The much-talked about Great Koala National Park on the NSW Mid North Coast is significant step closer to becoming a reality.
Legislation to create the new park has been introduced to the State Parliament, revealing new details about how the park will protect koalas while keeping forests open for people to explore and enjoy.
The National Park Estate (Great Koala National Park Reservations) Bill 2026 will add more than 178,000 hectares of state forest and other Crown land to the national park estate, protecting important habitat for an estimated 12,000 koalas, 36,000 gliders and more than 100 threatened species.
Combined with existing national parks and reserves, it will be one of the largest parks in NSW, creating a protected area spanning more than 475,000 hectares from Kempsey to Grafton and inland to Ebor.
The Great Koala National Park is a huge step closer to becoming a reality. PIC: NSW Government
The Bill includes different reserve categories across the park, allowing a wide range of recreational activities to continue alongside conservation.
Most of the newly added state forest and Crown land will be reserved as national park, ensuring long-term protection of important environmental and cultural values. Some 13% of the added land will be designated regional park, supporting more intensive recreation and community activities.
The Government says visitors will be able to enjoy a range of activities including bushwalking, trail running, camping, kayaking, canoeing, horse riding, trail-bike riding, four-wheel driving, fishing and mountain-bike riding, as well as dog walking in select reserves.
The reserve categories have been informed by feedback from the community and recreational groups about how they currently use these forests and what they want to see in the future. This highlighted strong support for protecting wildlife and maintaining recreational access.
The Bill even allows the Minister for the Environment to approve motor racing events on existing roads in regional parks within the Great Koala National Park in appropriate circumstances.
The final creation of the Great Koala National Park is now conditional on the Clean Energy Regulator’s registration of the carbon project.
Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said creating the park was one of the most important things that can be done to save koalas in NSW … and would also create an area that people can explore and enjoy for generations.
“From bushwalking and canoeing to mountain-bike riding and camping, we’ve listened to how people want to enjoy the park and we’re making sure that while we save koalas, the Great Koala National Park can also be a world-class area for recreation,” she said.
The Nature Conservation Council was equally positive, saying the introduction of the legislation was an historic milestone for koala conservation.
NCC Senior Forest Campaigner, Clancy Barnard, said polling had consistently shown more than 85% of people in NSW supported the Great Koala National Park.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see plans for improved recreational opportunities, including free campsites and continued access for dog walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders,” he said. “This will see more people have access to these magnificent forests.”
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NSW Government can’t look after the parks they have now so why are they adding significantly larger areas they cannot look after? An uncontrollable bushfire event, waiting to happen. This is a brain snap of some mindless bureaucrats who have never experienced Koalas beyond Taronga Park Zoo!
Bring it on.
No there are enough national parks now I have seen too much land get ruined with weeds and vermin as national parks do not allow grazing, shooting or spraying and the noxious weeds the fox’s and many other pests thrive
Better have more land ruined with weeds, vermin, foxes and wildlife than ruined with housing estates for our growing population. Thank goodness NPs are off limit for developers.