Regional Volunteer : Glenn Tempest
Mt Arapiles / Dyurrite
Mt Arapiles, known traditionally as Dyurrite, is a cliff of world reknown to climbers and has a rich Indigenous Heritage.
Arapiles is comprised of extremely hard quartz-grained sandstone, which easily accepts traditional protection (cams, nuts etc). One of its biggest drawcards is its accessibility for all ages and skill levels, with high quality climbing at all grades. As a result, “the mount” is a major destination for locals and international visitors alike, with its numerous nooks, crags and gullies providing an almost endless variety of interesting climbing.
It also has a wonderful camping ground with a great community atmosphere, and the nearby town of Natimuk is vibrant; knowledgeable and very invested in creating sustainable and minimal impact climbing for all.
Djurrite has more than 40 important cultural heritage sites, including quarries, rock art and shelters providing evidence of its significance for Wotjobaluk Peoples and their use of the area for thousands of years. The hardened sandstone characteristics made Dyurrite a particularly valuable source of rock material for stone tools.
Crag Volunteers : Due to Dyurrite’s size and significance it is divided into a number of different areas and supported by a group of volunteers
Management: Mount Arapiles – Tooan State Park is jointly managed by Parks Victoria and Barengi Gadjin Land Council. A very old management plan is in the process of being updated:
Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park – Mt Arapiles section – Management Plan
An amendment to this plan was published by the joint managers of the park, Parks Victoria and Baregi Gadjin Land Council on 4th November 2024. Details of the changes and consultation process can be found here.
Cultural Values and Protections:
Dyurrite is a significant cultural landscape for the Wotjobaluk Peoples, being a place of social, cultural and natural significance. Significant rediscoveries of cultural heritage in 2020 led to closures of some areas to climbing at least until surveys could be conducted across the park to better identify and document cultural values. This process and the restricted areas are covered in the following information sheet.
Information Sheet – Aboriginal cultural heritage rediscoveries (PDF)
Environmental Values:
Dyurrite is a fragile environment that has been substantially restored since its use for grazing. Its sandy soil is vulnerable to erosion; high visitation and the proximity to agricultural land makes it vulnerable to weeds and pests.
The climbing community, through various groups, has a long history of undertaking projects to protect the park including tree-planting, weeding and track-building. In recent years, volunteer work of this nature has become increasingly more complicated. CSV is building the skills, relationships and methodologies to navigate the processes required to get volunteer work done and to support Traditional Owners and Parks Victoria to care for this Country in ways that they see as appropriate.
Climbing Impact Assessments: Many assessments have been completed to date. Most outcomes focus on improving access trails to reduce erosion and minimise the “spidering” of alternative trails.;
Projects/Events :
CSV have made a concerted effort to address the spread of Scotch Thistle throughout the park. A single ST flower can develop 20,000 seeds which can remain dormant from many years. We have focussed on two bad areas; Voodoo Gully and Central Gully RS, clearing each of these two years in a row.
Scotch Thistle Removal 4 – Central Gully Nov-23
Scotch Thistle Removal 3 – Voodoo Gully Oct-23
Scotch Thistle Removal 2 – Central Gully Nov-22
