Overview
In what was the state's largest ever purchase of private land for national parks, the NSW Government acquired the 153,415-hectare Narriearra Station earlier this month. The huge swath of land stretches across Channel Country, the Bulloo River floodplain and wetlands in the far north west corner of NSW, near the Queensland border. Most importantly, though, it's home to more than 25 threatened animal species — including 90 percent of the state's habitat and breeding grounds for the endangered grey grasswren.
The park, which is set to be named by the Tibooburra Local Aboriginal Land Council, is also home to many significant stone artefacts, tools and stone arrangements that provide evidence of First Nations peoples' history in the region.
Environment Minister Matt Kean says the acquisition of the outback station has put them on track to achieve the 200,000 hectares of new national park land he promised last year.
"Narriearra along with the nearby Sturt National Park, will create a vast near-contiguous conservation area of almost half a million hectares, or twice the size of the ACT," Kean said in a statement.
While a visit to the new national park certainly won't be achievable in a weekend — it's located around a 13-hour drive northwest of Sydney — it'll be a worthy adventure, especially if you're a budding ornithologist. Within the park, you'll find the Caryapundy Swamp, which is home to tens of thousands of waterbirds, including pelicans, egrets, whiskered terns and a relative of the misunderstood bin chicken, the straw-necked ibis.
As well as bird-filled swamp, there is also saltbush shrubland, sandplains, lakes and coolabah-lined channels.
For more information about the Narriearra Station, head to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment website.