Independent Australia likens the Blue Mountains Wildlife Park issue to a plot line from Utopia
Rosemary Sorensen has covered the Blue Mountains wildlife park issue on the 17 March 2025, 3:00pm.
“Plans to build a wildlife park in the Blue Mountains to lure more tourists would result in an environmental disaster and need rethinking, writes Rosemary Sorensen. A FEW YEARS AGO, plans to build a Blue Mountains Wildlife Park at Wentworth Falls in NSW would have read like a plotline from Working Dog Productions’ satirical TV show, Utopia.” (source: Independent Australia)
The proposed resort is intended to be built at 10 Great Western Highway, Wentworth Falls. This site has a long history of proposed development and is known locally as the old “Croc Park” site.
There is currently no refusal to rule out crocodiles for a proposed Blue Mountains wildlife park according to quotes attributed to the concept’s proponent in an ABC article of yesterday.
“The original approval for a development in 1989 sought to include crocodiles, and became known locally as the ‘croc park.’ Although the current planning documents do not mention the saltwater animal, Mr Amirbeaggi did not rule it out.” (source ABC: Plans for $83 million Blue Mountains Wildlife Park resurrected for Wentworth Falls,14-3-2025)
Blue Mountains residents have opposed the displaying of crocodiles on the locally known old Croc Park site at Bodington Hill in Wentworth Falls for decades.
Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group (BHWRAG) spokesperson Murray Matson commented on the now three decade association of the mountainous site with crocodiles.
“Local historians will be noting with interest this morning’s refusal to rule out crocodiles for a proposed blue mountains wildlife park. Our group is the current custodian of the old SAY NO TO THE CROC PARK banner. It now seems to remain relevant to this example of a classic zombie DA issue.”
The most recent reincarnation of this proposal has seen a Scoping Report lodged on the 19th December 2024. This has been assessed by the Department of Planning and the applicant now has two years to submit an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Department has outlined what studies the applicant has to undertake and what information has to be prepared. There is a requirement for genuine community consultation to be undertaken by the applicant during this stage. Then after the Department determines that the final proposal can be exhibited residents will be able to lodge formal submissions. The Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group (BHWRAG) will work to maximize the input of Blue Mountains residents during this process.
Blue Mountains Gazette covers issued conditions set on Wildlife Park proposal.
There is an article in this week’s Blue Mountains Gazette covering the application to build a Wildlife Park at 10 Great Western Highway Wentworth Falls. It describes how the issuing of the SEARs (Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Regulations) works in the assessment process works.
“The Proposed croc park on Bodington Hill at Wentworth Falls will have to respond to stringent NSW government requirements if it wants to get the go-ahead for its planned multi-million dollar development.”
But will these conditions actually be stringent enough? The Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group (BHWRAG) will be asking this question in the coming weeks. The group was originally formed to assess a previous wildlife park style proposal by the same proponents. This earlier proposal was eventually rejected by the NSW Department of Planning after the proponents failed to meet a deadline for responding to the SEARs (Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements) issued by the Department to them.
The site is colloquially known by locals as the old “croc park” site because of a 1989 consent for a would-be crocodile park. Many observers cite the various reincarnations of the proposal as a classic “zombie” development because it never dies.
Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) have now been issued for preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Blue Mountains Wildlife Park State significant development application (SSD-79275458) at 10 Great Western Highway Wentworth Falls.
The Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) have now been issued in response to the proponent’s lodging of a scoping report. Some three documents from the NSW Department of Planning are now present on its portal. They include feedback to the Department on the scoping report from other government bodies along with the Rural Fire Service and Blue Mountains City Council. For a complete list flick to this site’s Documents page.
“The subject State Significant Development proposal will flood the western portion of the site with built form and hardstand and, critically, it will extend well into the C2 zoned portion of the site and will not preserve a vegetated buffer between it and the highway. The C2 zoned portion of the site was never intended for development and should be revegetated to re-establish this strategically and ecologically important piece of bushland between the towns of Bullaburra and Wentworth Falls.” (Blue Mountains City Council submission to the SEAR’s process Feb 2025)
The next step in the assessment process will see the proponents responding to the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) requirements by drafting an Environmental Impact Statement and a State Significant Development proposal. These will then be exhibited for public submissions.
Residents worry that the proposed Blue Mountains Wildlife Park will make it more difficult for them to navigate the Tablelands Road T-junction with the Great Western Highway at Wentworth Falls.
The developers are now wanting patrons to exit the proposed park by turning left (and thus west) up the hilly Great Western Highway in a direction away from Sydney.
This means that patrons, including bus and coach tours wanting to go to Sydney, will have to first turn left at the Tablelands Road t-junction. They would then have to use the bus turn-around facility there to come back out onto the highway at the t-junction.
The other option they have is to bypass the t-junction and continue further on west and then turn into Old Bathurst Road at the signalised intersection. But I’m betting that a lot of these drivers will attempt to make a u-turn at the first available left turn they encounter – and that’s the Tablelands Rd t-junction that me and my neighbours use.
Most locals will probably agree with me that it is often a gut-clenching moment attempting to turn right fr om Tableland Rd on to the highway towards Sydney. You have to stop at the t-junction, wait till there’s a break in the 80klm an hour-plus traffic coming up the hill to your right, then quickly scan to your left to make sure no-one’s approaching in the closest lane going east, and then move across to the slip lane in the middle of the highway.
