Hiker Marc Hendrickx is the first Australian to be punished for ignoring a ban on climbing the Wollumbin-Mount Warning summit trail, which is sacred to local indigenous groups

An activist has become the first person to be fined for ignoring a climbing ban at a sacred indigenous site.

Marc Hendrickx climbed the Wollumbin-Mount Warning summit trail near Murwillumbah in northern New South Wales on Australia Day, despite the trail having been closed to the public since 2020.

Mr Hendrickx, member of the advocacy group Right to Climb, and several of its members reached the summit in time to see the sunrise on January 26.

The group ignored several signs along the way from local indigenous groups, warning hikers to turn back or risk a fine.

Mount Warning was ‘temporarily’ closed to the public in early 2020, but remains closed to this day, with hikers fearing it could become ‘the next Uluru’.

The Wollumbin Consultative Group has been fighting for the mountain to remain permanently closed to except for a select group of native male members.

Despite this, Mr. Hendrickx proudly shared photos of his group holding signs at the summit, calling for the summit to be reopened.

He was fined $300 for the stunt, which was mailed to him on Friday — a day before a planned protest at the base of Mount Warning to mark the 95th anniversary of the area’s declaration as a national park.

Marc Hendrickx is the first person to be fined for climbing the Wollumbin-Mount Warning summit trail near Murwillumbah in northern NSW

The climbing activist reached the summit of the mountain on Australia Day with a group of protesters opposing the current ban on hikers on Mount Warning

Mr Hendrickx was fined for breaching the National Parks and Wildlife Regulation 2019 by ‘entering a park which is closed to the public’.

The activist said the timing of his fine was suspicious, as he had climbed the mountain months ago and the fine came one day before his planned protest.

“The fact that a fine is now being imposed seems like an attempt to instill fear in the community … to ensure that people don’t climb the mountain,” he said. the courier post.

“I thought if they were going to fine me they would do it then, but they didn’t,” he said.

Mr. Hendrickx’s violation carries a maximum fine of over $3,000. However, he managed to avoid this fine.

A spokesperson for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said a second person from the Australia Day group had also been fined.

They added that anyone who ignores the climbing ban “will face appropriate enforcement.”

“We recognize that there is uncertainty in the community about the time it will take to resolve this issue,” the publication said in a statement.

‘However, it is important that we ensure that all stakeholders, including Aboriginal managers, are properly consulted about the future management of Wollumbin National Park.’

However, Mr Hendrickx said he will not give in to this ‘intimidation’ and that he still plans to deliver his speech at the protest.

Another activist group, Save Our Summits, will organize the event, which is expected to attract around 100 demonstrators and will feature a speech by John Ruddick, Member of Parliament for the Upper House of New South Wales.

Mr. Ruddick earlier this year submitted a petition to Parliament calling for the immediate reopening of the Wollumbin Mount Warning summit trail.

Mr. Hendrickx was sent a $300 express fine on Friday for his actions, which he described as “intimidation” because he was scheduled to attend a protest the following day for the mountain’s reopening.

Mount Warning was originally closed in 2020 to comply with social distancing laws, but this closure has since been extended several times for various other reasons.

Mr Hendrickx became the face of the controversy surrounding the closure of Mount Warning through a series of public appearances since his arrest by a park ranger. forest ranger in January.

He said he would look for it ‘further clarification’ regarding his fine, which Sydney radio presenter Ben Fordham offered to pay back in March.

The Wollumbin Trail once welcomed over 100,000 climbers a year and attracted more than $10 million annually.

From April to October last year, private security guards were paid $7,000 a week to keep climbers from reaching the summit.

In total, almost $200,000 was spent on securing the mountain, and security is still deployed on occasions such as New Year’s Eve and Australia Day.

It was initially closed to comply with social distancing regulations during the coronavirus pandemic, but the closure has since been lifted. extended several times.

Reasons for the extensions include concerns about the safety of the trail’s condition and that the trek went against the wishes of the local indigenous administrators.

In 2022, the NSW Department of National Parks recommended that management of the Tweed Coast area be transferred entirely to the small Wollumbin Consultative Group. They supported a ban on visitors to the popular walking spot.