Gibraltar Falls to be fenced off after fatal falls last year

A new 210-metre-long fence is to be built along the walking track at Gibraltar Falls in the south of the ACT to make the once-popular destination safe after two people fell to their deaths in one week last year.

The site has since been closed to the public and extra fencing installed, but now the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate has issued a tender for the project, seeking a contractor to design and build a permanent safety fence.

According to the tender document, the goal is to further deter the public from accessing the falls or surrounding areas and make the walking track safe by installing a fence.

Fencing is to be extended from the lookout platform to the end of the current railing along the length of the top of the falls.

The fence must be at least 1.5 metres high, and there must be no openings anywhere below the top rail that could allow the passage of a sphere 125 mm in diameter.

The fence must also not allow a toehold between 150 mm and 760 mm above deck or stair nosing level. Horizontal rails are acceptable if the design will prevent children under six from climbing over the fence.

It must also close off the existing lookout.

An EPSDD spokesperson said the works would allow the existing picnic area and the viewing platform to be reopened, but that decision is up to the Conservator of Flora and Fauna under the Nature Conservation Act 2014.

“Current plans are that the public will access Gibraltar Falls via the walking trail from Woods Reserve,” the spokesperson said.

The tender closed at the end of April, but the timing of the works and expected completion date have yet to be determined.

The spokesperson said that when the site reopened, visitors would be required to remain on clearly marked trails and viewing areas.

“The fencing and signage to be installed is designed to ensure visitors are clearly aware of where they are permitted to go and ensure they can make responsible decisions about their own safety,” the spokesperson said.

The improved signage would make visitors aware of the risks of entering the high-risk areas at the top of the falls and advise them to remain on marked trails and viewing areas.

In February 2023, two young men fell to their deaths.

On 12 February, 19-year-old Thomas Livingstone is believed to have slipped while scrambling across rocks in front of the waterfall.

ACT Parks and Conservation rangers and passersby were able to provide assistance and first aid until emergency services arrived, but he died at the scene.

That death prompted the ACT Conservator of Flora and Fauna, Bren Burkevics, to warn all cards were “on the table” as the Territory considered how to make Gibraltar Falls safer.

But on 18 February, Patrick Prevett, a 22-year-old Queanbeyan man, was visiting the waterfall with his sister and friends when he slipped from the rocky outcrop near the top.

He was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency services, who found him unconscious in the water, were unable to revive him.

While Gibraltar Falls has a viewing platform, the water hole became popular with locals and tourists who frequently entered areas they shouldn’t have.

Parks and Conservation rangers carried out a safety review of the site, including examining signage, fencing, handrails and areas that have been trampled by people who ignore warnings and head off the marked trails.

Mr Burkevics warned that if signage and fences weren’t enough to stop people from walking where they shouldn’t, other options were available, including permanently closing the area to the public.

The deaths also prompted Canberra’s tourism agency, Visit Canberra, to pull all marketing material that included the site and its picturesque rockpool.

ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development deputy director-general Geoffrey Rutledge said at the time that Gibraltar Falls was not considered a swimming hole.