NSW buys more properties to turn them into National Parks.
More jobs lost for shearers, station staff, livestock contractors and local town businesses as the NSW government buys more stations and turns them into expensive, unproductive and neglected feral pest habitats. From the S.A. Stock Journal. Link to the original article below.
https://www.stockjournal.com.au/story/7288555/far-west-nsw-stations-sold-to-national-parks/?cs=4894
THE NSW government has purchased its second largest land acquisition for national parks in the past decade, buying neighbouring stations Lanigdoon and Metford, 65 kilometres east of Broken Hill.
The two properties total 60,468 hectares and will become a new outback reserve.
They are located off the Barrier Highway, just west of well-known outback landmark, the Little Topar Roadhouse, which hosted the ‘roo shooting scene’ for 1971 movie Wake in Fright.
The purchase follows the acquisition of 153,415ha Narriearra Station near Tibooburra, in June last year – the largest ever purchase of private land for the national parks estate, and now known as Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp National Park.
The latest addition will see the national parks system increased by more than 350,000ha since August 2019, on target to meet the state government’s aim of acquiring an additional 400,000ha by the end of 2022.
Lanigdoon and Metford Stations were owned by Kathy and Andrew Wall, who bought Lanigdoon (35,554ha) in 2000 and Metford (24,914ha) in 2008. Both stations were listed for sale in 2019, during the drought.
The couple own two other properties located in the Macquarie Valley and south-west Qld.
NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean said the new park would be an important refuge for wildlife including at least 14 threatened animal species, such as the Australian bustard, white fronted chat and the pink cockatoo.
The announcement from Mr Kean’s office said in time, it is expected visitors will be able to explore sandplains and stony desert, gibber chenopod shrublands, floodplain woodland along watercourses and a lake system (160ha Eckerboon Lake) that provides habitat for a range of migratory bird species.
The properties also contain important Aboriginal heritage, including artefacts such as grinding plates and stones.
Together the properties have three homesteads and two shearing sheds. Prior to the drought, 7500 breeding ewes were run across the two properties, with shearing of up to 23,000 sheep.
The story Far West NSW stations sold to National Parks first appeared on The Land.
