VISITORS to Newcastle's patch of paradise at Glenrock Reserve will no longer have to clamour for a car park.
Work will start this week on a 47-space car park off Scout Camp Road, which NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) area manager Mitch Carter said would improve accessibility and visitor safety.
"The car park is regularly at full capacity, thanks to the large number of walkers, runners, mountain bike riders and school groups enjoying Glenrock," he said.
"Many visitors resort to illegally parking on the shoulder of Burwood Road, which results in dangerous pedestrian behaviour that puts visitors at risk.
"To improve visitor safety and simplify access during busy periods, NPWS will be constructing a new car park for visitors to Glenrock, off Scout Camp Road."
Yeularbah car park off Burwood Road at Whitebridge is the main parking area for Glenrock, with access to the Yuelarbah walking track and mountain bike network.
The new car park will be built within the existing disturbed electricity easement to reduce the impact on cultural heritage and the plants and wildlife that call Glenrock home.
The $1.1 million project will see a dual-purpose bus and truck turning bay built to create a safe area for visitors to hop off buses, as well as designated bus and horse float parking spaces and an additional overflow area.
A minor re-route of the Deluge mountain bike trail will be required to accommodate the new car park.
The trail will be closed for the duration of construction, which is set to start on Wednesday and is expected to be finished by September.
It's estimated about one million people visit Glenrock each year, from trail runners to bushwalkers, mountain bike riders, surfers, scouts, horseriders, hangliders and more.
The reserve is home to more than 140 species of birds, echidnas, bats and gliders and conserves five threatened ecological communities and seven threatened plant species.
Submissions on a management plan for the reserve, which is designed to strike a better balance between mountain bikers, ramblers and the bush, closed in February.
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment put together a draft management plan and a separate proposal for mountain bikers.
NPWS hopes to draw tourists to historic heritage-listed areas like the remains of the old Burwood Colliery - one of the oldest and best preserved 19th century coalmines in the Hunter.
A collection of weatherboard cottages known as Baileys, which already offers short-term accommodation, could be opened for educational tours and event hire with the potential for a cafe or kiosk.
In 2021, the state government committed $91.5 million to boost ecotourism in its national parks, which included $600,000 to plan enhancements to the mountain bike trails at Glenrock.
Visitors should check the NPWS alerts website for more information.
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