FAQ about the “Blue Mountains Wildlife Park” state significant development application number SSD-79275458″ or, as it has been colloquially known by locals since 1989, the old “Croc Park” site at 10 Great Western Highway, Wentworth Falls NSW.
QUESTION
ANSWER
I googled zombies and you guys came up. Why was that?
Yes this comes up a lot. To best explain why here is a quote from the Blue Mountains City Council. A development consent was issued for a flora and fauna park on this site by the NSW Land and Environment Court in 1989. This consent has previously been the focus of community attention and has been referred to as a ‘zombie DA’ given it is an old approval that, despite lying dormant for decades, is free to be taken up by the land owner despite it not meeting contemporary expectations around protection of the environment.”
Are you people against building a wildlife resort in the environmental conservation zone at Bodington Hill in Wentworth Falls?
Yes. We are called the “Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group Inc”.
I’ve seen people in Wentworth Falls holding up a banner saying “No Croc Park”. Is that because there are going to be crocodiles at the wildlife resort?
Well … not anymore. The latest development proposal lodged in December 2024 is no longer proposing exhibiting crocodiles. But before that back in 2023 there was a previous application (SSD-14793297) for a resort that would have exhibited crocodiles but the proponents ran out of time to get the proposal together and so the Government knocked the idea back. And so that’s why we were holding the banner back then. Is that clear?
What sort of crocodiles will there be at the wildlife resort?
There won’t be!
Is there a lot of salt water in the Blue Mountains?
Not very much.
So is that why there are no saltwater crocodiles in the Blue Mountains?
Probably.
Is there a lot of fresh water in the Blue Mountains?
Yes. There is a lot in Warragamba Dam.
So there are fresh water crocodiles in Warragamaba Dam then?
We never said that.
But there could be in theory?
No. Crocodiles do not like cold water. And the water in Warragamba Dam is cold, I think. And in case you ask, they don’t like cold air either. It can snow in Wentworth Falls you know. And crocodiles are cold blooded. That means they would freeze to death … most likely.
Hypothetically speaking, if there were crocodiles at Bodington Hill and it was snowing would they be called ‘Snow Crocodiles’ just like there are Snow Leopards?
Well … I guess… are there Snow Leopards?
If I found an escaped snow crocodile that had frozen solid in the snow should I take it home and try to thaw it out in my oven? I did that with a baby goat I found once.
Yes you should definitely do that.
Is there anywhere I can get expert advice on how to care for escaped freezing crocodiles?
Yes. You can directly contact the NSW Minister for Planning’s Escaped Freezing Crocodile Advisor in his Ministerial office via https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-for-planning-and-public-spaces.
Should I come to the next meeting of the Bodington Hill Wildlife Resort Action Group Inc?
No.
Are you an AI thingy?
I think I would like to be.
