Great Koala National Park: Australia approves vast koala sanctuary

One of the largest protected areas for koalas is taking shape on Australia's east coast. The parliament of New South Wales passed the legislation for the Great Koala National Park on Oct. 23, 2026, broadcaster ABC reported. The upper house alone debated for more than 14 hours and considered about 160 amendments. The park on the Mid North Coast between Kempsey and Grafton covers about 478,000 hectares, making it the state's second-largest national park. It links existing national parks with more than 178,000 hectares of former state forest and Crown land.

According to the Nature Conservation Council NSW, an estimated 12,000 koalas, 36,000 greater gliders and more than 100 threatened species live in the area. According to WWF-Australia, the park stretches about 150 kilometers long and 40 kilometers wide from the coast to the Great Dividing Range. New walking trails and campsites are planned, alongside strict protections for sensitive ecosystems. "This is a defining moment for conservation in NSW," said Environment Minister Penny Sharpe. Stuart Blanch of WWF-Australia called it conservation "at the scale nature needs."

It has been a long road: the Labor Party took the plan to the 2015 and 2019 elections, and it only moved forward after the change of government in 2023. A carbon project was approved for ending logging in the state forests and registered by the federal Clean Energy Regulator on Oct. 22, 2026. The timber industry criticizes the consequences: Timber NSW speaks of a creeping impact, and the state-owned Forestry Corporation announced more than 30 job cuts in Coffs Harbour in July. Conservation groups are calling for further steps, including First Nations joint management and a possible World Heritage assessment.