As part of the State of Emergency declared by the NSW Premier yesterday, and in response to tomorrow's predicted catastrophic fire weather, all national parks, including tracks, trails and campgrounds in Greater Sydney, will be closed from Saturday 21 December 2019 until further notice.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Greater Sydney Branch Director Deon van Rensburg said the decision effective for all parks was essential to protect public safety.
"The closures include the remote campgrounds in Royal National Park (Nortth Era Campground, Uloola Falls Campground) and all sites in Heathcote National Park," Mr van Rensburg said.
"Campgrounds at Bents Basin State Conservation Area and Cattai National Park will also be closed as will The Basin in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
"Only a limited number of precincts in the Sydney Harbour National Park will remain open and people should check National Parks alerts list before heading out," Mr van Rensburg said.
All visitors to national parks are a are reminded that a Total Fire Ban has been declared and ALL forms of flame-based cooking and BBQ's are not permitted. For details on what is permissible visitNSW Rural Fire Service: Total Fire Ban rules.
In Sydney's north, the following roads will also be closed until further notice:
- North Head Scenic Drive will be closed from the roundabout at the Q Station – (access to Q Station will be open).
- West Head Road, Ku-ring-gai Chase NP
In Sydney's south, the following roads will be closed until further notice:
- Cape Banks Road, Kamay Botany Bay NP
- Garie Beach Road, Royal NP
- Wattamolla Road, Royal NP
- Cape Solander Drive, Kamay Botany Bay NP
Additional road closures are very likely so check with Live Traffic NSW before travelling through any National Park and generally avoid driving in any bushland.
Mr van Rensburg said NPWS is a key support agency for bushfire response and has more than 1,000 trained firefighters which it deploys to wildfires and hazard reduction throughout the year, including supporting RFS and NSW Fire and Rescue.
A full list of the closures is available at National Parks and Wildlife Service: Alerts for NSW National Parks.
