New Mt Arapiles / Dyurrite Management Plan Signals Major Shift in Approach to Climbing Access

Parks Victoria has today released a new proposed management plan for Mount Arapiles/ Dyurrite, marking a significant change in direction from the draft released in late 2024.

Prepared in partnership with the Barengi Gadjin Land Council (BGLC) and informed by the Dyurrite Community Working Group, the addendum replaces the previous proposal with a risk-based management framework that assesses climbing on a climb by climb basis rather than applying widespread closures/ blanket bans across the landscape.

If adopted, the addendum will amend the existing 1991 Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park Management Plan and provide updated guidance on where recreational activities, including climbing and bouldering, can occur.

From broad closures to targeted management

The new proposal represents a notable departure from the 2024 draft management plan, which attracted criticism from some community members after proposing extensive climbing closures throughout the park.

Rather than relying primarily on exclusion zones, the revised approach evaluates each climbing area according to the level of risk posed to cultural heritage.

The assessment process was developed through workshops involving representatives from the climbing community, the local community and the Barengi Gadjin Land Council. Participants examined where climbing activities intersected with cultural heritage and whether practical measures could reduce the risk of harm.

Climbing remains across most of Mt Arapiles / Dyurrite

The proposed management strategies allow climbing to continue throughout the park except within designated exclusion zones established to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage, threatened species or seasonal nesting sites.

Rather than permanently closing large sections of cliff, the plan proposes a range of mitigation measures designed to allow climbing to continue where possible.

Across dozens of climbing areas these include:

• rerouting approaches to avoid sensitive sites
• requiring climbers to lower from anchors instead of topping out or using walk-off descents
• redirecting access tracks
• installing signage or low-impact barriers
• investigating platforms or hardened surfaces to reduce ground disturbance
• rehabilitating informal tracks.

Many of Arapiles’ climbing areas that have previously been under the keep-off requests, including Tiger Wall, Castle Crag and Declaration Crag, would remain open under new access arrangements, with some single climbs closed or rerouted. 

Some closures remain

While the revised proposal substantially reduces restrictions compared to the previous draft, some climbing routes and several bouldering areas remain proposed for closure where Parks Victoria determined risks to Aboriginal cultural heritage could not be sufficiently mitigated.

Complete closures are proposed for several bouldering areas, including Brain Death Boulder, Islamabad Bouldering Area and the Pharos Boulders.

Elsewhere, individual routes across numerous cliffs would be closed, while others would require rerouted starts or changes to descent methods.

Many of these changes involve avoiding cave entrances, sensitive ground surfaces or registered cultural heritage sites rather than removing climbing from an entire cliff.

Mitigations to protect cultural heritage – As written in the 2026 Management plan

Bushrangers Bluff	Investigate signage installation to confirm closure of left side of wall
Comic Strip	All climbs to be lower off only (no walk-off) to avoid protected area
Bum Rock	All climbs to be lower off only (no walk-off) to avoid protected area
Pilot Error	Climbs Gilt Edged, Intangled and Kryptonite Crack to be lower off only (no top-out) to avoid protected areas Avoid walking close to wall at Kryptonite Ledge to avoid protected areas Re-route climb Neta to start at Mesa accessing climbs from the other side of boulders to avoid entering the cave Investigate installation of log barrier/signage before the climb Fixed Smile
D Minor Pinnacle	Re-route the start of Aardvark to avoid protected area

Minstrel Pinnacle	Re-route climbs: Pestilence and Chancre to front of Minstrel Pinnacle to avoid protected area
Bluff Major (Thundercrack Area)	Re-route the start of climbs: Final Departure, Station to Station, The Prow to avoid protected area
Bluff Major North Face (Anxiety Area)	Re-route the start of climbs: Karma Sutra, The Mule, Holey Moses to avoid protected area
Denim Wall	Re-route climb: Stretch Faberge to access from right to avoid protected area Re-route the first pitches of Raison D’etrier, Dead and Buried to avoid protected area
Fang Buttress	Re-route: Downward Bound to start from the right and avoid protected area
Bard Buttress	Re-route: The Desired and Orpheus to start at Eurydice to avoid protected area
Plaque Rock	Climbs: Cumelittle, Everest without Oxygen are to be lower off only (no top-out) to avoid protected area
Tiger Wall	Define the track along Tiger Wall at cliff base with brush, plantings, logs or low-key fencing to avoid walking through protected area Re-route: No Future to start from Kaiser to avoid protected area Re-route the climbs: Tiger Wall, Syrinx, Syrinx Direct, Boy Racer, Sunday Best, Deathwatch Beetle, Radish, Shaggy’s Route, The Dribble to lower off only (no top-outs or walk-offs) to avoid protected areas
Castle Crag	Investigate the installation of a log barrier to define access at tunnel that will further protect cultural heritage Re-route Nati Dread to come up through the tunnel to avoid protected area

