More Closures - Buckenbowra/Monga

We headed into Monga NP (near Braidwood in NSW) on Sunday with the intent of travelling through the park and then down the scarp via Gollaribee FT to get to either Araluen or the coast. Monga is worth the visit, with pockets of hidden rainforest and some good views, but......

After a frustrating couple of detours due to "Road Closed", mainly on River Forest Road, we finally got to Gollaribee FT to find a gate and a "Wilderness Area" sign. We had no option but to backtrack to the highway. Since the 'Turtle' was closed a few years back, Gollaribee was the only other access off the scarp into the lower forests. Now it seems that even this option has been closed off for good. Although how any area with numerous tracks and "Management Trails" is a "Wilderness" under the definition....

Incidentally, when River Forest Road was first closed in early 2001, it was "temporary" so NPWS could do 'repairs' on some bridges, which involved removing rotten timber and digging holes in the track. Well.....guess which sections are now permanently closed!

Well, that's my gripe for today. We need to keep fighting to maintain access or we'll be locked out of our own country for good.