National Park No Longer A Dream For Malabar Headland

By Dan Hutton on March 21, 2011 in News

On February 11, 2011 the Federal Government announced that they would be transferring the ownership of the western part of Malabar Headland to the State Government for use as a National Park.

Malabar Headland is one of the largest areas of significant natural vegetation within the Randwick City Local Government Area and is home to several species of rare native flora and fauna.

This is great news for the local area and effectively ensures that this section of the headland will not fall into the hands of greedy developers.

According to Randwick mayor Murray Matson, the long-awaited transfer is a positive step towards preserving this important natural habitat for future generations.

“Council has long campaigned for the preservation of Malabar Headland as noted in our City Plan,” Mayor Matson said.

“This is a win for the local residents who have been waiting a long time to see Malabar Headland become a National Park.”

At this stage, only 17 hectares of a total 123 hectares have been handed over to the State Government and while Mayor Matson is happy with the progress he remains hopeful that in time the entire headland will be zoned as National Park.

“Unfortunately the proposal only relates to a part of the headland, but I look forward to the Federal Government handing over the remaining space in the future for community open space,” Mayor Matson said.

“I congratulate Minister Peter Garrett for handing over an initial 17 hectares of land for use as National Park – and look forward to the remaining 106 hectares on the headland becoming National Park in the near future.

“While this is a good first step, I have asked the Minister to consider expanding the National Park to include a small parcel of land linking with Arthur Byrne Reserve at South Maroubra Beach.

“Including this land would protect more of the endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub and also fast-track Council plans to extend the Sydney Coastal Walkway south to Pioneers Park through the land in (the recent) handover.

“It would also provide certainty for the residents who have campaigned for this National Park for many years.

“The Sydney Coastal Walk is an iconic attraction in Sydney and one of the most beautiful walks in the world. It showcases our beautiful coastline and connects Bondi Beach with Maroubra Beach taking in stunning locations like Bronte, Coogee and Gordons Bay.

“Council is committed to extending the walk to create a continuous coastal walking track connecting Sydney Harbour with Botany Bay. Currently the Coastal Walk extends for more than 10 kilometres from Bondi to Maroubra, but there is a significant gap between Maroubra and La Perouse,” Mayor Matson said.

Only time will tell if Mayor Matson’s wishes will become a reality but this is a massive step in the right direction and the future is certainly looking bright for Malabar Headland.