NSW Government makes record land purchase to create new national park

The NSW Government has announced the purchase of 153,415 hectares of private land in the state’s far north-west in order to create a new national park.

The acquisition for an undisclosed fee, of Narriearra station is the largest single land purchase of private land for conservation in the state’s history and is being heralded as a significant win for threatened species and habitats.

Announcing the purchase, the NSW Minister for Energy and Environment, Matt Kean, said the station, which stretches across outback channel country and parts of the floodplain of the Bulloo River, included “ephemeral wetlands and landscapes” that were not included anywhere else across the state’s national parks.

The area, which had been owned by the O’Connor family, includes wetlands listed as nationally significant and is home to at least 27 threatened species, including almost 90% of the endangered grey grasswren’s habitat and breeding areas.

Grey falcon, redthroat and Australian bustard are other threatened species found on the property, which at its northern point ends at the border with Queensland.

Wetland areas of the property, including Caryapundy swamp, contain large semi-permanent lakes that host tens of thousands of waterbirds in wet events including pelicans, ibis, egrets and terns.

The property was also traversed by explorers Burke and Wills in 1860, with an engraved post marking one of the ill-fated expedition's two camp sites.

Minister Kean said the purchase was close to the existing Sturt National Park and would create a near-contiguous conservation area of about 500,000 hectares – twice the size of the ACT.

The property adjoins the Pindera Downs Aboriginal area and Minister Kean said it contained many stone artefacts, tools and stone arrangements.

The new national park has not yet been named but the Tibooburra Local Aboriginal Land Council has been invited to suggest a name.

Welcoming the acquisition, Dr Barry Traill, Australian Director of conservation organisation, Pew Charitable Trusts, said the sale of Narriearra station was "very special" for threatened water birds, in particular the Grey Grasswren.

Dr Traill noted “nearly 90% of its habitat in NSW is on Narriearra station”, adding that the purchase would also encourage greater tourism to the outback.

He went on to say "Outback Australia is one of the great remaining intact natural places on Earth and we don't often think of that in that way . . . that's something that's now rare and special in the world.                                           

"There are millions of people that are very keen on bird watching in Australia and just having some species like the grey grasswren is a magnet for people to go out to the landscape and spend some local dollars and help the community through tourism.”

Roxann Robertson from the Tibooburra Local Aboriginal Land Council said the purchase of Narriearra station was good news for the future of conservation, advising that the Land Council had always had a good relationship with national parks authorities and she had "no doubt" that would continue as ownership of Narriearra station changed.

Image: Narriearra Station covers more than 150,000 hectares across far north west NSW. (Supplied).