The Pharos Boulders	Mitigations such as hard surfacing to be investigated to avoid protected areas
Pharos Backwall	Investigate platform options to avoid protected area
Pharos Frontwall	Re-route the start of Five Fingered Mary and Horus to avoid protected areas
Voidoid Area	Jack Ass Crack and Last New Route at Arapiles are to be lower off only (no top-out) to avoid protected areas
Lower Yesterday Gully	Investigate diverting path away from the climb Elongate through installation of a rock or log to avoid protected area
Watchtower	Investigate the installation of a barrier to close access to cave
Lou and Evelyn Wall	Re-route the start of Fox Hole Escape to avoid protected area
Werewolf	All climbs to lower off only (no top-out) to avoid protected areas
Mitre Rock Guiding Light Area	Re-route the start of climbs: Behemoth, Guiding Light, He Certainly Is, The Emperor Strikes Back, and access climbs behind boulder close to wall to avoid protected areas

Detailed Closures & Rerouting of climbs – as presented in the 2026 Management Plan

Declaration Crag 

Climbs closed include: 

Craddock Creek, Marshmallow Sea x 2, Sunny Gully, All Decked Out, Deck Games, Steps Ahead 

Brain Death Boulder 

All climbing routes closed 

Bushranger Bluff Back Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

Troopers 0, 1, 2, 3 

Southern Finger 

Cultural heritage better protected without closure of known climbing routes 

Comic Strip Wall 

Lower off only (no walk off) 

Colosseum Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

The Rack, Christian Crack, Crucifixion 

White Mice Walls 

Climbs closed include: 

Left Hand Variant, Right Hand Variant 

Upper Hunger 

Cultural heritage better protected without closure of known climbing routes 

Bum Rock 

Lower off only (no walk off) 

Baby Buttress 

Climbs closed include: 

Tendril, Metronome, Falsetto, A Cappela 

Pilot Error Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

Fixed Smile, Togrul Khan, Tarzan, Pilot Error 

Five climbs re-routed: 

Gilt Edged, Intangled, Kryptonite Crack, Mesa, Neta 

Lois Lane Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

Reunion, Calypso, Contraction, Beasley Street 

Steel Delinquency Pinnacle (Organ Pipes) 

Climbs closed include: 

Frenzy, Trench Warfare 

D Minor Pinnacle 

One climb re-routed: 

Aardvark 

Minstrel Pinnacle 

Two climbs re-routed: 

Pestilence, Chancre 

Denim Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

Vixen 

Three climbs re-routed: 

Raison D’etrier, Dead and Buried, Stretch Faberge 

Johns Pinnacle and below 

Climbs closed include: 

Allez, Nursery Rhymes, The Dude Abides 

Plaque Rock 

Climbs closed include: 

Age of Reason 

Two climbs re-routed: 

Cumelittle, Everest Without Oxygen 

Fang Buttress 

One climb re-routed: 

Downward Bound 

Bard Buttress 

Two climbs re-routed: 

The Desired, Orpheus 

Bluff Major North Face (Anxiety Area) 

Three climbs re-routed: 

Karma Sutra, The Mule, Holey Moses 

Bluff Minor (Flinders Lane Area) 

Climbs closed include: 

Inquisition, The Last Laugh, Jerry Project 

Bluff Major (Thundercrack Area) 

Three climbs re-routed: 

Final Departure, Station to Station, The Prow 

Tiger Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

Seneca, Headbanger and The Eighth Extension 

11 climbs re-routed: 

No Future, Tiger Wall, Syrinx, Syrinx Direct, Boy Racer, Sunday Best, Deathwatch Beetle, Radish, Shaggy’s Route, The Dribble 

Islamabad Bouldering Area – closed 

Chicken Boulder 

Climbs closed include: 

Between Fear and Desire, Pete’s Problem aka TLC, V9 

Castle Crag 

Two climbs re-routed: 

Nati Dread, Procul Harum 

Castle Crag Shady Side 

Climbs closed include: 

Siva, The Overtaker, The Caretaker, The Undertaker, Blow Up, Cunrack 

The Pharos Boulders 

All climbing routes closed including: 

Around the World, Monkey Puzzle, Superman Boulder, Finalgon Boulder 

Pharos Front Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

Prevarication, Sport Climb This, Undercover 

Two climbs re-routed: 

