The revelation has rocked the Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council (ELALC), with potentially serious ramifications for the opening of the first stage of the iconic heritage trail currently scheduled for six months’ time.

“We have talked to the Forestry Corporation about exclusion zones countless times in the past, and we were satisfied there would be no hunting allowed,” ELALC chairman BJ Cruse said.

“We understood there would be an exclusion zone from Fisheries Beach/Bilgalera all the way to Mount Imlay/Balawan.”

The discovery was made after a Kiah resident, Fiona Irvine, notified the Eden Magnet that a no-hunt exclusion zone on Shelley’s Road had been lifted.

The coastal end of the Bundian Way snakes through East Boyd State Forest before reaching Fisheries Beach.

It encompasses many established trails and tracks including Shelley’s Road, which runs from the Princes Highway to Edrom Road.

The Magnet requested a map from Forestry Corporation, which confirmed the removal of the exclusion zone.

It also revealed the extent of the approved hunting area encompassing a vast section of the Bundian Way.

“My property runs adjacent to Shelley’s Road, and was used all the time by hunters, causing danger and stress,” Ms Irvine said.

“So I lobbied to get an exclusion zone put in place, which was approved.”

The protection lasted eight years.

Then in June, without warning, it was mysteriously taken away again.

“I only found out when registered hunters knocked on my door and requested to hunt on my property,” Ms Irvine said.

“They showed me the new DPI map and said they’d been recommended to hunt in the area by the DPI.

“The exclusion zone was removed without consultation or risk assessment, and stakeholders like myself and the Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council weren’t told a thing.”

Bundian Way manager Noel Whittem confirmed the ELALC only heard of the lifting of the exclusion zone from Ms Irvine a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s especially shocking considering the Bundian Way is a heritage listed route,” Mr Whittem said.

“If you’re a hunter you will naturally use the easiest trails through the forest, which in this area will be the Bundian Way itself.

“And you can actually drive along sections of the Bundian Way and potentially shoot from your car.”

On September 15 the Magnet sought clarification from the Department of Primary Industries’ Game Licensing Unit - the regulatory body for recreational hunting in NSW - about the status of Shelley’s Road, and asked why exclusion zones had been removed from the area.

A direct response about Shelley’s Road was denied.

“Exclusion zones for hunting in state forests are approved by the land manager, Forestry Corporation of NSW,” an unidentified NSW DPI spokesperson said in a statement to the Magnet.

However, that didn’t get them off the hook, with a Forestry response on September 18 confirming it is indeed a close consultation process.

“Forestry Corporation has continued to liaise with the GLU regarding changes to exclusion zones,” a Forestry Corporation spokesperson stated.

“The area around Shelley’s Road north to the private property was previously excluded from hunting, but this exclusion was removed earlier in 2015 in consultation with the GLU.”

No reason was given by either parties, but answers are still being sought.

Especially now that the official Forestry Corporation map - offering Shelley’s Road and the coastal end of the Bundian Way as a hunting area - has been locked off for the final quarter of the year.

“There are hundreds of kilometres of state forestry lands that hunters can use, so they shouldn’t be allowed to come anywhere near the Bundian Way,” Mr Cruse said.

“Local government and tourism agencies in our region should be just as upset as Aboriginal people about shooting along the pathway.

“The Bundian Way promises to bring development and tourism opportunities to the entire region.

“But if walkers are in danger, that seriously damages the value of the Bundian Way.”