Gate cutting at Namadgi National Park

Sorry Gronk but I agree at times for the need to lock off some areas.

EG: For the same reason that I may rope off a part of my yard/garden to keep the grand kids out, while I do some maintenance on it, so do gates get locked while Parks maintain an area. maybe while they repair a big bog hole in the track that the hoons made.

Not sure why that particular gate is locked but there could be a multitude of reasons other than keeping the hoons out.

Maybe they are culling roos in that area and they don't want to hit any humans. What we need then, is a "hoons pass and humans stop" system while they get the gattling guns out and cull the hoons.

Namadji National Park is not a 4wd area and has never been since it was established. With the exception of a couple of public roads to places like Mt Franklin and Bendora Dam there is no vehicular access hence the gates at the end of public roads.

This is water catchment for the ACT and has such vehicular access and other public use has always been limited and has been applied since its establishment.

Any 4wd inside this Park will stand out like a sore thumb.

We've already got that system Phil. You and I see a locked gate, grumble about the rangers locking off areas to all and sundry for no apparent reason, and turn around. The hoons meanwhile, cut the gate and drive through...

While I wouldn't cut a gate myself (unless I unwittingly ended up on the inside of it, which has happened from time to time, and there was no practical way around, which hasn't happened yet), I wouldn't be so quick to dob in people that are in many cases performing a community service. The rangers are happy to use taxes paid by the public to supposedly maintain areas which they then don't allow the people who pay those taxes to enjoy.

While working side-by-side with the rangers while assessing asset damage from the 2003 bushfire (which, according to some, was as bad as it was due to their mismanagement of our parks), I continually observed a very real "them and us" mentality where many of the rangers seemed to get a real thrill out of being able to lock off areas for their exclusive enjoyment, without having to mingle with the commoners/taxpayers who are paying taxes to fund their salaries, vehicles and of course, the epidemic proliferation of locked gates.

Unfortunately, this means many of the tracks that are closed off eventually become overgrown and impassable, making it near impossible to get fire fighting appliances to a fire, and often endangering the lives of fire fighters who may be unable to retreat if the fire turns on them. Don't they realise why these trails were made in the first place? The fact that most of the track names end with the words "fire trail" might give some clues to the astute observer. Most people I know who enjoy driving around in our forests actually spend a bit of time clearing fallen and/or overgrown trees and filling in ruts to keep the tracks usable, another community service.

I remember one gate in particular that the ranger couldn't get open (either because he didn't bring the right key, or because the lock had seized following the fire). As he prepared to pull the gate off it's hinges using a steel cable hooked on to vehicle's front towing point, he reinforced the need to "keep these areas locked up so the 4WDers don't come here". He seemed unable (or unwilling) to answer my simple question as to why it would be such a problem for people to drive there in 4WDs.

I agree with most of that Tim, and to answer vk1dx, if it's anything like some tracks up here in the Watagans, once a gate goes up, it rarely comes back down, and no amount of enquiring can find the reason why ..

Fair enough if some areas are permanently locked ( water catchment etc ), but it's the nat parks lack of communication and green over anything else attitude that leads to some of these hoons demanding access thru illegal means.

Apparently there has been a big increase in damages in the last month so they must have put out some new cameras and one got a good shot of them. I don't think that they would release a photo of themselves doing maintenance. Especially at night. That's after knockoff.

Anyway I didn't put it up to argue any points for and against the closure. They have a photo of some tools doing the wrong thing and I hope they crush their cars.

But I will say this: I would turn around first before even going around a closed gate, let alone damaging one. And have done so.

Phil

Gronk. I don't recognise the gate but we have a few gates in Namadgie that get closed at the start of winter and opened after it. That could be one of them.

And that's fair enough, and I'd assume they would signpost it to say closed for winter..

Well actually, for the most part it is fairly clear why National Parks exist and it is usually to protect something that exists in the local environment, which might be flora and fauna or ecological in nature, possible something else of significance. As far as I am aware all the States have an Act of Parliament that articulates this...

Additionally, most parks have a management plan that outlines what is planned within that park.

Is the balance right?

Perhaps you have to ask a couple of other questions to make the answer as clear as mud…

Are too many areas locked up by the National Parks without sufficient consultation? and

Are expectations by self-interest groups to have unfetted access to all areas of our National Parks unreasonable?

Strewth, sounds like a camp-fire discussion over a beer, you'd get to slip a few down debating those two questions!

My two bob’s worth…good weekend to all, Baz – The Landy

We have so many apps and internet these days why cant there be a simple process of having information about each National Park and why certain gates are being closed etc.
We suffer too much from a lack of communication these days so people become very presumptive about stuff that most often then not has a simple reason behind it.

