Some of Benny Plunkett’s drone footage of Ginninderra Falls. Photo: Benny Plunkett.
Months after Netflix took over the site for the filming of “survivalist thriller” Apex, the cameras have returned to Ginninderra Falls – this time belonging to a Tassie-based filmmaker who’s producing a documentary exploring whether the site should be reopened to the public.
It comes as calls continue for the ACT, NSW and Federal governments to put their heads (and wallets) together and reopen what’s often called “Canberra’s Kakadu”.
“I remember going out there when I was 16, along the river, and feeling ripped off that this is the coolest place in the Canberra region, and we weren’t allowed to access it,” filmmaker Benny Plunkett told Region.
“I know how much the outdoors has given me, and I don’t want the next generation to not have access to places like this, especially with all the mental health stuff going on – with the suicide rates and addiction to screens. It’s like Ginninderra Falls is the solution to a lot of these problems.”
Ginninderra Falls was one of the ACT region’s top tourism sites in the 1990s and early 2000s – drawing in tens of thousands of people a year – but this all ended in 2004 when it was closed as privately owned land.
Last year, however, it went up for sale, prompting calls for governments to take the chance to step in, buy it, and establish the falls as part of a national park.
So far, however, the various petitions have “fallen on deaf ears”, according to the Ginninderra Falls Association, which has spent the past 13 years lobbying for the falls to be reopened.
“There a huge unity ticket to protect and publicly open Ginninderra Falls across the community – from the Greens in the ACT Legislative Assembly, the ACT Conservation Council, David Pocock in Federal Parliament and across our community with more than 1500 signatures on the initial change.org petition,” president Dave Kelly said.
The ACT Greens petition to “reopen Ginninderrra Falls”, launched in late April, has accrued more than 170 signatures.
“Although the falls are in NSW, the only way to access them is through the ACT so our community and government should be involved in the current sale process,” ACT Greens MLA Jo Clay said.
“Surprisingly, the ACT Government has not considered the potential tourism benefits from reopening Ginninderra Falls, nor have they discussed public access with the NSW Government and Yass Valley Council. This is why the community is taking action.”
Benny Plunkett interviewing ACT senator David Pocock at Ginninderra Falls. Photo: Benny Plunkett.
The ACT Government maintains it has always held a “vision” to reopen the falls as part of the “Ginninderry Masterplan”.
This “considers the falls as key conservation land” and, in 2020, led to the rezoning of the area under NSW development regulations as “C2-Environmental Conservation”, a classification designed to protect areas of high ecological, scientific, cultural, or aesthetic value.
“Its re-opening remains aspirational as the falls are on private land in NSW and, therefore, the ACT Government has limited opportunities to influence any outcome,” a spokesperson told Region.
A lot of community hopes are now pinned on the result of Benny’s work.
Benny has been “playing around with cameras” most of his life but in the past three to four years, pivoted towards making documentaries. It was during a recent visit to Canberra he heard about the situation at Ginninderra Falls.
“I’m usually based down in Tassie and had been learning about all the stuff that’s been going on down there with the native forest logging and salmon farm fishing … but when I came back up to Canberra to be with my brother for a bit, I started going out to the falls again – right about the time the property went up for sale.”
The film project, entirely self-funded, has Benny flying up from Tasmania to camp out by the falls for as along as a week at a time – with the owner’s blessing, of course.
“When I first started the project, I reckon for the first three months I was essentially working 12 hours a day for five to six days a week, trawling over ever nook and cranny of the falls.”
He admits he’s also spent considerable time “cleaning up the place” due to the amount of rubbish that drains down the river from Lake Ginninderra in Belconnen.
So far, he’s interviewed more than 25 people – and the direction of the finished product is still “evolving”.
“It’s at that point where one person can’t know what’s best for somewhere so sacred and special as Ginninderra Falls, so it should really be up to a collective – a variety of stakeholders – to come together.”
A lookout at Ginninderra Falls. Photo: Ray White Real Estate.
But he added that of the members of First Nations communities he’s spoken to in his documentary, “pretty much everyone has been open to the idea of opening it to the public”.
“I haven’t had a conversation yet where they’re like, ‘Nah, that’s our sacred space, we don’t want it open’. They’ve all been very receptive.”
His hope is to begin touring the finished documentary in cinemas around Australia by the end of the year – because after all, it affects more than just Canberra.
“If you go on to the NSW Parks closures page, you can get essentially like a Google Maps of all the different places around the state that are closed for one reason or another, and we’re talking about some of the most amazing waterfalls and walking tracks … these places aren’t just about going for fun – they’re places of healing.
“The story of Ginninderra Falls is a story that actually affects all Australians.”
