Marc Hendrickx and Associates Pty Ltd

Management of landslide repairs to Wolgan Valley Road has been a disaster. The road was closed in November 2022 and remains closed after three years of the sort of bureaucratic bungling made famous in the satire Utopia. It’s been a feeding frenzy for consultants with over $13.5 milion spent to get back to square one. I was asked to give a brief outline of some of the issues at recent community meeting and this is now available on youtube.

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Just completed 115 slope assessments on the Alpine Way in southern NSW, with Matt Kilham. The package included mostly ARL3-5 slopes. The ARL5 slopes were first assessed when the wider slope assessment program commenced in 2005.

Many changes along the Alpine Way in that time including wide use of rock fall mesh to control rock falls from cuttings along the narrow road. Many corrugated steel culverts were found to be in less than satisfactory condition and some of these have resulted in changes to earlier ratings.

All in all an enjoyable 2 weeks in the bush. We stayed at Waratah House in Khancoban (see AirBNB).

Interview with Andrew Bolt on the Bolt report 5 August 2024, about the on going closure of an iconic NSW bushwalking experience – the Mt Warning Summit Track. How long can this nonsense go on for?

My new book A Guide to Climbing Mount Warning: the fight for awe and wonder, is now available to order from Connor Court – just follow the link…

https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/A-GUIDE-TO-CLIMBING-MOUNT-WARNING–Marc-Hendrickx_p_564.html

ISBN: 9781922815804

October 2023 release

Mount Warning National Park provides one of the most outstanding experiences of the Australian Landscape on the east coast. Mount Warning was an immense shield volcano active 23 million years ago, and is now regarded as the best preserved and largest eroded shield volcano in the southern hemisphere. The original volcano was over 100km in diameter and likely reached over 2000m high. The 1159m peak of Mount Warning is the solidified remains of the main central vent of the volcano. 360 degree views from the summit to the Pacific Ocean beaches, the Tweed River valley and the surrounding forested ranges forming the caldera walls are simply extraordinary. Since a 4km track was constructed in 1909 over 3.5 million people – families, friends and individuals have made the journey to the summit to experience the exhilaration of the climb, the awe inspiring vista and for some, the joy of witnessing the first sunrise on the Australian Mainland.

More recently public access to the Park and Summit have become contentious as post-modernist political concepts have captured the minds of Park Authorities trusted with managing the Park on behalf of the Public. There has been a push to close the Park on the grounds public access offends some Aboriginal groups. Other Aboriginal groups challenge this belief, including those that have the closest connection to the mountain – the Ngarakwal People. The matriarch of this group, the late Marlene Boyd stated in 2007 “I do not oppose the public climbing of Mount Warning – how can the public experience the spiritual significance of this land if they do not climb the summit and witness creation!” This wonderful endorsement of what we all feel when we visit these remarkable natural places has been long ignored by the authorities.

A Guide to Climbing Mount Warning is a celebration of the Park and summit experience. The Guide is packed with historical information, facts and figures that demonstrate official views about the mountain in relation to environmental damage, safety and Aboriginal perspectives are fundamentally wrong. Moves to close the Park are more about politics and misconceptions about risk management. This flawed approach will result in a National Park that will have no visitors. Awe and wonder to be hidden behind a locked gate. This would be an insult to the millions who have climbed and those who worked so hard to create the Park in 1929 preserving this wonderful place and the adventure it holds for future generations to explore and enjoy.

Keen-eyed T4NSW maintenance supervisor Terry reported this very large rock on the Old Pacific Highway near Calga for engineering assessment. It had moved about a meter on clay softened during the recent rain events. The road was closed as there was not much holding it on and preparations made to remove it the following day. T4NSW provided a protective blanket on the pavement. Fortunately, Rik and Jarrod from SSS (specialist site services) were available with a compressor and some high-strength jacking pads.

While I thought it may have taken more than one lift to shift it, it went on the first attempt. We took a few more smaller ones off to tidy up.

Road was cleared and reopened later in the day. Thanks to T4 NSW and SSS!

Completed mesh and shotcrete works along Castlereagh Highway south of Mudgee.

Another high-risk slope dealt with!