While bushwalking plays an important role in many grey nomads’ Big Lap adventures, the dilapidated state of some tracks and poor signage have become a major concern.
The way to solve the issues and how to fund that solution are likely to be the subject of fierce debate in the weeks ahead.
The situation is so serious that the president of Bushwalking NSW, David Trinder, recently went so far as to say that state’s tracks were effectively ‘wrecked’.
He told the Sydney Morning Herald that long distance bushwalking in New South Wales was only for experienced specialists because walks such as the Kanangra-Katoomba route in the Blue Mountains had little signage and no path drainage.
”You have to know where to turn off. There’s no actual track,” he said ”NSW is not well developed compared to other states … but there is great potential here.”
The New South Wales Government has just responded to concerns by unveiling a five-year program to build ‘great walks’ in the state’s national parks which it hopes can compete with New Zealand and Tasmanian multi-day tracks.
Environment Minister, Robyn Parker, said she wanted NSW to be the ‘No.1, top-of-mind walking destination’, and she has called on the public to nominate which walks should be included in the government’s ‘Great Walks’ program.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Government will invest in track upgrades, signage and board walks, starting with $2.4 million to revitalise the Royal Coast Track in the Royal National Park and the Sydney Harbour Scenic Walk. The government will reportedly also consider building huts in national parks, if required.
However, at a time when there is a growing debate about the commercialisation of national parks, the private huts is issue is likely to be a sensitive one.
The Tasmanian Walking Company has apparently already approached the NSW Government about building private lodges and running a three- to five-day walk along the Six Foot Track in the Blue Mountains National Park, and through the Kanangra-Boyd National Park. The company, which targets walkers over 50 with high incomes, currently has an exclusive licence to operate commercially guided tours using private lodges on the Overland Track and Bay of Fires in Tasmania. It offers wine and hot showers to walkers paying up to $3150 in peak season for a five-day walk.
Bushwalking Australia president Chris Towers told the Sydney Morning Herald that – although he wouldn’t want to see commercial operators given exclusive use of tracks – the Tasmania/New Zealand experience had shown they could coexist with self-guided walks, with careful construction of private huts.
”Every other state has iconic long distance walking tracks that generate tourism,” he said. ”NSW has such an incredible natural estate – why not … get people out there?”
* How often do you bushwalk? Do you think our walking trails needed better maintenance and signage? Do you see any dangers in ‘private huts’ being built for use by private commercial operators? Comment below.
We are about to do the Grand Strzlecki Track walk over Easter, here in Gippsland. Marking of tracks is dodgy in many places but we can only encourage Parks managers to get more done. Our local bushwalking club had the odd experience of Parks staff coming on our walks as we were the only ones who still knew the way to many significant gorges, falls etc. Young, new staff, high turnover in Parks does not help. Nor does lack of funding. Commercialisation is not a complete answer.