This thread is about a specific National Park and lots of discussion is about more general issues of locking up National Parks - this park has been closed to vehicular access since 1984 and these gates have been in place since then - so nothing new here. In winter the road past Mt Franklin is closed as matter of routine and if it snows closed further back - again nothing new.

Now if gates are closed in the nearby Brindabella NP then that would be a real concern. To date gates in this NP have only closed for maintenance or in bad weather but if the yobs get in then they may get closed more often or permanently and that would be a shame.

Garry

Quite simple why it was locked. To keep the pig hunting red necks out. I hope the cops catch the twits and fine them big time.

Sorry Garry but it is not "closed". The greater majority of it is closed yes - but not all.

There are a lot of open access roads/tracks north of the Uriarra to Tumut road. Some places are accessible down south towards Cooma from the Tharwa to Boyan road, to such places as Mt Clear, Honeysuckle Creek and Orroral Valley.

We have recently (year or two back though) had top family picnics at Bendora Dam. Not all the family has 4WD but you can get there with 2WD.

Part closed - not all. What is open is just about all "day visitor" style.

Phil

In one of my earlier posts I did mention that the Park is closed for 4wding but there are public roads into some areas - these are roads not 4wd tracks and most are sealed. These provide access along places like Mt Franklin Rd, Bendora, HoneySuckle and the Orral areas - these are public access areas but not 4wds. I do not know of any 4wd tracks that are open to the public in the Park. I think the areas that you are thinking of where there is access are in surrounding areas such as the NSW State Forests to the west, Brindabella NP and Kosciusko NP.

As I mentioned Namadji does not and never has had 4wd access (with the exception of the mentioned public areas) and can only be accessed on foot (hiking), on horses on the Bicentennial Trail and on Mountain Bikes.

We are going in circles. All good mate.

There are some good ones up north of Picadilly etc. Our club uses some of them for 4WD training. Not extreme stuff - just the basics. The club has a property down towards Cooma that is good for all that.

Don't worry - no hoons allowed and we actually go out and maintain those areas and all known to the Rangers. Kind of a payback for using their tracks.

Phil

I was a driver and recce mech offsider at 2 Base Workshops in the mid 60's. We had one there. The photo in my avitar shows us building a bridge at the Canungra Jungle Training Center in Canungra, QLD. The recovery mech was only too keen to train me up as he got out soon after we got it.

In fact in 2010 the M543 that I actually drove pulled my son's Navara out of a very bad spot up near Lithgow. Yep Tha same damned truck. They also took a Studibaker twin boom wrecker with them. The WO was only too keen to take all the apprentices out for a few days experience. Helped to have my name as the first driver in the very first log book. And it snowed while they were there. I reckon the apps would kill my son if they met him!!!!

Why do you ask?

Phil

I was a RecMech from 62-68 and in Vietnam 66-67 when that photo was taken. Was one of the 1st to be trained by WO11 Ken Corrigan Huston at Bandiana on them when doing Recovery Courses and over my time picked up 3 of them from 1 COD. Have very fond memories of my time with them. The Studibaker you mentioned would have been a Diamond "T" 6x6 10 ton Wrecker with Holmes Booms that had a 4 ton lift & 5 ton line pull each boom. The same Twin Booms where later fitted to the International Mk 5 6x6 with the short gate crash box. Have never seen a Study in that configaration. Bert Gough (who was a mate) took over Kens job when he either died or left the Army. Had the sense to get out after my time, but a lot of my former mates stayed in & reached WO 1 & 2.

Forgot to mention I have been living for 26 years not very far from Canungra !

I would have preferred to answer by PM so will make it short.

I spent 6 months at 2 Base WKSP Morebank and moved to 7 Fd Sqn WKSP, Enoggera with a workshop variant of the M11A with a small hydraulic winch on the top. Most of the time there I spent as a driver with RAE until after Nashos. Lots of good times driving and getting licences for heaps of construction vehicles with the idea of getting into the field, post nashos.

Got out and got into electronics, radio, radar and then deeply into software ending up as Senior Tech then Senior Systems Analyst for the Canberra office of an international tech giant who made little things like air-busses, fighter jets and stuff for space exploration.

Lots of good memories but they are OT and we will get our knuckles rapped by and anrgy mod . . . . God love them.

Catchya

Was this yours:

.

No it wasn't ! That is "TUNZA GUTS" which is now at Bandiana Museum ( restored ) after been blown up by mortar fire. If you look at the war Archives there is a caption of me beside what they say is Tunza but it is not the same Wrecker Whoever gave them the photo was wrong with the info ! I was attached to RAE. I did a similar thing as yourself and ended up a Faultman with PMG/Telecom, now known as Telstra, & then owned a Boating Business before retiring at 42.
Cheers !

I saw it when I was over there with 104 & 110. And at Bandi.

Retired also. TPI?

Catchya Gotta prepare dinner.

Phil