A mammoth-sized new national park is being created in Western Sydney. Meet Gulguer National Park.
The trouble with green space is that it becomes most valuable just after someone decides it would make an excellent housing estate. Gulguer National Park, a new nature reserve being created by the Minns Labor Government, is an increasingly rare case of land being valued for what it is, rather than what it could become.
The new national park sits west of Bringelly in Western Sydney and comprises an impressive 1100 hectares of bushland – that’s roughly the size of 1500 football (soccer) fields. The goal? Deliver a destination blending recreation, environmental conservation and Aboriginal heritage on the city’s growing western fringe.
Set to open within the next six months, Gulguer National Park will be an affordable natural playground for relaxing and appreciating local beauty. Walkers, wildlife photographers, families and mountain bikers are all counting it as a major win, along with nature lovers simply looking for room to breathe.
The reserve is arriving at a time when Western Sydney is undergoing rapid transformation, with major infrastructure projects like Western Sydney International Airport bringing new attention to the need for balanced growth.
Where is Gulguer National Park?
A section of the land proposed for restoration within Gulguer National Park.
Located in Western Sydney, the park is just a few kilometres west of Bringelly, near Greendale, and around a 40-minute drive from Liverpool. It will add roughly 700 hectares of new land to the existing environmentally protected areas at Bents Basin State Conservation Area and Gulguer Nature Reserve, spanning a total of 1100 hectares.
Why is it being created?
A place of Aboriginal heritage and for reconnecting with nature.
The Minns Labor Government is establishing Gulguer National Park for several reasons: to protect threatened wildlife species, preserve significant Aboriginal cultural artefacts and provide Sydneysiders with an expansive new space to reconnect with nature.
The reserve will safeguard important natural habitat for at least 28 threatened species, including the southern greater glider, powerful owl, giant burrowing frog, eastern coastal free-tailed bat and Cumberland and Dural land snails. In addition, it will provide greater protection for the critically endangered Shale Sandstone Transition Forest and Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest.
“It is part of our ongoing commitment to boost conservation in Western Sydney, to ensure our precious native creatures and plants exist here for generations to come," says Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Penny Sharpe.
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
The national park will protect the habitats of species such as the powerful owl.
Admire native Australian plants such as the mountain devil flower.
Named after the Nepean River – a body of water spiritually significant for the Darug, Gandangara and other traditional owners of the Hawkesbury-Nepean basin –the park will also preserve Aboriginal cultural heritage sites including rock art, artefacts and shelters.
Beyond environmental and cultural preservation, Prue Car, Deputy Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Western Sydney, says the park will create affordable and convenient opportunities for local residents to access green spaces.
“For too long, families in Western Sydney have missed out on access to outdoor spaces that other parts of the city take for granted," Car says.
“At a time when families are under pressure, this new National Park will give locals a world-class destination right in their own backyard."
When will Gulguer National Park open?
Remnant mature trees from cleared paddocks will provide a seed bank for rehabilitation.
According to the NSW government, Gulguer National Park is set to open in the next six months. If all goes to plan, that means full public access and new visitor facilities will be rolled out in early 2027.
There is no shortage of advice imploring us to spend more time in nature. Doctors prescribe it. Psychologists endorse it. Smartwatches guilt us towards it. The difficult part is actually finding somewhere close to home large enough to disappear into – yet Gulguer National Park promises exactly that.
Want to see more stories from Australian Traveller in your Google search results?
Tick the box next to "Australian Traveller". That's it.
Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and design. She discovered her knack for storytelling much earlier, however – penning mermaid sagas in glitter ink at age seven. Proof that her spelling has since improved, she holds an honours degree in English and philosophy, and a French diploma from the University of Sydney. Off duty, you’ll find her pirouetting between Pilates and ballet classes, or testing her friends’ patience with increasingly obscure vocabulary.
Bate Bay’s sweep of beaches has been crowned Australia’s best for 2026, placing Sutherland Shire in the spotlight as a top coastal destination just south of Sydney’s CBD.
The beaches fringing Bate Bay – Cronulla, North Cronulla, Wanda, Elouera and Greenhills – have topped Tourism Australia’s 2026 list of best Australian beaches (as curated by Beach Ambassador Brad Farmer). For locals, it’s less revelation, more recognition.
The mood shifts from the moment you step off the T4 train service from Central to Cronulla and catch a glimpse of the ocean. At dawn, the Esplanade is already buzzing with regulars, and by mid-morning, parents have staked out a toasty spot on Cronulla Beach where excited toddlers clamber over rocks, and the Jellybean swim squad at Oak Park have donned their bright pink caps while singing Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.
By the afternoon, towels are being collected from across the sand as visitors wander back to Cronulla in loose formation.
Dive into the world’s best beaches.
That’s the thing about Bate Bay beaches. This isn’t a story about a single beach. This long, uninterrupted sweep of sand and sea, where you can walk for kilometres without breaking stride, is not just enjoyed over summer; it’s a year-round destination. Here, Cronulla’s buzz gives way to Wanda’s wild edges, before stretching out to the quieter reaches of Greenhills.
But while Bate Bay’s beaches may have taken top honours in the 2026 Best Australian Beaches list, they’re only part of the drawcard. Sutherland Shire stacks up as a full-spectrum coastal escape, where good food, national park adventures and on-the-water experiences sit within easy reach of the shoreline. Whether you’re planning a long weekend or stretching out a stay, here’s how to make the most of Cronulla beyond the sand, sea and surf.
Beyond the beaches
Dining
Enjoy a sundowner by the sea at Pippis Cronulla.
The Sutherland Shire dining scene delivers from early morning to late at night with a mix of vibrant cafes, bars and pubs. Start your day at Grind Espresso, where the coffee comes strong and fast. From there, drift towards HAM for pastries, best eaten buttery warm.
By midday, locals linger across sun-lit tables. