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New Arapiles plan means 98 per cent of climbs will stay open

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Cite

Clark, T. (2026, October 2). New Arapiles plan means 98 per cent of climbs will stay open. ABC News (AU). https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-02/new-climbing-plan-approved-mount-arapiles-tooan-state-park/107219756

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

ABC News (AU) · collected 2026-10-02 · by Tamara Clark

Quick Summary

The Victorian government has finalized a new management plan for Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park that will keep 98% of climbing routes open while closing only 80 specific climbs and rerouting 46 others. This plan replaces the previous proposals from November 2024, which would have closed over 60% of climbs. The changes aim to balance protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage with maintaining access for climbers; the full list of guidelines and restrictions is available on the Parks Victoria website.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Victorian government has released a new access plan for Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park near Horsham. Effective immediately, about 80 climbs are closed, while 46 others have been rerouted. Key closures include areas at Islamabad, Pharos, and Brain Death Boulder. The park is renowned as a world-class rock climbing center with over 3,300 climbs, of which nearly all (98%) will remain accessible under this new plan. This revised approach replaces the blanket bans proposed earlier in 2024, aiming to balance conservation with recreational access. Parks Victoria provides detailed guidelines and route information on their website. The park is also culturally significant, containing ancient Aboriginal sites including scar trees and rock art, important to the Wotjobaluk Traditional Owners.

Written for “Climbing Restrictions Update” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Climbing Restrictions Update
Environment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
ABC News (AU)'s corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Environment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

ABC News (AU) · 4730 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Tamara Clark
6 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The owner has ordered one more shipment of fuel after questions from the ABC, but says he is unsure if future orders will be "sustainable".
🔮 They will appear in children's court at a later date.
🔮 It does away with the blanket bans proposed in 2024 and will keep 98 per cent of climbing routes open. What's next?
🔮 Powercor says the outage will last until at least Wednesday night.
🔮 Mr Carroll says there will be no compulsory acquisition of property while the cost review is underway.
🔮 The judge informed the teenage defendant that if he did not comply with the mouth swab, police could use reasonable force to obtain it. "
Also by Tamara Clark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 6 articles by Tamara Clark →

Topics

Horsham Islamabad Parks Victoria Victoria Victorian

Subjects

Parks Victoria ORG · 4× Rockell PERSON · 3× Victorian NORP · 2× Aboriginal NORP · 1× First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria ORG · 1× Horsham GPE · 1× Islamabad GPE · 1× Mike Rockell PERSON · 1× Victoria GPE · 1× the Wotjobaluk Traditional Owners GPE · 1×

Narrative

About 80 climbs are now closed off to climbers, effective immediately, while 46 others have been rerouted. Some of the main closures are at Islamabad, Pharos and Brain Death Boulder. The park is home to many culturally significant sites, including scar trees, ancient rock art, quarries and artefacts significant to the Wotjobaluk Traditional Owners, whose connection to the land spans tens of thousands of years. It is also known as a world-class rock climbing centre, with more than 3,300 climbs.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 It does away with the blanket bans proposed in 2024 and will keep 98 per cent of climbing routes open. What's next?
2026-10-02 · ABC News (AU)
New Arapiles plan means 98 per cent of climbs will stay open · assertive framing

Claims (19 extracted, 0 hedged)

In short: The Victorian government has released a new access plan for the Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park. asserted
government → release → Park
It does away with the blanket bans proposed in 2024 and will keep 98 per cent of climbing routes open. What's next? asserted
What → do → routes
Those heading to the park can access the full list of guidelines, closures and re-routes on the Parks Victoria website. asserted
Those → head → website
The Victorian government has finalised a new management plan for access and rock climbing at the Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park, near Horsham in Victoria's west. asserted
government → finalise → west
About 80 climbs are now closed off to climbers, effective immediately, while 46 others have been rerouted. Some of the main closures are at Islamabad, Pharos and Brain Death Boulder. The park is home to many culturally significant sites, including scar trees, ancient rock art, quarries and artefacts significant to the Wotjobaluk Traditional Owners, whose connection to the land spans tens of thousands of years. It is also known as a world-class rock climbing centre, with more than 3,300 climbs. asserted
It → close → climbs
Ninety-eight per cent of them will remain open under the new plan, with the full list of restricted routes available on the Parks Victoria website. asserted
list → remain → website
The Barengi Gadjin Land Council, First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and Parks Victoria has been contacted for comment. asserted
Council → contact → comment
The new plan allows climbers access to all but three of more than 150 climbing areas at the park. asserted
plan → allow → park
Climbing Victoria chair Mike Rockell said he was "delighted" with the outcome. asserted
he → say → outcome
"Importantly, the significant Aboriginal cultural heritage at Dyurrite will remain protected, but with only a small percentage of climbs having to be closed," Mr Rockell said. " asserted
Rockell → remain → climbs
This contrasts with the original draft plan released in November 2024 which would have seen over 60 per cent of the climbing closed. asserted
cent → contrast → climbing
"These new arrangements secure the future of climbing at Mount Arapiles, a world-class climbing destination, and also the future of the nearby township of Natimuk." asserted
arrangements → secure → Natimuk
Mr Rockell said he appreciated the consultation and engagement led by Parks Victoria with representatives of the climbing community, the local community and Traditional Owners who worked together on the new arrangements. asserted
who → say → arrangements
"Climbing Victoria sees this as a very sensible outcome that can be replicated elsewhere, and one that is supported by the vast majority of climbers," Mr Rockell said. asserted
Rockell → see → climbers
"Climbing Victoria wishes to thank the Traditional Owners of Dyurrite for their support and efforts that have helped achieve this outcome." asserted
that → wish → outcome
Public consultation on the draft plan ran from July 23 to August 19, 2026, and received more than 400 surveys and submissions. The new access rules are effective immediately, now that the Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park Dyurrite Cultural Landscape Access Changes Summary document has been released. asserted
document → run → surveys
Minister for Environment Jaclyn Symes said she was pleased to announce the new climbing arrangements. asserted
she → say → arrangements
"These changes are now in effect, significantly increasing access for climbers," Ms Symes said. asserted
Symes → increase → climbers
"Mount Arapiles Dyurrite is one of Australia's great climbing destinations and these changes mean climbers can continue to enjoy it for years to come." asserted
climbers → mean → years
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