Premier Gladys Berejiklian has today announced a new national park for NSW \u2013 providing another significant boost for the State\u2019s koala population \u2013 along with a major new package that will improve access to existing national parks.
\nThe State\u2019s newest national park will cover around 3680 hectares in the north of Goulburn electorate, bordering Wollondilly. The new park is centered around Tugalong Station \u2013 about 25 kilometres northwest of Bowral.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NSW Liberals & Nationals have been careful custodians of the State\u2019s national parks and I am thrilled to be able to unveil a new one today,\u201d Ms Berejiklian said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThis new national park will ensure that a vital koala wilderness area south of Sydney is preserved. Like all national parks, it will be open to the public so they can explore the wilderness country.\u201d
\nMs Berejiklian also announced a $150 million investment to improve access to national parks across NSW \u2013 funding made possible due to the strong economic management of the NSW Liberals & Nationals.
\n\u201cThis includes major upgrade works in places like Sydney\u2019s Royal National Park and in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, making it easier for people to enjoy our wonderful natural beauty,\u201d Ms Berejiklian said.
\nEnvironment Minister Gabrielle Upton said the new national park contains some of the Southern Highlands\u2019 best koala habitat.
\n\u201cKoalas are an iconic species and we are acting to ensure their survival,\u201d Ms Upton said.
\n\u201cThe new national park will not only add to the State\u2019s conservation lands, it is yet another example of how the NSW Government is moving to protect and preserve the koala population.\u201d
\nThe Government\u2019s $150 million investment to improve access to existing national parks includes upgraded walking tracks, better visitor infrastructure and facilities and new digital tools such as virtual tours and livestreaming cameras.
\nThis will include:
\n\u2022 More access \u2013 significant upgrade to the 13.6 kilometre Grand Cliff Top Walk from Wentworth Falls to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area ($10 million). Also, upgrading access to iconic lookout points to a mobility impaired access standard ($9.9 million);
\n\u2022 Improved park visitor infrastructure and facilities \u2013 expansion of picnic areas, BBQs, water provision, facilities ($38.7 million) and increased support for families and people with restricted mobility ($45 million). This will include upgraded picnic facilities and the walking tracks at Audley Weir, in the Royal National Park.
\n\u2022 Safe access \u2013 Investment in making our extensive network of walking tracks and trails safer and more accessible ($36.4 million); expansion of the \u2018Think before you Trek\u2019 safety program for bushwalkers and work with other agencies to deliver other priority safety programs like \u00a0rock fishing and enhanced mobile connectivity in the parks ($1 million).
\n\u201cNSW boasts some of the most majestic and picturesque coastal lookouts, outback walking tracks, camping grounds and beaches in the world and we want more visitors to experience the natural beauty and wonder of our national parks,\u201d Ms Berejiklian said.
\nMs Upton added: \u201cAs well as international and interstate tourists, we want to make it easier for families to get out there and discover the natural beauty our State.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Premier Gladys Berejiklian has today announced a new national park for NSW \u2013 providing another significant boost for the State\u2019s koala population \u2013 along with a major new package that will improve access to existing national parks. The State\u2019s newest national park will cover around 3680 hectares in the north of Goulburn electorate, bordering Wollondilly. … Continue reading “A NEW NATIONAL PARK FOR NSW”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}