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Crag & Route Beta

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Topic Date User

Excavation at Animal Acts 15-Jun-2012 At 3:18:42 PM Access T CliffCare

Message

I always watch the threads on Chockstone with great interest and much of the time my own lack of it prevents me from commenting too heavily. I tend to use these questions and discussions in articles or further informing my knowledge of the interests of the climbing community and dealings with land managers.
The cultural heritage issue is something that has been on the list of things to do further work on ever since my involvement with the Manic Depressive site at Bundaleer. http://www.chockstone.org/forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=1&MessageID=44659
http://vicclimbingclub-cliffcare.smugmug.com/Access-Environment-at-Climbing/BUNDALEER/3069588_pVjVPL#!i=167367757&k=m3a4f
It is something that comes up regularly in my discussions with PV and especially with concern in the Victoria Range, Grampians ,which has the largest concentration of Aboriginal sites and this is only that which they know of.

I’m not sure whether Kierans original posting was aimed at the cultural heritage aspect of the boulder cleaning or more from a point of unnecessary actions which contribute to further degradation of the site. As with most threads on Chockstone, and as many normal verbal discussions go, new tangents get added in. Cultural heritage issues may not apply to this particular boulder (as Kieran noted though, we are not experts so we wouldn’t really know). But from a big picture perspective though, it’s probably not a good idea to be neatly clearing around the boulders - in the long run this ends up being another way of educating more climbers that this is the accepted way. The problem with half of the issues we deal with is ignorance and just blindly doing what was done before and what other people are doing around you, without questioning the whys and why nots. But as Dalai said, he’s cleared a rock or two for a better landing. It’s a really difficult line to draw as to what is acceptable and what’s not acceptable. Whenever any new area, bouldering or climbing is developed we are going to have a negative impact so it’s being aware of this and trying to put in place measures to minimize impact both now and future rather than contribute to. (cont)