NEW NATIONAL PARK IN OUTBACK NSW

Threatened species and vital wetlands in outback NSW will be protected following the acquisition of Comeroo station northwest of Bourke. The NSW Government has acquired Comeroo, Muttawary and Maranoa stations (known collectively as Comeroo). The purchase will add more than 37,000 hectares to the NSW national park estate, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

A vast outback property spanning more than 37,000 hectares will be added to the national park estate, protecting part of one of Australia's most important wetlands and an array of threatened species.

The NSW Government, with support from The Nature Conservancy, has acquired 3 stations totalling 37,422 hectares located 150 km north-west of Bourke: Comeroo, Muttawary and Maranoa (known collectively as Comeroo).

The purchase secures connectivity for conservation across more than 100,000 hectares when combined with nearby Brindingabba National Park and properties Yantabulla and Naree, which have in perpetuity private lands conservation agreements with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust.

Over one-quarter of the property, almost 10,000 hectares, stretches across Yantabulla Swamp – regarded as among Australia's most important wetlands and internationally recognised as an Important Bird Area.

Yantabulla Swamp hosts thousands of internationally protected migratory shorebirds and up to 50,000 waterbirds, including threatened freckled ducks, pink-eared ducks, grey teals, night herons, and many other species. Yantabulla Swamp remains in excellent ecological condition, largely unaffected by upstream water resource development.

Comeroo is located in the Mulga Lands bioregion, which has some of the poorest levels of protection in New South Wales. Three endangered ecological communities cover one-third of Comeroo, including the critically endangered Artesian Springs Ecological Community in the Great Artesian Basin.

The property features diverse habitats, from alluvial floodplains and swamps with permanent waterholes to a mosaic of grasslands, shrublands, wetlands, and woodlands.

At least 13 known threatened species will benefit from permanently protecting the area. These include the stripe-faced dunnart, ringed brown snake, black-breasted buzzard, brolga, pink cockatoo, little eagle and Hall's babbler.

Comeroo lies in the traditional shared country of the Budjiti, Kunja, Gurnu Baakandji and Muruwari people and is extraordinarily rich in Aboriginal sites. The National Parks and Wildlife Service will proudly work with Aboriginal communities to support protecting these important cultural sites.

We will be undertaking key programs such as feral animal and weed control, fire management, asset works, key conservation and Aboriginal cultural projects, and developing visitor experiences. An appropriate name for the park will also be considered as part of the statutory reservation process.

Planning will progress over the next 12 months while the property transitions from the current owners to National Parks and Wildlife Service management. The park is set to become an exciting stop for visitors across a must-see network of western New South Wales national parks, with the park expected to be open to the public in late 2024.

The purchase of Comeroo involved a partnership between the NSW Government and the Nature Conservancy Australia, who brokered a contribution from The Wyss Foundation.

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*Destination NSW