Habitat for more than 50 threatened species will be preserved as part of a new land acquisition by the New South Wales government that will become the state’s third-largest national park.
The 437,394 hectare site, which is called Thurloo Downs and is about 250 kilometres from Bourke in the state’s north-west, contains globally significant arid zone wetlands, as well as salt lakes, playas and other geological formations that are unprotected elsewhere in NSW.
The area is home to birds including the critically endangered plains wanderer, vulnerable pink cockatoos and the endangered painted snipe; lizards such as the crowned gecko; marsupials including the sandy inland mouse and the stripe-faced dunnart, and an array of threatened plant species.
Thurloo also forms part of the Bulloo Overflow, a critical ecosystem for huge numbers of waterbirds, particularly during breeding seasons.
“This is the largest ever single parcel of land to be acquired for the national park estate in NSW,” premier Dominic Perrottet said in a statement on Monday.
“It will provide yet another reason for people to venture out and explore this part of the state, driving tourism dollars in the region and at every stop along the way.”
Perrottet also lauded the potential economic benefits of the new reserve, saying national parks contributed $18bn to the state’s economy every year.
Located on Karenggapa and Parundji country, the purchased land also contains extensive Aboriginal heritage, including historic artefacts and items of cultural significance. Community collaboration would be sought to manage that heritage in conjunction with the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Currently a pastoral station, the property will have about $4m spent on it to build visitor and parks management infrastructure, the government said. The NPWS will also spend the next two years undertaking a feral animal and weed control program.
Additional NPWS staff would be hired to manage the extra land.
The NSW environment minister, James Griffin, said the land acquisition was “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the people of NSW”.
“When combined with the adjacent Narrieara-Caryapundy national park and the nearby Sturt national park, our national parks now protect an almost completely connected area of about one million hectares west to the South Australia border,” Griffin said.
“We want this park to be a drawcard for visitors and an asset to the entire local community. Far from keeping people out, we’ll invest in the jobs and infrastructure to welcome people in to walk, explore, camp and see what a beautiful part of the landscape it is.”
The acquisition is one of a series of significant land purchases made by the NSW government in the state’s west since 2019, including the 33,000 hectare Brindingabba-Bindra in 2021 and the 153,415 hectare Narriearra Station in 2020, reversing the long hiatus in national parks estate acquisition since the Coalition took power in NSW more than a decade ago.
The government expects the new park to be ready for visitors by 2025.
