The Mount Keira Summit Park will soon become known as Djeera or Geera, after Wollongong councillors voted to elevate the area's Aboriginal heritage.
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Councillors unanimously adopted a new version of the plan of management (POM) for the summit on Monday night, after deputy mayor Tania Brown made slight amendments to the council staff recommendation.
The plan sets out the main guidelines for permissible activities at the 9.4 hectare site, to ensure it continues to be a scenic lookout over the Illawarra escarpment that respects the site's Aboriginal heritage.
As part of this, the council has recommended a joint naming of the Summit Park as Djeera Mount Keira Summit Park.
The updated document controversially removed reference to a beginner's track for bikes, which was once considered, and takes a plan to make way for off-trail mountain biking at the peak of the mountain off the table.
However, under Cr Brown's amendments, the council will look at how it can provide better access for bushwalkers and cyclists to the summit along Queen Elizabeth Drive. It will also be able to review its plan of management once the NSW Government's Illawarra Escarpment Mountain Bike Strategy, which relates to the use of the rest of the mountain, is finalised.
Cr Brown said she hoped this would help to address any safety concerns from the mountain biking community. some of whom spoke at the council meeting.
For instance, Gary Pesavento, from the Illawarra Mountain Bike Alliance, said removing mountain biking altogether from the top of the mountain would have a negative impact on bikers, as people would have to access amenities and picnic facilities via a dangerous and narrow road.
Likewise, mountain bike supporter Nicole Bush said she understood that the park was of "huge significance" for Aboriginal people, but was also concerned about the safety of families and beginner riders.
"Please don't make a blanket ban that will put our children's and families' safety at risk," she said.
When it comes to permissable uses, the POM sets out that the majority of the summit land is "an area of cultural significance", while a small area including the lookout and car park is classified for "general community use".
The council said the name Djeera (also spelled Djera and Geera) is the Dharawal word for Mount Keira, which along with Mount Kembla (Djembla) and the Five Islands, is "fundamental to the values and beliefs of the traditional Aboriginal families living in and from this area".
Consultation will occur about the joint naming, including the appropriate spelling.
Signage will be updated to reflect the new joint name.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