But that’s where you know that it can all go wrong. The problem can be other cars approaching from the west and intending to use the slip lane to turn right into Tablelands Road against your own intended right turn. These drivers are supposed to have right of way over you, which local residents know very well and stay alert to. But visitors often either seem to forget it or they become distracted by the anxiety of the timing needed to reach the slip road and forget to scan to the left for turning cars.
I have often witnessed a car turning from the highway via the slip lane across to Tablelands Road suddenly find itself braking to avoid hitting a distracted driver trying to do the opposite manoeuvre. You can then have a situation where two cars have both come to a sudden halt facing each other across the highway as west bound traffic speeds towards both of them.
And any suggestion signalizing the Tablelands Road intersection to improve safety for park patrons is not going to be supported by Transport for NSW who have already rejected a previous proposal to put lights a littler further down at the site itself. The department said that installing traffic signals to control access to the site would disrupt efficient high speed traffic flow on the highway and increase risks to road user safety. So I ask why should users of this key linking highway be asked to take on increased safety risks so someone can run a resort catering to patrons who want to cavort with exotic creatures in the Blue Mountains?
I have no doubt that encouraging the future patrons of an approved Blue Mountains Wildlife Park to attempt turn-arounds at the Tablelands Rd t-junction intersection will only exacerbate the present stress and road safety risks.
Murray Matson, Spokesperson: Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group (BHWRAG)
State Significant Development
Scoping Report
Blue Mountains Wildlife Park
10 Great Western Highway, Wentworth Falls NSW
Submitted to Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
on behalf of Aesthete No. 14 Pty Ltd.
The NSW Planning Portal is displaying the final draft of a new “State Significant Development Scoping Report Blue Mountains Wildlife Park” lodged by proponents of the proposed resort project for the “zombie development” site at Bodington Hill, Wentworth Falls.
Scoping reports are lodged with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure by developers when applying for the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) to use for an intended State Significant Development proposal. SEARs identify what information needs to be included in the environmental impact statement (EIS). This report has been lodged on behalf of Aesthete No. 14 Pty Ltd.
The proposal for a Bodington Hill Wildlife Park may now not proceed.
The Department of Planning and Environment has told the applicant for the Bodington Hill Wildlife Park (i.e. “Croc Park”) proposal that he can not amend his SEARs document.
Read comments by Blue Mountains City Council Mayor Mark Greenhill and Blue Mountains Member Trish Doyle in this National Tribune article.
“The DPE rejected the request, and the applicant now has until 1 July to lodge a development application and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). If the applicant fails to lodge the paperwork by this deadline, there would be no prospect of a DA under the current process and the process for a Bodington Hill Wildlife Park would need to start over again.” (The National Tribune 30-6-2023)
Blue Mountains residents are opposed to the "croc park" proposal for Wentworth Falls.
This week the Department of Planning and Environment told the applicant for the Wildlife Park (i.e. “Croc Park”) proposal at Bodington Hill that he will not be getting amended SEARs requirements. With out them he will not be able to lodge an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the expanded scope that he wants to.
Rosemary Bolger’s ABC article sums it up.
Mr Amirbeaggie said his client would seek a judicial review in relation to the 2021 plans while it “pursues the work under the existing consent ie it will press on with the wildlife park as already approved” (Rosemary Bolger, ABC, 29-6-2023)
The proposal for a Bodington Hill Wildlife Park may now not proceed.
Blue Mountain residents learnt today that the NSW Government will not allow the proponent of the unpopular “Croc Park” proposal to make wide-ranging changes to a key component of their Environmental Impact Statement process.
The proponent now can’t amend the project’s current SEARs document which defines and restricts the scope of their still-to-be lodged Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). And time is running quickly out.
Residents are “cautiously optimistic” because the current SEARs expires very soon on the 1st of July. This means that the proponents effectively have only till the 30th June to lodge and EIS. Without a lodged EIS the proposal can’t be put on public exhibition or otherwise advanced further.
Resident spokesperson Murray Matson from the Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group Inc (BHWRAG) stated today:
“It’s great news and we should be cautiously optimistic but BHWRAG advises the community that the battle isn’t over yet! In theory the proponents still have till the 30th of June to lodge some sort of Environmental Impact Statement based on the current SEARs parameters. They also still have an existing consent for an earlier incarnation of the project.”
He also noted that it was not uncommon in NSW for failed applicants to initiate legal action in the Land and Environment Court.
Mr Matson said that the BHWRAG group would meet tomorrow night to work out an ongoing strategy in response to the news of today.
Contact Murray Matson
Spokesperson – Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group Inc
spokesperson@bhwrag.info
Local residents had a fun time participating as the BHWRAG contingent in the annual Blue Mountains Winter Magic Parade yesterday (Saturday 24th June 2023)
We held aloft two banners, “Say No to the Croc Park” and “No Resort Development at Bodington Hill”.
The contentious proposal to build as State Significant Development in the C2 conservation zone at Bodington Hill is is known by several names.
Its proponents call it the “Blue Mountains Wildlife Park 10 Great Western Highway, Wentworth Falls”. BWHRAG consider it more accurate to refer to it as the “Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort”. The NSW department of planning lists it on its portal as “Blue Mountains Wildlife and Tourism Development” and assign it the application number SSD-14793297.
But to most Blue Mountain residents it will always be known as the “Croc Park” proposal based on earlier and deeply opposed incarnations of this bad idea.
