{"id":36362,"date":"2025-12-04T16:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T05:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=36362"},"modified":"2025-12-04T16:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T05:00:11","slug":"new-1-9-million-dollar-eco-tourism-holiday-hotspot-opens-at-belmont-wetlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/new-1-9-million-dollar-eco-tourism-holiday-hotspot-opens-at-belmont-wetlands\/","title":{"rendered":"New $1.9 million-dollar eco-tourism holiday hotspot opens at Belmont Wetlands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Minns Labor Government&nbsp;has unlocked the latest&nbsp;eco-tourism&nbsp;holiday offering with a&nbsp;new&nbsp;$1.9 million&nbsp;campground&nbsp;at Belmont Wetlands in the Lake Macquarie region,&nbsp;giving&nbsp;visitors&nbsp;the option to&nbsp;stay overnight&nbsp;at this&nbsp;iconic&nbsp;destination.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One hundred&nbsp;campsites&nbsp;nestled close to the sand dunes&nbsp;will be available. Visitors will be able to pitch a tent&nbsp;or pull up their camper trailer&nbsp;beneath&nbsp;the stars&nbsp;and&nbsp;use&nbsp;facilities&nbsp;including&nbsp;two new&nbsp;BBQs,&nbsp;covered seating areas,&nbsp;hot and cold&nbsp;showers and&nbsp;an&nbsp;accessible bathroom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;new underground water system&nbsp;has&nbsp;also&nbsp;been installed to&nbsp;service&nbsp;the campground\u2019s water needs&nbsp;and support&nbsp;emergency services&nbsp;in the event of a bushfire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An additional $910,000 has been invested to upgrade the reserve\u2019s entrance road and carpark provided by the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund. These upgrades will increase parking capacity, reduce traffic congestion and encourage more people to visit the reserve.&nbsp;Work is planned to commence early 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Belmont Wetlands was acquired by the NSW Government from BHP in 2002 after sand mining ceased. The beautiful&nbsp;Crown reserve stretches over 554 hectares of bushland, sand dunes and wetlands, providing a haven for walking, bird watching, cycling, surfing, fishing,&nbsp;camping, horse&nbsp;riding and four-wheel driving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The wetlands are less than two&nbsp;hours\u2019&nbsp;drive&nbsp;from Sydney and just over half-an-hour from Newcastle.&nbsp;It&nbsp;makes it&nbsp;the perfect weekend getaway for families and&nbsp;intrepid travellers looking to spend a night camping out in one of NSW\u2019s most diverse natural reserves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minister for Lands&nbsp;and&nbsp;Property,&nbsp;and Tourism Steve Kamper said:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe new and upgraded Belmont Wetlands Campground is set to become one of the Hunter region\u2019s standout eco-tourism drawcards. A place that celebrates the natural beauty of NSW&nbsp;and&nbsp;actively boosts local jobs, small businesses, and the visitor economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith more travellers seeking nature-based experiences, this revitalised campground will encourage longer stays, greater local spending, and stronger support for caf\u00e9s, shops, tour operators, and accommodation providers right across the region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Minns Labor Government is focused on building better communities and backing our regions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minister for the Hunter and&nbsp;Member for Swansea Yasmin Catley said:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBelmont Wetlands is one of our region\u2019s natural treasures, and these new campgrounds will make it even more accessible for locals and visitors who want to experience it up close.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese new facilities mean families, school groups and travellers can stay overnight at a really affordable price, surrounded by some of the most spectacular coastline and bushland in the state.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe campground will also help create a sustainable future for the park, supporting the incredible volunteers who work so hard to protect this beautiful piece of coastal paradise.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Belmont Wetlands Administrator,&nbsp;Nicole Dunn said:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe&nbsp;campground offers families a safe, welcoming place to reconnect with nature and each other. It\u2019s the perfect spot to experience the joy of camping, whether it\u2019s a weekend adventure, a first&nbsp;family trip, or a chance for locals to try out their new camping gear close to home.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRevenue from the&nbsp;campground will be reinvested to maintain and improve park infrastructure, support conservation efforts, and protect the&nbsp;park\u2019s unique natural environment.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Minns Labor Government&nbsp;has unlocked the latest&nbsp;eco-tourism&nbsp;holiday offering with a&nbsp;new&nbsp;$1.9 million&nbsp;campground&nbsp;at Belmont Wetlands in the Lake Macquarie region,&nbsp;giving&nbsp;visitors&nbsp;the option to&nbsp;stay overnight&nbsp;at this&nbsp;iconic&nbsp;destination.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One hundred&nbsp;campsites&nbsp;nestled close to the sand dunes&nbsp;will be available. Visitors will be able to pitch a tent&nbsp;or pull up their camper trailer&nbsp;beneath&nbsp;the stars&nbsp;and&nbsp;use&nbsp;facilities&nbsp;including&nbsp;two new&nbsp;BBQs,&nbsp;covered seating areas,&nbsp;hot and cold&nbsp;showers and&nbsp;an&nbsp;accessible bathroom.&nbsp; A&nbsp;new underground water &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/new-1-9-million-dollar-eco-tourism-holiday-hotspot-opens-at-belmont-wetlands\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;New $1.9 million-dollar eco-tourism holiday hotspot opens at Belmont Wetlands&#8221;<\/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-36362","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\/36362","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=36362"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36363,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36362\/revisions\/36363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}