Is it appropriate to post a trip report about a closed park?

[mandragara]

I did a walk in the Wollemi NP in NSW today. I took some photos of the burnt stuff, not burnt stuff, the Colo river etc.

Would this be appropriate to share in a trip report on this forum? I feel it might give people some relief, but it might also send the wrong message with respect to park closures.

Just for clarity it's a stupid idea to go into a closed area, especially a still smouldering wilderness area.

[ILUVSWTAS]

I don't think it's stupid to go to the said closed park, however posting a trip report about it might just put you over the line.

[Son of a Beach]

I'm not an admin here, but the rules state:

This website must not be used ... in any way which encourages others to ... breach the regulations of any land authority or management (eg, government, PWS, private land owner).

(Edited the rule quote to focus more on the part that might be relevant.)

It's up to you to decide if posting might encourage others to visit closed areas, I suppose.

[CBee]

This website must not be used ... in any way which encourages others to break the law, or to breach the regulations of any land authority or management (eg, government, PWS, private land owner).

I don't see how posting photos of a closed area is encouraging people to break the law. For example, I am curious to see the photos but I have no intention of breaking any laws. As for breaching the regulations of land authority: he already did.

[Son of a Beach]

I don't see how posting photos of a closed area is encouraging people to break the law. For example, I am curious to see the photos but I have no intention of breaking any laws. As for breaching the regulations of land authority: he already did.

Sorry that I didn't provide any further discussion around my quoting of the rule. I'm not saying that it would be a breach of the forum rules. I was merely pointing out the rule, and suggesting that it may (or may not?) help with making a decision. I've edited that earlier post now to include my thoughts around it and to exclude the irrelevant part of the rule that I had accidentally forgotten to cut out.

My personal opinion is that publishing unauthorised expeditions into officially closed areas may have the potential to encourage others to visit closed areas (not just this specific location, but closed areas in general). I may be wrong, and like I said, I'm not an admin. So my opinion doesn't count for much apart from (I hope) helping the OP (and others) to think it over and to make up their own minds.

[CBee]

Yes I get your point, but he has already been there and broke the rule. So I think there's no harm in sharing the photos, after all this is a place for sharing He even posted a disclaimer at the end of the comment "Just for clarity it's a stupid idea to go into a closed area, especially a still smouldering wilderness area."

[Son of a Beach]

Yes I get your point, but he has already been there and broke the rule. So I think there's no harm in sharing the photos, after all this is a place for sharing He even posted a disclaimer at the end of the comment "Just for clarity it's a stupid idea to go into a closed area, especially a still smouldering wilderness area."

Going there does not break the (forum) rule. Writing a trip report and sharing photos about it may (or may not) break the forum rule. Writing a trip report about it is what he was asking about. I don't think the disclaimer helps, as the post itself makes it clear that knowing it's "stupid" does not stop people from doing it.

[CBee]

I don't think the disclaimer helps, as the post itself makes it clear that knowing it's "stupid" does not stop people from doing it.

After reading the trip report, will you go there during closure?

[Son of a Beach]

I don't think the disclaimer helps, as the post itself makes it clear that knowing it's "stupid" does not stop people from doing it.

After reading the trip report, will you go there during closure?

I wouldn't go to Wollemi based on a trip report posted today even if it was open. It's just not on my radar, and is inaccessible to me financially, and time-wise even when it is open. If I do get the opportunity to visit there, the chances are that it will have been open again for a long time already.

However, if somebody posted a trip report of somewhere that is accessible to me and that I'd never been to I would want to go there. Even if it was closed. Whether or not I personally would go there or not, is not relevant. What matters in this context is whether anybody might be influenced to go there. Some might be influenced by such a post. I don't know. I cannot speak for everybody.

I'm being deliberately vague... about whether it would influence people... and about whether it would breach forum rules. I'm not attempting to drive a particular decision, but merely to note the rule, and then to add some opinion.

In the end, it's not up to me.

It's good that you and I have both posted differing opinions here. Hopefully, that will provide the OP with some food for thought, which I believe is what he asked for.

[ribuck]

Information is always good. Apart from the bushwalking aspect, it helps us to form an opinion as to whether the closures are reasonable and appropriate.

But if the site owner doesn't want it here, then it would not be reasonable to post it here. It could go somewhere else, e.g. a personal blog.

[potato]

Information is always good. Apart from the bushwalking aspect, it helps us to form an opinion as to whether the closures are reasonable and appropriate.

But if the site owner doesn't want it here, then it would not be reasonable to post it here. It could go somewhere else, e.g. a personal blog.

So if Joe Blogs buys a car that can do 250kmh and concludes from "information" that is it reasonable and appropriate to do that speed outside a school zone... is that ok?

This idea is precisely why society progresses at the pace of the slowest members in our population.

[Zapruda]

Good discussion everyone and thanks for asking, Mandragara. Next time just shoot one of us mods a PM for a quick response. Its hard to monitor every thread, especially this time of the year and with everything going on.

As per rule 26, please do not post the trip report.

26. This website must not be used in any way which contravenes Australian law (including posting spam) or in any way which encourages others to break the law, or to breach the regulations of any land authority or management (eg, government, PWS, private land owner).

I hope you understand.

Cheers,
Stef

[peregrinator]

. . . It's good that you and I have both posted differing opinions here. Hopefully, that will provide the OP with some food for thought, which I believe is what he asked for.

If only the worthiness of such dialectical reasoning was more widely observed! Homo sapiens (so-called) might be little more wiser. Thank you SOB for your astute commentary.

[Neo]

The closed Parks, I would imagine, are for the safety of the general public. First perhaps for not going into an area that is still active or volatile or still at risk of catching fire. Second to reduce the risk of a branch or tree falling on you in post fire bush. Maybe also to limit human disturbance in a sensitive post fire environment.

What about the knowledgeable or sensible bushwalker? Would you actually get busted or be doing harm by bushwalking in an area that is temporarily closed..?

I think not.

[wander]

just shoot one of us mods a PM for a quick response. Its hard to monitor every thread,

How do we work out who is a Mod here?

[Son of a Beach]

just shoot one of us mods a PM for a quick response. Its hard to monitor every thread,

How do we work out who is a Mod here?

It's not at all obvious, but you can use the tiny link at the bottom right of each page that says, The Team

[Lophophaps]

How do we work out who is a Mod here?

That would be Zapruda and me. We get bold green screen names, and the red screen names are senior moderators. An alert will get to all mods, probably faster than a private message to one mod. It's best not to send private messages to multiple mods - we get confused very easily, part of the duty statement.