The plan for 30 helicopters a day flying over the Gardens of Stone -
has no justification
the public exhibition period has now closed
Emirates resort justifies its outrageous bid for 210 helicopter flights per week by claiming the Wolgan Gap Road will stay closed for years, but the road is scheduled to reopen to 2WD traffic, including 12.5 metre trucks by August 2026! You can help stop this noisy abuse of a precious park.
The Emirates has lodged a proposal for 210 helicopter movements (105 in and 105 out) to the Wolgan Valley resort. If approved helicopter noise spoil the Gardens of Stone region for everyone. We only have till 5pm, 19 May lodge an objection, so write a submission now.
The following guide gives you an idea of what is at stake with this proposal.
• Project Name: Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort - Modification 4
• Project Number: MP06_0310
• The submission period was only 14 days, so many who are affected in the Mountains didn't get to hear about it.
• You can view the modification 4 here. This takes you to the page on the Department of Plannings website dealing with this helicopter proposal.
Wilderness Australia's objection to the Wolgan Resort's massive increase in helicopter flights.
Key Points of concern regarding this helicopter proposal
1. The Proposal is Unnecessary (The Wolgan Gap Road is re-opening)
• The resort justifies 210 helicopter flights per week by claiming the Wolgan Gap Road is closed. However, the road is scheduled to reopen to 2WD traffic by August 2026 (Lithgow Mercury, 7 May 2026).
• If the road is safe enough for heavy truck logistics (linen, food, materials for resort renovation), it is safe enough for guests in 2WD vehicles.
• This modification is a permanent "fix" for a very temporary problem. Meaning, the Emirates is unlikely to dial back its flight frequencies once the road is opened in August 2026.
2. Excessive Flight Volume
• The original approval allowed only 4 flights per week. This proposal seeks 210 flights per week (30 per day).
• This effectively transforms a private resort helipad into a busy commercial heliport, which was never the intent of the original development.
3. Flawed Noise Assessments
• The noise reports provided by the resort use obsolete data that predates the creation of the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area (SCA).
• The assessment ignores "sensitive receivers" like hikers and campers. Unlike residents, visitors to the Gardens of Stone don't have walls and can’t install double-glazing to block out helicopter rotor noise.
• Studies (like those from the US Forest Service) show that park users are 10dB(A) less tolerant of aircraft noise than people in residential areas. You visit parks for peace and quiet, not the noisy racket caused by helicopters.
4. Impact on Public Investment and Tourism
• The NSW Government is investing $50 million into the Gardens of Stone SCA for walking tracks, lookouts and campgrounds, as well as the inappropriate glamping resorts proposed in pagoda landscapes.
• Constant helicopter noise will degrade these public assets, ruin the "peace and quiet" visitors expect, and could lead to a net economic loss for the region’s tourism industry, as the majority of park visitors won’t come to the Gardens of Stone once it has a reputation for constant helicopter noise.
• The controversial glamping resort proposals among pagoda landscapes is likely to become “stranded assets” as the Emirates’ Wolgan Resort already has permission for up to 10 helicopter flights a day and nobody is going pay $1,000 a day to put up with helicopter noise.
5. Environmental impacts disregarded
• The modification does not consider the adverse impacts of the proposed helicopter overflights above Newnes Plateau passing directly over the Pagoda Walk, a public camping ground on the walk, Birds Rock Lookout and Forest Camp ruining the acoustic amenity of these high use visitor areas.
• The proponent’s report understates the impacted World Heritage Area by nearly half (by omitting the Gardens of Stone National Park from the property).
6. Lack of Trust and Accountability
• The resort has a history of unfulfilled obligations, specifically regarding land exchanges with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) that have been outstanding since 2007.
• There is no guarantee that this "temporary" increase in flights won't become a permanent fixture once established. In fact, its likely that the transport to the resort by helicopter will be permanent, once established.
7. Safety Concerns
• The proposal lacks a rigorous risk assessment regarding potential mid-air collisions, particularly given the high elevation of the Newnes Plateau, the frequency of the proposed flights and use of one flight approach path in and out of the resort.
8. Acoustic concentration in the lower Blue Mountains
• Object to the intensified noise footprint caused by the ‘vertical sandwich’ of the 2026 WSI airspace design. The rising terrain between Glenbrook and Springwood will force helicopters to fly at or near legal minimum altitudes to avoid commercial flight paths. This will concentrate the noise of 30 daily movements directly over lower Blue Mountains townships and the World Heritage National Park, significantly degrading the acoustic amenity of the region.
