0
0
A vast territory has been acquired by the New South Wales government in a bid to create a massive park for conservation and recreation a million hectares in size.
A 437,394-hectare site, in an area called the Thurloo Downs between the towns of Tibooburra and Bourke in the northwest corner of the state, is envisioned as an extension of two existing protected areas to create an enormous new single park.
WaL has previously reported on the continuing efforts by the Australian state governments to purchase the most pristine ranch properties around the country to preserve as national parks. Continuing on the trend, this is the largest purchase of privately-owned land for the sake of conservation ever carried out by the NSW government.
“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,” said NSW environment minister, James Griffin, in a statement in late February.
The Thurloo Downs is classic “outback” terrain and will protect two critically endangered ecological communities of about 50 threatened bird and mammal species that aren’t conserved anywhere else in the country.
It’s very remote; sitting about 10 hours by car from Sidney. A small airstrip lies at the outback station of Wanaaring, in the heart of the property.
