Urgent request to make representations to Minister Penny Sharpe and Premier Chris Minns.

A lease issued to Wild Bush Luxury Experience (WBLE) for three groups of serviced cabins in iconic pagoda landscapes of the Gardens of Stone will establish this precedent:

• Future resort developers in national parks can expect a lease for sites that they select in remote and pristine bushland with iconic views of national parks;
• These developments can damage scientifically important and internationally rare natural values in national parks and pollute streams;
• Developers can also expect that the NPWS won’t require an environmental impact statement of them when there is potential to cause significant environmental impacts.

A WBLE lease opens the door for damaging tourism development that picks the eyes out of NSW national parks. All three resorts proposed in the Gardens of Stone will damage iconic views of pristine pagoda landscapes, which WBLE needs to do, so they can charge $1,000/day/person.

The NSW Government must thrown this cabin lease proposal out!

Object - dont delay, make representations to the Premier of NSW, Chris Minns, MP, and Hon Penny Sharpe, MLC, Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Heritage calling on them to reject the Wild Bush Luxury’s lease proposal.

The indications are bad

Last Friday (6th Sept), NSW Environment Minister, Penny Sharpe, on ABCTV Stateline program gave an indication of her views of serviced cabins in national parks when she said: "I don't think it's a good thing that the only people who can access a place are those who can carry all of their own gear and do that because they're fit enough."

Peddling this line to justify serviced cabin resorts and paint conservationists as selfish elitists only replaces a “can’t carry their own gear or aren’t fit enough” tagline with a “must have enough money to pay for a luxury experience” argument, which is more limiting.

Email Premier Chris Minns and Minister Penny Sharpe and explain that providing leases for luxury cabins in the Gardens of Stone can’t solve the problem of access for the less fit.

The proposed Gardens of Stone Walk is challenging, even without a pack. The route passes in and out of Carne Creek gorge twice, and into another gully. The less fit won't enjoy it. Families with young children can't do it.

Like its resorts on Maria Island in Tasmania, WBLE’s proposal of three serviced cabin resorts on the Gardens of Stone Walk will cost its patrons around $1000 a day. These exclusive canvas resorts can’t create opportunities for less fit people. The walk is too hard. These developments will damage wild precious undamaged pagoda bushland in the Gardens of Stone SCA and pollute Carne Creek with greywater from the resorts.

Yes, coal mining is causing havoc in this region, and that’s all the more reason to not hand over the remaining pristine pagoda landscapes for exclusive three developments.

Remind Minister Sharpe and Premier Minns that the issuing a lease renders worthless the NPWS Sustainability Assessment Criteria for regulation of Tourism development in national parks. The cabins lease is for 20 years, on sites located on prominent ridgelines, and in intact pagoda environments that will be three strikes against the guideline.

These damaging self-contained and exclusive serviced cabins won't benefit Lithgow, as they comprise only 1% of visitors who will go straight to the serviced resort, while visitors who stay at the proposed Forest Campground will almost certainly visit Lithgow. The Government has got this particular tourism issue by the tail.

Options for the less fit visitor

Access to the Gardens of Stone without building remote bush glamping resorts include - provision of less challenging Newnes Plateau walks; car camping at Forest Camp and Newnes on the Wolgan River; encouraging local operators to provide guided explorations led by knowledgeable locals and to support for visitors, as is done in many other places around Australia.

Bushwalkers aren’t the only people who access the Gardens of Stone SCA and Minister Sharpe should distance herself from the arguments of developers pushing for elitist resorts inside national parks.

Building Forest Camp in the former pine forest on Newnes Plateau to the highest standard helps Lithgow. Campers will use Lithgow to service their needs and in doing so discover its unique heritage. By delivering Destination Pagoda, more nature opportunities for 3G tourism (nature tourism for three generations of a family) can be created.

Sustainable alternatives outside protected areas in the Gardens of Stone region include locally owned guesthouses, eco-conscious lodges nestled at the edge of the reserve, like Newnes Cabins in the Wolgan Valley. These options allow society to reap the benefits of tourism while safeguarding the natural attractions, like iconic pagoda landscapes, that attract visitors.

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Centennial Coal’s plans to expand mining under the Gardens of Stone puts threatened species, cultural heritage and Sydney’s drinking water at risk.

Read this new briefing note on the issue.

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When the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area was announced on November 13, 2021, the NSW Government also announced an adventure theme park at Lost City and exclusive accommodation in association with a Great Walk.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service is seeking public comments on its intention to grant 20 year leases for these two proposals in parts of the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area. The period for comments is in the holiday period closing on 18 January. The parent company involved with these proposals is Experience Co (this is the same company that has plans to develop the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area).

Object to these leases that will privatise parts of this conservation reserve before the public has an opportunity to comment on the details of these developments.

The proposed locations and extent of the accommodation are only approximate and not clearly defined on the simple map provided. Likewise the location of “ziplines, via ferrata and suspension bridges” and other requirements for the Lost City Adventure Precinct. This means that the possible environmental impacts of the proposed lease are hard to identify, let alone avoid them and protect the area.

