NSW National Park network expands with acquisition of three retired stations

The NSW Government is adding more than 34,000 hectares across three large land holdings in north-west NSW to the state’s network of national parks. Combined, the new reserves provide known or potential habitat for more than 80 threatened species.

The government has invested $11.7 million to acquire the retired stations, totalling 34,773 hectares:

• Bellenbar - 13,674 hectares

• Iona - 13,456 hectares

• Innisfail - 7,643 hectares

The new reserve at Bellenbar is north-west of Bourke on the Warrego River and includes 2,334 ha of coolibah - black box woodland which is listed as an endangered ecological community.

Nine threatened species including the endangered kultarr and south-eastern hooded robin have been recorded on the property and an additional 27 threatened species have been spotted in the locality.

The new reserve at Iona is north west of Cobar and has known-and-potential habitat for 50 threatened species. That includes 44 animals including Corben's long-eared bat, yellow-bellied sheathtail-bat, inland forest bat and little pied bat, as well as habitat for 7 flora species including the lancewood Acacia petraea.

Iona also includes significant rock art and cultural heritage of the Ngiyampaa people on the Cobar Peneplains. A study of the rock art of the Cobar Pediplain was completed by F.D. McCarthy in 1976 where he states, they are the “finest series of rock paintings in southeastern Australia”.

North-west of Brewarrina, the Innisfail property is part of the Mundiwa Aboriginal camp inhabited up until the early 1900s by Jimmie Barker and others who documented Muruwari culture.

The property is rich in biodiversity with 22 fauna and two threatened species observed, including the endangered listed hooded robin and vulnerable listed grey-crowned babbler.

The property at Innisfail also features 4,000 ha of coolibah - black box woodland and riverine habitat along a 20 km stretch of the Culgoa River as well as numerous other channels and waterholes on floodplains.

Following the acquisitions, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service will undergo extensive planning to determine how best to protect the environmental and cultural heritage values of these new reserves. Work including feral animal control and fire management will be carried out.

These three acquisitions nearly double new additions for the 2024-25 financial year to a total of more than 73,000 ha. The NSW national parks network now totals almost 7,774,000 ha.

Image. Iona. Credit: NSW National Parks