Go Ape Down Under?
Jul 30th, 2009 by David
A bit like swine flu, Go Ape have reached Australia. We received this email a few days ago:
Hello there,
Just wondering how the fight against G0-Ape is going. We here in Sydney are about to have the same fight. There is a Development Application (DA) proposal lodged with Baulkham Hills Shire Council to not only approve a high rope adventure course, but also to put in a flying fox. The area chosen is part of Bidjigal Reserve, one of the last bushland areas in Sydney, that has endangered flora & fauna.
This proposal requires the removal of 77 Native trees, attaching bolts and rigging to other trees. The Go Ape company indicates they expect to have up to 30,000 people visit per year. This whole proposal is to go behind the houses that back onto the reserve. Because this is a bushland area the residential development has been kept to a minimum ……due to it being a bush fire prone area, and the roads are built to only accommodate two cars passing provided there is no cars parked on the roadway.
Do you have any information that Go-Ape, once obtaining approval, have removed addtional trees, constructed more than was approved etc?
Anything that we can use to back up our objection by being able to provide evidence that the Go-Ape Company only concerns are making a profit ( not objections to profits but not at the expense of fragile bushland) and have no real concerns for the bushland….except of course to use it for thier own money making business.
Thank you for any assistance you can provide,
Kind regards,
Gabrielle Lewis
Hi , having just returned from UK and after visiting two Go-Ape sites I have to say that I was very impressed by the care which was taken by the company to fit into its surroundings. The trees being used were protected and buffered to ensure that the wires did not damage the trees in anyway.
the sites remained beautiful, natural and certainly did not in any way ruin the area for other users. As well as the high ropes adventure the space was shared with dog walkers, picnickers and families enjoying the English summer.
I do not know how many trees were removed to allow these sites, but certainly can comment that things were worked around existing significant trees in a way which was very impressive.
Go ape posts signs in the climbing area encouraging young people to care for their forests and information regarding green issues and how to help care for forests and rainforest alike… so please give them a go.
Hi Elly,
I agree that many of Go Ape’s sites are enjoyable places to visit and some of them do fit into the local areas well.
But increasingly Go Ape are targetting those special places near to large urban areas that local people hold very dear. This was the issue in Rivington and I suspect is also the issue in Australia.
Although Go Ape like to trade on their green credentials, it’s a purely commercial issue – Go Ape need sites close to as many customers as possible to maximise its profits.
By the way, the protective banding that Go Ape protect the trees with are actually secured with large 5-inch screws into the wood…so not quite so tree-friendly as Go Ape like to make out!
Don’t be such a bunch of miserable killjoys.
Nice one Lydia….26 months to compose an 8 word reply.