Tourism industry hears latest on Great Koala National Park

Published on 19 February 2026

National Parks and Wildlife Service Coffs Coast Area Manager Glenn Storrie has visited the Nambucca Valley twice recently to give the community an update on the Great Koala National Park (GKNP).

Mr Storrie said the NSW Government had a temporary moratorium on timber harvesting in State Forests identified to become part of the new, proposed national park, excluding timber plantations. However all current State Forest land uses could continue, such as mountain bike riding, horse riding and others, until the GKNP is formally established under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. 

The National Parks and Wildlife Service is continuing community consultation on the GKNP, with Mr Storrie’s team attending the tourism networking event on Thursday 12 February at the Macksville Hotel and the Nambucca Valley Open Streets festival on Saturday. 

“People are seeking great nature-based tourism experiences and we are really keen to work with local stakeholders to identify what great experiences there could be within their area of the Great Koala National Park,” he said.

“As an example, we have had discussions with Jacks Ridge Mountain Bike Park committee and four other mountain biking clubs with interests within areas of the future park. We are keen for people to come up with ideas around nature-based experiences which both promote conservation and encourage sustainable visitation in the proposed GKNP.”

National Parks and Wildlife Service currently has a Have Your Say community survey open to share ideas about future management of the proposed GKNP. It is open to submissions until 1 March 2026 here.