Nullarbor Parks Management Plan Draft Amendment
Have your say on the proposed draft amendment to the Nullarbor Parks Management Plan.
What's being decided?
Draft amendments are proposed to the Nullarbor Parks Management Plan to:
- enable the provision of appropriately designed and sited campgrounds and infrastructure to assist in minimising environmental impacts and managing public safety within the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area
- support appropriate visitor management that respects and conserves the significant environmental and cultural values of sites within the parks
- allow for the maintenance and upgrade of telecommunications infrastructure necessary to ensure the long-term performance of essential infrastructure.
We are seeking your views on the draft amendment.
Background
The Nullarbor Parks Management Plan sets out long term management strategies for the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area, Nullarbor Regional Reserve and Nullarbor National Park.
Visitor management and campgrounds
Visitor numbers to the Nullarbor region have grown since the Nullarbor Parks Management Plan was adopted in 2019. Off-track driving and unauthorised camping within the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area has also increased over time, particularly along the Bunda Cliffs. It is proposed to enable campgrounds adjacent to a section of the Eyre Highway between Cook Road and Diamond Bore Road, to reduce environmental damage from unauthorised access along the Bunda Cliffs and meet increased demand for overnight stays.
Environmental and cultural protections
The Nullarbor Parks protect the South Australian section of the iconic Nullarbor Plain, the largest arid limestone karst system of caves, blowholes and rock holes and the longest southern facing cliffs in the world. The karst system includes Koonalda Cave where scientific discoveries changed the understanding of Aboriginal occupation in Australia. Appropriate management controls are necessary to ensure Koonalda Cave is protected. The draft amendments enable improved security infrastructure to prevent unauthorised access to the doline and cave.
Telecommunications
The Nullarbor also contains an important telecommunications link. Higher network demand means that the existing infrastructure requires replacement and upgrading. The amendments will enable a new underground cable to be installed along with improvements to the Koonalda East Repeater Station.
Get involved
Find out more:
Have your say:
Email a submission to: DEWProtectedAreaManagement@sa.gov.au
Post a written submission to:
Department for Environment and Water
Protected Area Policy Unit
GPO Box 1047
Adelaide, South Australia 5001
You can read or request a hard copy of the draft amendment at the following offices of the Department for Environment and Water (DEW):
- Adelaide: Customer Service Centre, Ground floor, 81-95 Waymouth Street, Adelaide SA 5000
- Ceduna: 50B McKenzie Street, Ceduna SA 5690
Please note: Your submission may be made publicly available on DEW’s website unless you indicate on the submission that you wish for these to remain confidential. Any responses that are made on a confidential basis may still be subject to access under Freedom of Information laws.
What are the next steps?
After all submissions have been carefully reviewed, a final management plan amendment will be prepared and forwarded to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water for adoption together with a detailed analysis of the submissions.
The final plan amendment will be released following adoption and will be available on the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA website and this site along with the analysis of submissions.
