Time's running out for the Gardens of Stone!

Ask Premier Chris Minns if his legacy will be the protection of our national parks and conservation reserves, or the damaging privatisation of them (this link goes to the Premier's webpage, so draft your letter to Premier Minns off-line first to avoid silly mistakes).  

Also let Environment Minister Penny Sharpe know if her legacy will be park protection (link goes to Minister Sharpe's webpage, so again write your letter off-line first). 

Ask Minister Sharpe to reject these three glamping resort proposals to protect the rare and internationally significant platy pagoda landscapes in the State Conservation Area. 

Ask the Minister to take the necessary action to ensure the NPWS focuses on protecting the world-class pagoda landscapes, rather than building commercial developments in them. 

Copy your letter to your local MP or any potentially sympathetic State Parliamentarian with a short cover note asking them to make representations on your behalf to Premier Chris Minns and Minister Sharpe to stop these resort proposals. 

These days you can ask Google, or any AI system, to find the contact details of NSW Parliamentarians, as well as finding them on the NSW Parliamentary website.

Then send copies of all your work to friends that may also like defend national parks from commercial resort developments in rare heritage sites but who may need some encouragement to do so. 

Sample letter [Please don’t get stuck on details. The important thing is that Parliamentarians hear from you regarding these concerns.]

The Hon Chris Minns
Premier of NSW
Parliament House

Dear Premier Minns,

 Don't lease rare pagoda heritage in Gardens of Stone SCA for resort development 

Your letter to Premier Chris Minns and others could express some of these concerns (listed not in any particular order):

• I oppose commercial resorts in internationally significant and rare pagoda landscapes in a national park in waiting, the outstandingly diverse Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area
• Approval of the resort developments in sites of such heritage significance would set an Australian national park precedent for resort development, threatening other rare and scenic locations, like headlands or cliffs, or in heritage sites such as coastal rainforest  
• The spectacular scenic beauty of essentially pristine and internationally rare platy pagoda landscapes will be degraded by building these resorts
• This proposal's status as a resort is defined by the services it provides, rather than the plastic, canvas, wood and colorbond materials used in its construction. Private accommodation equipped with bed linens, meals, drinks, and bathroom facilities constitutes a resort service, so should be subject to a full EIS process.
• The development of the three resorts requires soil mounds to be hauled onto bare sandstone rockplate to make the greywater disposal facility work, and this will also bring in weeds and plant pathogens into these pristine pagoda landscapes
• The three proposed resorts benefit from the construction of a tax-payer funded multi-day walk that the future lessee has not paid for, giving Intrepid Travel a free handout they don’t deserve for their heritage damaging developments
• The public should have an opportunity to review and comment on the draft lease of public parkland made in secret between Environment Minister Penny Sharpe and the lessee
• I am disappointed that the proposed lease was sold by Experience Co to Intrepid Travel, so apparently the three proposed lease sites are speculative "land-grab" of globally recognised scenic beauty in this publicly owned park 
• The National Parks and Wildlife Service, being the proponent and decision-maker on these resorts, have abandoned its duty to protect beautiful and rare pagoda landscapes for a potential commercial gain through resort development, breaching public trust 
• I object to the NPWS doing all the development approval dirty work, shielding the green credentials of Intrepid Travel from the valid criticism of its development

Background briefing on the Gardens of Stone resorts 

A slideshow illustrating the these resort proposals and the pristine localities surrounding them 

Five reasons for rejecting the Gardens of Stone glamping lease

Further campaigning guide that also details what the nature of the proposed resorts

Media release announcing transfer of the Gardens of Stone lease interest to Intrepid Travel last May, as part of its Wild Bush Luxury Experience acquisition package

Destination Pagoda - a nature-first vision for visitor management (links to a pdf file of the report)