs. (Usually weekly but often required daily over busy periods).
•    Toilet cleaning services.
•    Ranger patrols.
•    Grading the roads around Mount Arapiles State Park.
•    Managing risks associated with ageing pine trees to ensure limbs do not fall on campers.
•    Maintenance and eventual replacement cost for the toilet block

It is in climbers and campers best interests to support the fee charges at the campground.  There will be a step up in park patrol over time to check on fee compliance and this should help to further cement the fact that the per person per night fee structure really does work at a campground like Mt Arapiles.

Great work by climbing community members bringing the issue to notice, and for generating interest to respond, amongst the community. I feel that lessons have been learned from both sides and I’m sure that this will help inform future discussions. The fact that the resolution was as speedy as it was, is a brilliant outcome! And that speaks volumes I think. As many of us know and agree, Arapiles has a very specific demographic with specific usage requirements and needs and this result has now highlighted that officially.
A great collaboration between the climbing community and Parks Victoria and one that hopefully continues to grow stronger.

Camping Fees at Mt Arapiles

Posted on by
Reply

Many in the climbing community have been following the recent changes in camping fee structure at Mt Arapiles. From the usual $2 per person per night structure, the fees jumped to the $15 per car structure that is in place in many other campgrounds such as in the Grampians.
Thanks to everyone  who jumped in and put their feelings about the new fee structure at the campground out there and onto paper. After some discussions with PV, the good news is that it has all been taken on board and the fee structure will return to a pay by individual user basis. There has been a fee increase per person, in line with the yearly camp fee increase as of 1 November, but considering that Araps hasn’t had any camp fee increases since 1999 – unlike other campgrounds – I think it’s a fair call. The new price is $4.00 per person per night. Still a pretty cheap camping option I think. Thanks also, to the forward thinking people at PV who have been working hard and quickly on this. It’s great to see that a blanket approach hasn’t been taken and the conditions and demographic of Araps have been considered. New signs are planned to be in place by the weekend explaining the fee structure.

The following is the wording from PV that will be at the park explaining the new fee situation:

Camping in Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park

Parks Victoria has adjusted camping fees at Centenary Park Campground at Mount Arapiles to match the regulated statewide fee structure followed at other parks in Victoria.
Under the approved structure, camp fees at Mount Arapiles will be applied on a per person rate.
The rate is $4 per person per night.
In establishing the new charge Parks Victoria took into account feedback from the climbing community and other users of the site to retain a per person approach.
Prices at Mount Arapiles have not increased since 1999 and are now being brought into line with a statewide increase which came into effect on 1 November 2012 for parks across Victoria.  Any future changes in fees will be clearly communicated.