New park three times size of Centennial Parklands revealed for Sydney's west

A major new national park will be created in Western Sydney, aimed at protecting threatened species and providing green space for the city's rapidly growing population.Gulguer National Park will be established west of Bringelly, incorporating two existing conservation areas, along with about 700 hectares of new land acquired from old farming and rural residential development.The 1,100-hectare park will be one of the largest national parks in Western Sydney, and more than three times the size of Centennial Parklands.The area is home to at least 28 threatened species, including the powerful owl. (Supplied: NSW government)Centennial Parklands covers 369 hectares in Sydney's east and includes Centennial Park, Moore Park and Queens Park.NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the new national park would protect the habitat of at least 28 threatened species, including the powerful owl, Australia's largest nocturnal bird, and the southern greater glider."There's also some more quirky animals like some large land snails that really occur nowhere else on earth except through these areas," Ms Sharpe said.Preserving local Aboriginal heritageGulguer National Park takes its name from the Gundungurra word that describes the whirlpool action of the water that forms during high flows in the Nepean River.Its creation will preserve sites of significant Aboriginal cultural heritage, including rock art, shelters, axe grinding grooves, artefacts and a traditional meeting and trading place.The Gulguer National Park will also preserve sites of significant Aboriginal cultural heritage. (Supplied: NSW government)The landscape includes steep gorges, an old Girl Guides camp, along with the remains of the old Silverdale Hill Climb car race circuit that operated from the 1950s to the 1980s.The national park's creation forms part of a broader Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan, which also includes the recently-created Georges River Koala National Park, or Warranmadhaa, between Campbelltown and Appin.The plan aims to offset the impact of urban development, with about 73,000 new homes earmarked for Western Sydney over the next three decades.Ms Sharpe said Gulguer National Park, which would include new campgrounds, walking and cycling tracks, would provide much-needed green space for the region."It's why these spaces are so precious and so important into the future. "It's making sure that people have access to nature and that we can also build the houses that they need."The new Gulguer National Park in Sydney's west will be 1,100-hectares in size. (Supplied: NSW government)Ms Sharpe added that the state government was "always looking" at opportunities to create further national parks, as Western Sydney's population continues to grow.The national park is expected to open to the public in the next six months.