The National Parks and Wildlife Service has closed off camping and access to some high-visitation locations across NSW as per Government directives on social distancing and isolation.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has announced today it is closing camping and access to some high-visitation national parks across New South Wales (NSW). The statement from the NPWS said it will close all campgrounds, high-visitation areas, and historic sites across NSW until further notice, in response to the Australian and NSW Government health directives on social distancing and non-essential travel to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the wider community.
Despite camping areas being closed off, the national parks and reserves themselves will remain open due to their special environmental, cultural and recreational attributes, NPWS said in its statement. However, the health and safety of visitors and staff remains the priority, so along with the camping closures, certain areas will be closed.
The following closures took effect from yesterday, March 26, 2020:
- Campgrounds closed in line with the Government Public Health Order from 26 March 2020
- Visitor centres, cafes and high visitation areas will be closed from 26 March 2020
- Historic sites will be closed from 26 March 2020 (except for permanent residents)
- Parks that are already closed due to fire impacts remain closed. Please check our NPWS Alerts page for details
NPWS has stated all visitors and bookings impacted in the closures will be contacted by the NPWS with full refunds of fees paid to be arranged.
The following areas are to remain open, at least for the time being:
- All roads through national parks remain open; and
- Most walking tracks and trails will also remain open and visitors should observe necessary social distancing with others while using pathways and other facilities to maximise their safety.
So far, State Forests NSW are remaining open, however, there is the expectation that camping in the State Forest areas will be closed off within the coming hours or days, falling in line with the NPWS camping areas being closed off for NSW. Further information and a full list of impacted high-visitation areas can be found here.
