Thread: World Heritage for Cape York Peninsula

Couldn't see where it says I can drive my 4WD up there still? Don't wanna lobby to put myself out of the running for that iconic trip one day.

Can you clarify wally?

Let's all stop driving aluminium cars and then they wont have to dig up any more bauxite. That will save part of the "wilderness".
In actual fact the times I have been to the cape I couldn't really see much difference in the topography of the top end to the majority of the northern section of the Territory from about Larrimah up, just no buffaloes on the cape!
If only we had more people living in the country areas perhaps we could draw up a petition to declare Sydney and Melbourne "wilderness areas" and ban people from working there too! Sydney especially, as it is situated on a greatly diversified area that was once a magnificent wilderness.
I shall just quietly go and put my flak jacket on now.
Regards
Glen

hmmm can we keep driving up there and leave **** buried everywhere and go out on pristine dry lakes and do donuts and disturb the fickle balance of the lakes surface and create windrows everywhere we drive off the track just like weve done all along the frenchline and throughout the Simpson desert? I hope they fence it off.

I am for preserving areas of GENUINE pristine biological and cultural significance, but like everything there needs to be a balance, so I don't agree with shutting the whole place down by nominating the entire CY Peninsular as World Heritage simply because not all of CY can be considered significant and pristine.

Originally Posted by DT-P38

Couldn't see where it says I can drive my 4WD up there still? Don't wanna lobby to put myself out of the running for that iconic trip one day.

Can you clarify wally?

This is about whether the natural and cultural values of the peninsula are worth protecting. If you think they are then I would encourage you to sign the petition. If you don't, and maybe you think that the monetary value of the mineral resources and the benefits to the economy are more important, then obviously don't sign it. Access is a separate issue. I spent a year working up on the cape. I love the place and I've developed some appreciation of its natural values. If I could spend the rest of my life roaming around up there in a Land Rover I would be a happy man, so access is important to me too. I don't have any reason to think that World Heriage status would automatically lead to reduced access. Do you have any examples of that kind of precedent? I can't think of any. When Fraser Island was granted World Heritage status, nobody was denied access in their 4wd. When the Wet Tropics World Heritage area was announced, the Cape Trib - Bloomfield road was not closed. With mines come infrastructure. If there is large scale mining on the peninsula there will be mining camps, major roads, increased traffic, many more heavy vehicles, railways perhaps, port developments. A port development has been proposed at Bathurst Bay - that would be a tragedy. So if you do go up there, and all that happens, what sort of an adventure will you have? The very nature of the region - that vast natural area that you go there to experience- could have changed forever. And I don't think many mining companies have a history of granting access to the public in their 4wds. There are mineral leases coving parts of national parks up there. If mining went ahead in those places, access would certainly be reduced. There's a lot of Queensland to mine. Surely we can leave this bit alone.

That's a sensible argument wally. I suppose the fear of over regulation bringing track closures is the only downside. As you stated, it hasn't happened in some other areas but I can tell you there are a lot of gates in the Blue Mountains now. But given the choice between a gated WHA and a mining operation I would take the WHA.

"This is about whether the natural and cultural values of the peninsula are worth protecting. "

Wally, I agree with what you say in principle. There certainly are many places on the Cape that have amazing natural and cultural values.

But there is already and has been for years several extractive operations. One of the biggest bauxite operations is less than 100km from pristine white beaches with ocean sunsets and turtle nestings. You dot sit on a west coast beach enjoying the universe and wonder if it would be better if Rio didnt exist.

Its a bit like this... no one would ever contemplate building a house beside the water outlet of the power stations north of Sydney. Terrible pollution and noise... but less than a 100km away well what do you know... The people that choose to live in Sydney suburbia are not silly enough to say that the stinky coal industry and power generation is destroying their lives - they couldnt live without it.
But those same surburbia people are happy to sign a petition to lock up the entire Cape, not giving a second thought to the people who choose live up here and want to continue living up here.

Cape Flattery Silica mine has been operating since the '60s. The 99.9% SiO2 that is extracted there goes into your fancy plasma screen tvs. One can camp at the mouth of the McIvor or at Connies Beach and you would never know you are a stones throw away from this mining operation that has been running for 45 years. It has a minimal impact on the environment outside of the lease. It supplies resources to make plasma tvs to keep city dwellers happy & IT EMPLOYS HALF OF HOPEVALE AND A FAIR PROPORTION OF COOKTOWN.

Tourists make far more of a mess on the Cape than all the current mining operations. Mines are small footprint and have to comply to extensive EPA requirements.
Tourists drive wherever they want, do whatever they want and leave rubbish in their wake.

Wally, it is all well and good to say the Cape is pretty we should protect it - BUT blanket heritage listing is like throwing away the future. There is plenty of protected space under National Parks listings - extend them if need be. But please let the people who live here have a future.

Steve

Tourists make far more of a mess on the Cape than all the current mining operations. Mines are small footprint and have to comply to extensive EPA requirements.
Tourists drive wherever they want, do whatever they want and leave rubbish in their wake.

I agree 100%.On my recent Simpson Desert trip I found campfires left burning, bottles and cans jammed up the entrance to burrows, people scratching their names on markers and signs, people obviously trying to remove trig points for souvenirs, every dry lakebed some arseholes have gone out and carved donuts deep in the surface...ffs the lakes only get a few inches deep and this completely destroys the echo system. Its really time for satellite imagery and reporting to catch and punish these ****** before the parks all get closed down . As Steve says its not mining thats having the biggest impact on these areas but arseholes like above ruining it for others.