Fears GP workforce will hit the rocks if climbing ban goes ahead
Dr Felix Ritson says the proposed ban has caused fellow GPs to change their minds about moving to the area.
Dr Felix Ritson was 15 when he first scaled Mount Arapiles, a staggering rock formation that rises 140 metres above the Wimmera plains in Victoria.
That moment triggered a lifelong rock-climbing passion and years later his decision to work at a GP practice 30 minutes away.
The site is famous within the global rock-climbing community, but a ban may soon come.
Mt Arapiles is a sacred site to the Wotjobaluk people, who have a history of connection to the land. It is home to Indigenous artefacts, scarred trees and rock art dating back at least 3000 years, according to Parks Victoria.
