Warwick Pearse, Convenor NPA Landscape Conservation Forum
In August 2025 the New South Wales Government announced the purchase of three large pastoral properties in north-west NSW. Bellenbar, Iona and Innisfail Stations will be added to the national parks estate. In December 2025 the government announced the purchase of two more properties in the same region, Tasman and Corinya, with the support of The Nature Conservancy and their partnership with the Wyss Foundation.
Together, the properties will provide a diverse range of ecological habitats for a large number of threatened species, as well as improved protection for the representative flora and fauna of the region. These additions to the national parks system will make an important contribution towards addressing the under-representation of conservation land holdings in western NSW. These acquisitions will also provide protection for significant Aboriginal cultural and heritage sites.
Location of the properties
The map below shows the location of the five stations. Bellenbar is north-west of Bourke, Innisfail is north of Brewarrina and Iona is north-west of Cobar. Tasman and Corinya are north of Ivanhoe.
The size of the five properties
Table 1 below shows the areas of the purchased properties according to figures published in the government media releases. NB. Separate areas for Tasman and Corinya are not publicly available.
Table 1. Area of the purchased properties
| Property | Size ha |
| Bellenbar | 13,674 |
| Iona | 13,456 |
| Innisfail | 7,643 |
| Tasman & Corinya | 71,000 |
| Total | 105,773 |
Exceptional Aboriginal Culture and Heritage
The five properties have exceptional Aboriginal cultural importance and heritage values.
In particular, Iona and the area around Cobar contain outstanding rock art produced by the Ngiyampaa people. Iona includes rock shelter caves with extensive and well preserved paintings. In 1976, the anthropologist and archeologist, F. D. McCarthy stated that the Ngiyampaa rock art was the ‘finest series of rock paintings in southeastern Australia’. The government previously recognised the importance of Aboriginal culture in the region by establishing the Mt Grenfell National Park.
Innisfail also has a very significant Aboriginal history because it includes part of the large Mundiwa Aboriginal camp. In this camp Jimmie Baker and others documented the culture of Muruwari people.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has stated that they will work in close collaboration with Traditional Owners in the establishment and management of these new parks to protect the Aboriginal cultural values and the archaeological evidence of continuous occupation in these areas.
High conservation value land and waterways
The five properties will provide protection for endangered ecological communities, riparian habitats, wetlands and threatened species. Notably, Bellenbar has Warrego River frontage and Innisfail has Culgoa River frontage. Both these properties have Coolibah – Black Box woodland, which is an endangered ecological community. Together Bellenbar and Innisfail national parks will have at least 6,334 ha of the Coolibah – Black Box woodland.
The new parks will provide potential and known habitat for substantial numbers of threatened species. Table 2 shows the estimated numbers of threatened species that will benefit from the newly protected habitat. It should be noted that separate estimates are not available for Tasman and Corinya, apparently because these two properties were held by one owner and sold together.
Table 2. Threatened species
| Property | Estimated number of threatened species potentially provided with habitat | Examples of some threatened species |
| Bellenbar | 27 | Kultarr, South-east Hooded Robin |
| Iona | 51 | Corben’s Long-eared Bat, Yellow-bellied Sheath-tail Bat, Inland Forest Bat, Little Pied Bat |
| Innisfail | 22 | South-east Hooded Robin, Grey-crowned Babbler, Pink Cockatoo, Australian Bustard, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo |
| Tasman & Corinya | 11 | South-east Hooded Robin, Grey-crowned Babbler |
Source: DCCEEW (2025) Media Release. Three Stations added to the national park network in north-west NSW. DCCEEW (2025) Media Release. Tasman and Corinya properties enhance conservation and culture.
Bioregions are not well represented
Bellenbar and Innisfail are located in the Darling Riverine Plains Bioregion. Iona, Tasman and Corinya are located in the Cobar Peneplain Bioregion. Publicly available reports estimate that less than 5% of the land in these bioregions is protected. The proportion of protected land is also low when compared with many other bioregions in NSW. This percentage of protected land is much lower than the 30% recommended in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and lower than many other bioregions in NSW. Conservation efforts in Western NSW could also be improved by planning to develop wildlife corridors to link the various habitats.
Conclusion
The proposed parks are not yet gazetted and there are no published dates available for the park openings. Currently, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is preparing the properties for public access by developing plans of management and building supporting infrastructure. NPWS is also continuing consultations with Traditional Owners about the ways to protect culture and heritage in the new parks. These parks will be a welcome addition to the protected areas in western NSW. However, more public acquisitions and private conservation agreements are needed to adequately represent the conservation values of the area. An increased conservation effort is also needed to improve wildlife corridors and connectivity in western NSW.
Further Reading
ABC (2020) Mount Grenfell land returned to traditional owners to form new national park. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-01/mount-grenfell-national-park-formed-land-returned-to-ngiyampaa/12937808
NSW Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy & Water (2025) Media Release. Three Stations added to the national park network in north-west NSW. https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/news/three-stations-added-national-park-network-north-west-nsw
NSW Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy & Water (2025) Media Release. Tasman and Corinya properties enhance conservation and culture. https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/news/tasman-and-corinya-properties-enhance-conservation-and-culture
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2003) The Bioregions of New South Wales: their biodiversity, conservation and history NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Hurstville. https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/publications/bioregions-new-south-wales
OzArk Environmental & Heritage Management Pty Ltd (2019) Bourke Shire Aboriginal Heritage Study. A report prepared for Bourke Shire Council. https://bourke.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bourke-Shire-Aboriginal-Heritage-Study-Draft-2019.pdf Hooded Robin. Photo: Gary DunnettGrey-crowned Babbler. Photo: Gary Dunnett