A popular beauty spot in the ACT has been closed ‘until further notice’ after a man fell to his death there.
The 19-year-old went over a cliff at Gibraltar Falls a week ago sparking an immediate safety review, and prompting wider questions about how to try to prevent future accidents in Australia’s wilderness areas.
The ever-growing list of incidents and tragedies has left national park authorities facing something of a dilemma … how do they balance maximising the safety of visitors with allowing them full access to the incredible beauty of Australia’s stunning gorges, trails, mountains and rock pools.
Following this latest tragedy, ACT Conservator Flora and Fauna, Bren Burkevics, said the closure will continue until a safety review is completed. This includes the lookout, car park and walking track from Woods Reserve.
Sometimes warning signs are ignored ... and not just in Australia. This picture was taken in Ireland. PIC: Cizza
“I have attended Gibraltar Falls with rangers from the ACT Parks and Conservation Service to inspect the visitor facilities including warning signs, designated walking tracks, guardrails and viewing platforms and identify opportunities to further strengthen the safety measures that are already in place,” Mr Burkevics said. “The safety review is under way and is expected to take several weeks.”
The exact circumstances surrounding the man’s death are yet to be established.
Mr Burkevics has powers under the Nature Conservation Act 2014 to apply closures to areas such as Gibraltar Falls.
“This tragic incident is a sad and unfortunate reminder of the risks that exist in Canberra’s wonderful outdoors and the need for visitors to not put themselves in unnecessary danger,” he said. “The ACT Parks and Conservation Service advises against swimming or walking in non-designated areas within our parks and reserves … visitors should always follow signage and advice from ACT Parks and Conservation Service staff, and stick to formed walking tracks.”
As increasing numbers of grey nomads and other adventurers head bush, it is all too easy to forget that even relatively popular spots are still ultimately wilderness areas … and that means enormous care is needed.
Last year, a 58-year-old woman fell more than 40 metres to her death from the top of a waterfall in Far North Queensland.
A couple of years ago, an elderly woman fell 10 metres and injured herself at Mossman Gorge in Queensland. Before that, the bodies of two men were found at the base of a cliff in a rock climbing location in the Flinders Ranges. A man also drowned while swimming at Fern Pool in Karijini National Park.
And massive searches for missing bushwalkers have become relatively commonplace.
The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service has previously said that nobody wants to see a national park filled with obtrusive fences, but sometimes it says it is left with little choice.
“Before people enter dangerous areas such as cliff tops and tidal rock shelves, we urge them to think about the consequences of their actions,” said an NPWS spokesperson. “Safety is also a personal responsibility and park management encourages visitors to be aware of their own physical abilities and experience when deciding on which activities to undertake in our national parks.”
South Australia’s Department for Environment and Water has said in the past that it is important for visitors to research the places they are going and to take direction from park rangers.
“Exploring national parks is an opportunity to discover untouched beauty,” said a spokesperson. “However, it is not possible to remove or treat all potential hazards and risks in parks.”
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Seriously, -those that have had situations that cause injury or death, have mostly placed themselves in situations that expose them to dangerous and high risk areas. These are circumstances that could have been avoided if the person or persons took accountability for their actions. If you play with danger, you cant expect the rest of society or agencies to pay for your outcomes.
Get real people.
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. What about the other 1000000 lookouts, walking trails with steep dropoffs, etc, etc. all around Australia…close them too?? Charles Darwin had a theory…..
We were at Boroka look out at Halls Gap sometime ago and two teenage girls climbed over the safety fence and were sitting on a ledge with their feet dangaling over a 100 meter drop.
Foolish!!
We were at the 3 Sisters in the Blue Mountains and a teenager done a single handstand on the safety rail. She walked away laughing at the response for other people. Turned out she was in a school group
Didn’t Forest Gump say “stupid is stupid does” and my hubby says “you can’t legislate against stupidity”.
There are fences, and signs saying danger, and signs indicating the difficulty and distances of walks, suggesting taking water wearing hats. Extra extra. Heck I’ve even been to Kakadu where the German tourist got eaten by a salty there were plenty of signs with pictures.
I think Forest and my hubby have a point