The Good News

Brisbane City Council (BCC) has recognised and ‘designated’ some key bouldering areas at Toohey Forest and has recognised this on its website.  BCC has also recently upgraded the access trail to the ‘Main Area’ to improve access for the bouldering community.  The other officially designated areas are the Hill Top area and the Lookout (2 separate designations for Snakeskin and Apollo’s Gaze).

A short video showing the Main Area and works and some more information is available here. https://youtu.be/krYHAJyTUsI

In the next few weeks, Council will install signage showing maps, and information about bouldering.

After a number of ad hoc ‘encounters’ between members and Council Officers in the Park, ACAQ raised bouldering access and legal issues with BCC in late 2023, and from that we advocated that bouldering needed to be designated as allowed in Toohey Forest.

That started to become a reality in 2024, with Council commencing a project to upgrade trails and recognise bouldering in parts of Toohey Forest.  ACAQ representatives met with the project officers on site, which resulted in some additional areas being recognised.

We understand that BCC undertook an assessment on the historic environmental impact of bouldering at Toohey Forest, which unsurprisingly found that bouldering has minimal impact.

The not so good news - and some boring legal stuff

On a couple of occasions in recent years Council Officers have approached boulderers in Toohey and Karrawatha and advised that they cannot boulder there.

The legal basis for them doing so is a Local Law passed over 10 years ago that purportedly makes any activity that is or could be dangerous or could impact the environment in a Park illegal.   At the same time, they specifically listed Rock Climbing (which Council considered included bouldering) as a restricted activity which meant that it was only allowed in a designated area and the only designated area in Brisbane was Kangaroo Point.

This was not widely published by Council, and and up until about 2023, appears to have never been enforced.  From 2023, ACAQ had reports of very occasional assertions by Council Officers that bouldering was not allowed in Toohey or Karrawatha. 

ACAQ wrote to Council questioning the scope of the local law and pointed out inconsistencies and legal difficulties in applying it to bouldering. Council's own legal response did not fully address our issues but pointed out that going off a designated track in Council Bushland was a breach of the local law, and thus boulderers could be fined for going off track instead.

At this point ACAQ raised the access issue with the relevant Councillor, and started down the path of pushing for recognition of bouldering as a designated activity, particularly in key areas.

Council also advised that in the absence of designation, boulderers could apply for a ‘consent’ - in essence a free permit, to allow an individual to do the activity at a particular location and times.  While not ideal, ACAQ is aware that some consents to boulder in Toohey Forest have been issued to a commercial operator prior to the current designation.

Council have now advised ACAQ that they do not have any immediate plans to recognise and formally allow bouldering by designation at other locations, however they have said that boulderer’s can apply for consents.

Our sense is that it is unlikely that Council has any plans to actively seek to undertake active compliance activities against boulderers unless there is significant environmental damage or active trail construction.  However, just like the situation in recent years there remains the possibility of occasional warnings or enforcement action.

Council signage and website

Council is installing specific signage to promote and recognise the designated bouldering sites at Toohey.  They also have this on their website.  

However the flipside of this is that the more prominent recognition of bouldering at Toohey is matched by the more public information that bouldering is only officially allowed at Toohey and KP.

What is ACAQ doing and what can you do to help

Any recognition of bouldering is a first for BCC.  ACAQ is grateful to the BCC and its contractor, for the quality upgrade to the access at the Main Area, and to BCC for recognising Bouldering as a legitimate recreational use at Toohey Forest.

However, we do not consider it practical to limit bouldering to such a small area.  

ACAQ consider that Council needs to:

• Expand the area where bouldering is accepted and consult with the community on this.
• Not undertake any active ‘enforcement’ of local laws against boulderers except in cases where there is active construction of new trails, or significant environmental damage.

ACAQ will engage with the responsible Councillor Tracy Davis, Civic Cabinet Chair for Environment, Parks and Sustainability on these issues.

ACAQ will also make right to information requests to obtain copies of the report on environmental impacts of Bouldering at Toohey, and other internal documents regarding decisions to limit designation to the particular areas at Toohey Forest.

How you can help

You can also assist by:

• Contacting or meeting with your local Councillor - especially if you have a bouldering area in your ward.
• Apply for a ‘consent’ ’online  to Boulder at other areas - it's free - and let ACAQ know of the outcome.
• Maintaining an up-to-date ACAQ Membership.  Your active memberships help to pay for RTI/FOI request to climbing areas that face access issues.

We have been here before

We have faced similar issues with Mt Ninderry and Sunshine Coast Council.  They also have a local law that restricts climbing on their land unless designated, that was never publicised or enforced, but was raised in the draft plan for Mount Ninderry.  

ACAQ and the community made multiple submissions to the Have Your Say on the plan which resulted into Council acknowledging the climbing history and importance of climbing at Ninderry and moving (slowly) towards official recognition.

(Photo courtesy of Trailworx)