Doc's Westport principal ranger biodiversity Sean Judd says the group - a woman and three men, one of whom is wearing a distinctive cowboy hat - was captured on CCTV footage at the Banbury Mine, near Denniston, about 4.30pm on Friday, April 3.
The historic site is fenced off to ensure the protection of the mining heritage structures and artifacts, and to ensure public safety, he said.
“They’ve gone well past a fence and into an area where they shouldn’t be."
The area is a category one historic place and popular tourist attraction for people naturing in the Buller district, showcasing the old mine site, including the well-known Denniston Incline, Doc said in a statement today.
Many weathered artifacts remain there and hint at the living and working conditions from the 1880s, when coal was first sent down the Denniston Incline, to 1967, when the mine closed.
The CCTV footage shows the group walking around the site. The man in the cowboy hat appears to pause to take a selfie while the other three people look around.
“There’s no apparent damage and nothing’s been taken,” Mr Judd said. “But we certainly don’t condone these people entering the site and we’d like a chat about how and why they entered the area.”
He acknowledged people could be fascinated by heritage sites and want to take a closer look, but warned:
“With heritage comes risk - the Banbury Mine, like many old mining sites, has structures at various levels of decay which have been closed off to ensure visitors are safe and are not injured.
“As well as the decaying buildings and artifacts, there’s also a significant fall risk further in, where there is no barrier protecting visitors from a sheer drop.
“We do not manage this location as a visitor site - and those risks to people are part of that approach."
Mr Judd said the incident was an important reminder that Doc makes decisions about closing sites "when we consider the location is not safe for visitors - and we ask the public to respect those closures.”
He appealed for the group, or anyone who could identify them, to contact 0800 DOC HOT and quote case CLE-11613.
"Most people enjoy and experience nature and our beautiful taonga by doing the right thing – and we really appreciate that. Follow the rules, and we’ll be happy - and you’ll have a great experience naturing.
"Unfortunately, when a few people or organisations don’t follow the rules, it further threatens our special places and threatened species," he said.
- Allied Media
