The push to make more of Australia’s stunning natural attractions accessible to those with mobility issues is continuing.
In New South Wales, work has just been completed on an $800,000 upgrade of a walking track at Bald Rock National Park.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Principal Project Officer Dirk Richards said the upgrade means that all community members, including those using wheelchairs or with restricted mobility, can visit the awe-inspiring granite gardens.
“Bald Rock’s water-streaked dome, which rises over 200 metres above the landscape, is the largest exposed granite rock in Australia,” Mr Richards said. “The previous track which wound from the carpark to the base of the rock was badly damaged in the 2019–20 bushfires, with parts of the bitumen track melted by the extreme heat and impacted by falling trees.”
Bald Rock National Park entry. PIC: Joshua J Smith / DPE
Over the past eight months, sections of the 450-metre walking track have been realigned, widened and resurfaced to make them wheelchair-accessible and wide enough for two wheelchairs to comfortably pass one another.
“National parks are such important places for our community, and we want to remove as many physical obstacles as we can so that everyone can visit and enjoy our region’s extraordinary natural places,” said Mr Richards. “We’ve also constructed a small picnic area with a shelter and seating at the base of the rock so that visitors can relax and enjoy a picnic while they admire the jaw-dropping monolith or wait for friends and family who made the summit climb.”
Over the last 18 months, the Bungoona walking track, which also takes visitors to the top of Bald Rock, has also been upgraded in various sections.
Bald Rock campground and picnic area offers 13 campsites for tents and caravans, picnic tables, toilets and barbecue facilities.
Visitors to NSW national parks contribute more $73 million annually to the northern New England high country economy.
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