New property owners have closed an access road to the popular and culturally significant Biamanga Cultural Area ahead of the busy tourist season.
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Bega Valley Shire Council civil assets and development manager Graeme Williams confirmed road access to the Biamanga National Park’s sacred site and popular tourist attraction via Clarkes Rd in Greendale, north of Bega, has for a long time passed through private property.
“There was never any legal access through the private property,” he said.
“The property owners, being long-term residents, accepted that locals always accessed Mumbulla Falls from Clarkes Rd.
“In recent years the condition of the road has been an issue with the abuse of the property owners becoming more frequent, particularly when people became bogged and demanded the property owner help them.
“The property has recently changed hands and the new owners wanted the through traffic stopped,” he said.
Mr Williams said the new residents negotiated with National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to close the track and erect advisory signs pointing to the alternative access road, Mumbulla Creek Rd, off Dr George Mountain Rd, around 26 kilometres away.
“Council was not involved in the decision as council already maintains to the end of Clarkes Rd,” he said.
Sherrie Fletcher is a resident of Mumbulla Creek Rd and said traffic along the poorly maintained track has already increased.
“All residents are concerned because it’s a dangerous road and we want safety signs put up to show it is a residential area, it’s pretty much a one-car road,” she said.
Ms Fletcher and other residents along the road received a letter from NPWS stating it had taken over maintenance of the road after years of confusion over who had responsibility.
“Council didn’t want responsibility, it’s a state forest road and National Parks maintains the sacred site,” she said.
“Over the last four years we would call up and one would say it was the other’s turn to grade because they were on a 12-month rotation.
“It was council’s turn this year and after fighting from us they graded the road back in May.”
Ms Fletcher said she had been told by council they had funding to grade the road three times a year and she is concerned that tourist season has preferential treatment over regular road users.
“We are the ratepayers, but council always grades the road for tourists,” she said.
With much more tourist traffic expected this summer along Dr George Mountain Rd and Mumbulla Creek Rd she is concerned the road may become unusable if not maintained.
“The school bus travels over the mountain twice a day on the wrong side of the road because of the state of it,” Ms Fletcher said.