Lookout ! You might see an Awesome View

If you can find it, Long Mountain Way (aka Boxsell Rd, off Limpinwood Rd, between the Village of Tyalgum and Limpinwood Valley Rd) has one of the most outstanding Lookout Views that could be signposted and on our tourist maps.

Why isn't it ?

Why isn't it more 'known about' ?

Why, despite it being over 3 years, since my mother and I, got the Tweed Council, to finally close the grossly under-utilised waste transfer station, (WTS), and began the talking , about replacing it with a Lookout for all to enjoy, why is there still no signage? Why has there been no official 'Opening' and Recognition of this most wonderful and easily accessed visitor lookout ?

I ask these questions, but I already know the answers. Knowing the reasons, doesn't help people like these two young Taiwanese women, Liffy and I just met, whilst purchasing some fresh fruit and veg at our local Honesty Box stall in the village, this morning. A car pulled up, out jumps a woman, asking "How do we get to Mt Warning ? We tried to find Swift's Rd, like the GPS said, but ????....." And so began my directions, and our short contact with these two women, currently living on the Gold Coast.

I used to draw mudmaps regularly for people like this, when our gallery Viridian, in the village became the un-official Tourist Info Centre, as none of the maps show the roads circuiting the mountain, thru Mebbin Forest, accurately. I was about to begin a mudmap, when they produced their phone and I explained the way back to the Mt Warning Rd. Liffy then remembers that the roadworks, repairing flood damage, might have the road closed (??). I then began giving them directions to Blackbutt Lookout in the Border Ranges, and Liffy knew/thought, that the closest access is currently closed due to landslips and repairs too. So we then said follow us up the hill for our closest and most spectacular lookout, which they did.

They were most impressed "We would never have found this, without you, thank you so much. We will stay and have our lunch here !" And they are right. They would never have found it on their own, as like I said earlier, there is no signage, there is no mention of it in the info brochures. It remains a Hidden Secret.

So why is it a hidden secret you may ask? Well despite our involvement, initiating the idea for the transformation into a people friendly lookout, we were excluded from the process by a local bully, who nearly scotched the closing of the WTS, right at the beginning. He made sure neither of us could be part of the local working group to discuss and decide how the money being saved by the Shire, by not operating the WTS, would be spent. The Working Group, under his direction, had lots of projects within the village done first, despite the WTS/Lookout being a shire regional facility/amenity/opportunity. The Lookout has had the bare minimum and has still not been properly finished.

Four years ago, I gave the council a detailed mudmap plan of the site, I had drawn up as a Lookout, that would create a user friendly picnic spot, for probably a great deal less than has already been spent. The council dismissed this 'amateur' design, and contracted out the work to 1), a fencing contractor, who put up a fence, right across the top of the ridge, making access to the views off either side of the ridge, restricted.

This fence put up for the very occasional, controlled movement of cows, could easily have been placed above the steep hillside on the lower side of the lookout, and if they hadn't used two strands of wire cable for the middle and bottom, you could more easily climb it and use it to sit on !

Why was this little round mountain called Bald Mountain ? Well, when the white invaders arrived, it had no trees on it. It would have had native grasses to feed their nomadic mobs of Wallabies etc, periodically burnt to refresh the growth and assist in the hunting, keeping it free of the rampant growth of the Rainforest.

Secondly, the council contracted someone? or tore down the Open Walled Shed from the WTS themselves, which 'tho a tad ugly, could have provided visitors with a wonderful Wet Weather

Viewing Shelter where it is totally amazing to watch the Thunder Storms roll in, watching the Lightning during Torrential Downpours, and could have housed some under-cover picnic tables with Local First People's History Info Boards along the back wall, as Long Mountain Way, was one of their primary access routes up to the ranges above. My plans, also detailed how to utilise this resourceful structure, by painting an Artistic Mudmap on the roof and outside back wall, so that visitors could readily see the local landmarks like The Pinnacle, Blackbutt Lookout, Sphinx Rock Brummies Lookout etc even if the weather didn't permit them to get out of their cars, or while sitting at the picnic tables.

Can you just imagine standing up on the left with the roof painted out in a colourful Mudmap, as you pick out the landmarks in the wide views in front of you.

Although it is a far cry from what it once was in the recent past, and is a far cry from what it could be, at least there are a few basic amenities for our visitors to sit on and have their lunch, if they only knew about it and could find it on their maps. Come on Tweed Council let's put Long Mountain Lookout on the Map, and Acknowledge the First People's who once maintained the rainforest above, keeping a track clear, so they could walk up and down with ease.

The Cougals to the north, I love the way volcanic remnants mirror others in their shapes.

Now a bitumen road way up to the property at the top, for those who can't make the climb, you could drive up and turn someplace after the cattle grid and take in the awesome view on the way back down.