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https://theconversation.com/breathtaking-wilderness-in-the-heart-of-coal-country-after-a-90-year-campaign-gardens-of-stone-is-finally-protected-172503>
"In the rocky upland wilderness of Wiradjuri Country two hours west of Sydney
lies a new protected area with a nine-decade-long history of dogged
environmental activism: the Gardens of Stone.
Last month, the New South Wales government officially recognised the Gardens of
Stone as a State Conservation Area within the National Parks estate. First
proposed in 1932 and with a small portion of the area designated as National
Park in 1994, this decision will see more than 30,000 hectares finally
protected.
The government has also earmarked the region for ecotourism. With its epic
gorges, the globally unique hanging swamps of Newnes Plateau, craggy cliff
ravines and slot canyons, this 250-million-year-old geological landscape is a
paradise for adventurers.
But more than anything, the Gardens of Stone is, as stalwart campaigner Julie
Favell puts it, a “storybook of nature”. This is no simple story, but one of a
generational mining community on the brink of social change and an often
thankless, hard-won battle for ecological recognition in the heart of coal
country."
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*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