Ticking the consultation box without information is a sham process. Very limited information is available in the public exhibition of the notice to grant leases.

ACTION: Express your concerns about the development threat to this important Blue Mountains reserve before close of business, 18 January 2023.

For more information and assistance with making a submission, go to the gardensofstone.org.au website

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Gardens of Stone Banner Drop
Protect the Gardens of Stone - a wonderland, not a theme park

Sunday 28 August 2022
More information in Events

Lithgow’s iconic 'Lost City' in the Gardens of Stone SCA is set to be blighted with an adventure tourism theme park - what a waste of such a fantastic view!

Protest! Come to the banner drop event. You can help by forwarding this message to like-minded supporters. Protect 'Lost City' so everyone can enjoy its spectacular beauty.

Event organised by the Gardens of Stone Alliance.

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The Society is overjoyed at the creation of a Gardens of Stone state conservation area plus additions to Gardens of Stone and Wollemi National Parks.

The decision transfers into the national park estate the 31,500 hectare Newnes, Ben Bullen and Wolgan state forests, an area of spectacular pagoda landscapes, cliffs, waterfalls, woodlands and flowering swamps.

The Society acknowledges this as Aboriginal land, Wiradjuri country. and pays respects to the traditional custodians of this land.

This has been a long journey going back to Myles Dunphy’s vision for the Greater Blue Mountains. The name, “Gardens of Stone”, was first used by renowned environmentalist, Haydn Washington.

The Society has been involved in the campaign for over twenty years. The Gardens of Stone Alliance, made up of founding members Colong Foundation for Wilderness, Lithgow Environment Group and Blue Mountains Conservation Society, has been the organising force of the campaign since 2006.

Here's the NSW Government's media release.

The Society wishes to thank all our members and supporters. You have helped make this happen through raising awareness, signing petitions, submissions, letters to government and supporting our public events.

We would like to recognise some key Society members: Brian Marshall, Ian Brown, Karen McLaughlin, Peter Green, Janine Kitson, Yuri Bolotin, Joel Robinson, Thomas Ebersoll, Tara Cameron and Madi Maclean.

And our Gardens of Stone Alliance partners: Keith Muir of Colong Foundation; Julie Favell, Chris Jonkers and Richard Stiles from Lithgow Environment Group.

We acknowledge the long-term support of National Parks Association and the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, now an Alliance member.

We would like to thank the parliamentarians who drove this proposal:

• Environment Minister, Matt Kean, for getting it over the line;
• Trish Doyle, our local member, for her long term support and for ensuring the Labor Party added protection of the Gardens of Stone into its platform at the last state election;
• Cate Faehrmann, Greens MLC
• Catherine Cusack, Liberal MLC.

It has been a roller coaster ride!

In 2012 the Planning Assessment Commission for the Coalpac open cut mine recognised that: “the highest and best use of the area is for conservation purposes”. Nearly ten years later we’ve got there!

The next step is the establishment of the new SCA which brings with it professional park management of the area and consultation on the proposals.

The Society looks forward to the establishment of what will be an exciting new conservation area for the Greater Blue Mountains centred on Lithgow.

The Society will continue its work protecting and defending our natural environment with your support.

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The issue of protecting the Gardens of Stone has been highlighted in State Parliament recently. In late September the NSW Government introduced legislation to add 4,500 ha of “unproductive’ state forests to the national parks estate mostly for koala protection.   more...

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Newnes State Forest is a 21,000 hectares plateau north of Lithgow with windswept montane heathlands, nationally endangered upland swamps, unique snowgum-snowgrass woodlands and 67 listed rare plant and animal species. Yet it is unprotected because of coal mining.   more...

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The independent Planning and Assessment Commission (PAC) has decided that Invincible Mine can restart open cut mining in the Gardens of Stone area and in the former Coalpac proposal area. The area is beside the Castlereagh Highway (the main road to Mudgee) and will extend the Invincible’s devastated moonscape.   more...

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The Society will be making a presentation today to the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) meeting on the Invincible mine in the former Coalpac area. We will be strongly opposing any open-cut mining restarting in the Gardens of Stone area.

To make your voice heard and lodge an objection to open-cut mining, you can use our letter (currently disabled) and add your own comments.

Points you could include:

• The Gardens of Stone area is home to internationally significant pagoda rock formations that are at risk if any mining takes place
• Any mining will have a drastic impact on the numerous threatened species in the area
• The area is rich in flora and fauna that will be severely impacted by any mining

You need to get your letter in before 5pm Tuesday 5 December, 2017.

Blue Mountains Conservation Society is a part of the Gardens of Stone Alliance along with Colong Foundation and Lithgow Environment Group.

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Thank you so much to everyone who came out to the Gardens of Stone Alliance Banner event.

We had a terrific turnout and, as well as the banner, used the gathering to host several Wild Cafes which enabled participants to learn more about current campaigns.