Horus, Five Fingered Mary 

Pharos (entry to Spasm Chasm) 

Climbs closed include: 

Project 

Pharos Back Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

Masada, Trojan 

Ethereal Buttress 

Climbs closed include: 

High Traverse, Ministry of Fig Pluckers, Zub, Cyclops 

Lower Yesterday Gully 

Climbs closed include: 

Elongate 

Bakers Wall 

Climbs closed include: 

Load Shooter 

Voidoid Pinnacle 

Two climbs re-routed: 

Jack Ass Creek, Last New Route – (lower off only) 

The Pinnacle Face 

Climbs closed include: 

Just Out of Habit, Cruella de Ville 

The Watchtower 

Climbs closed include: 

Pumping, Project Route 

Beyond the Pharos Boulders 

Climbs closed include: 

Beware of the Slee Stacks, Hokey Pokey 

Kachoong 

Climbs closed include: 

Power, Lies and Corruption, Cellular Destruction, Cellular Banana 

One climb re-routed: 

High Dive 

Evelyn and Lou 

One climb re-routed: 

The Foxhole Explorer 

Lower Hum 

Climbs closed include: 

Bitter Blue, Fretwork, Anchorman’s Delight, Womens Weekly World Discovery Tour, Fade Out, All in Vein 

Werewolf Area 

Lower off (no top out) 

Mitre Rock Guiding Light Area 

Climbs closed include: 

Seamy Side 

Four climbs re-routed: 

Behemoth, Guiding Light, He Certainly Is, The Emperor Strikes Back 

My Perspective as Vertical Life Mag’s Editor

While it’s encouraging to see access retained to iconic areas such as Tiger Wall and Castle Crag, several proposed closures come as a devastating blow. Some of Arapiles’ most celebrated and historically significant routes are on the chopping block.

For me personally, the proposed closure of The Rack (18), Christian Crack (20) and Crucifixion (16) is particularly painful. Together they represent some of the finest crack climbing at Mount Arapiles and hold some of my favourite climbing memories. It was on these routes that I first attended Crack School with Malcolm (HB) Matheson, learning the craft of jamming under one of Australia’s most respected climbing mentors. More recently, HB returned with the RMIT Outdoors Club to teach a new generation of climbers the same skills, a story featured in Vertical Life Issue 56. As these climbs are not currently subject to the “please keep off” requests, their proposed closure comes as a genuine surprise.

The list also includes routes of enormous historical significance. Kim Carrigan’s Masada (29), established in 1984, was the hardest climb in Australia at the time and marked a defining moment in the country’s climbing progression. Then there’s the three-star classic Trojan (25), first climbed in 1966, with John Moore aiding the first pitch. Louise Shepherd later made the first female onsight ascent, cementing the route’s reputation as a benchmark testpiece admired by generations of climbers from Australia and overseas.

The well-trafficked Pilot Error (20) also features on the proposed closure list. I can’t say I’m entirely surprised by this decision. The chalk staining is clearly visible from The Pines Campground and, during a conversation with Barengi Gadjin Land Council rangers in February, they expressed their concern about the visual impact. Although I’ve never climbed the route myself, I came away feeling that, as a community, we share some responsibility for reducing those impacts, even if that simply means taking the time to clean excessive chalk from our climbs.

Ongoing monitoring and collaboration

The proposed addendum establishes an adaptive management approach rather than a fixed set of rules.

Parks Victoria says any future rediscoveries of Aboriginal cultural heritage or new interactions between recreational activities and cultural values will be assessed using the same evidence-based framework before management decisions are made.

If adopted following public consultation, the addendum will replace the approach outlined in the 2024 draft management plan and become the guiding framework for climbing and recreation at Mt Arapiles / Dyurrite until a future Joint Management Plan is developed.

For climbers, today’s release appears to represent a significant shift towards coexistence, balancing continued access to one of Australia’s most important climbing destinations with strengthened protection of the cultural values. 

Moving forward, it would be encouraging to see these conversations take place openly rather than behind closed doors. Greater transparency around what is being protected, and why, would go a long way towards building understanding and acceptance within the climbing community. It would also give climbers the opportunity to appreciate and celebrate the cultural values and artefacts these decisions are intended to protect.

The climbing community is encouraged to engage with the public consultation process now underway. Whether you support or oppose the proposed changes, taking the time to read the draft management plan and provide informed feedback is one of the most meaningful ways to help shape the future of climbing at Mount Arapiles / Dyurrite.