Nambung National Park gets extra 650 hectares

A 650 ha parcel of land within the boundaries of Nambung National Park has been purchased for addition to the park, concluding a process which started nearly 40 years ago, Environment Minister Donna Faragher announced today.

"This addition will consolidate the park and add important features such as the State's most northerly grove of tuart trees and the final stretch of the Nambung River where it runs underground to the coast," Mrs Faragher said.

The Minister said the property now belonged to the State of Western Australia and the process to have the 650 ha formally included in Nambung National Park had been initiated.

"This is a great outcome for the park and the region," she said.

Negotiations to acquire the land, and effectively fill a hole in the park, commenced in 1969, when the former National Parks Board approached the owner with a view to buying the land.

An Environmental Protection Authority recommendation to purchase the privately-owned land was endorsed by State Cabinet in 1976.

After the establishment of the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) in 1985, regular contact was maintained with the owner and the land continued to be a 'property of interest' for the next 20 years.

In May 2007, an agent acting on behalf of the family approached CALM's successor, the Department of Environment and Conservation and negotiations were successfully concluded last month.

Nambung National Park is 250km north of Perth and includes the Pinnacles, which attract more than 250,000 visitors each year.

Minister's office: 9213 7250

Please find attached a map showing Nambung National Park with the recently purchased block of land shown in white and an aerial photograph of Nambung National Park showing the location of the recently purchased block of land.