ACT Government extends campground closure

Released 26/10/2016

The closure of all campgrounds in ACT nature reserves has been extended by two weeks to Monday 14 November 2016, Director, ACT Parks and Conservation, Daniel Iglesias said today.

“Safety is our primary concern and after careful consideration we have made the decision to extend the closure to 14 November,” Mr Iglesias said.

“The decision was made following assessment of all the sites and taking into account the weather to date and the medium term forecast.”

An earlier decision to close all ACT reserve campgrounds was made on 6 October following a near miss at the Blue Range campground when a eucalypt tree collapsed on to a tent. Another tree fell at Orroral campground the day after the closure.

“The ongoing cool and wet weather has meant a prolonged period of saturated soils. Add this to the traditional windy Spring conditions and the stability of many trees has been greatly reduced,” Mr Iglesias said.

“All our campgrounds are surrounded by large trees and it is often impossible to ascertain if a tree’s root system is able to withstand windy conditions, making them susceptible to sudden collapse without
warning,” Mr Iglesias said.

The community can report any concerns around public trees to Access Canberra on 13 22 81 or to the Fix My Street online form at https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/s/fix-my-street

- Statement ends -

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