Bellingen Shire Benefits from Koala Conservation

Our Shire will benefit from Koala conservation efforts now that Council has approved the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) to operate Council’s Urunga Visitor Centre.

Bellingen Shire Council Mayor, Cr Dominic King said the decision to approve the lease arrangement was the right one to make.

“The GKNP will operate the Urunga Visitor Information Centre and also set-up their headquarters to continue their work securing habitat for koalas to establish sustainable populations within our protected state forests and the greater region.”

Cr King said this arrangement would deliver the best possible outcomes for our local environment and economy by creating a tourism asset that would attract additional investment and economic growth to the region.

“For quite some time, the GKNP have been working with Bellingen Shire Council, Coffs Harbour City Council and Destination North Coast to identify opportunities to support GKNP and our collaborative efforts to date have resulted in a matched seed funding arrangement totalling $75,000.”

“These funds will provide the GKNP with the opportunity to develop a business case to garner State Government support and hopefully attract major funding, so it’s satisfying to see them now getting ready to open the doors of their new headquarters for the first time.”

GKNP Steering Committee Member, Kevin Evans, said the joint Urunga Visitor Centre and GKNP headquarters would be open for business on 1 December 2019.

“Having a headquarters will allow us to consolidate our plans, attract donations and volunteers, promote the value of the GKNP concept and fundamentally raise awareness of the threat to the Koala species.”

“The new Great Koala National Park team are also looking forward to working with existing Visitor Information Centre volunteers to promote Urunga and all that the Shire has to offer,” Mr Evans said.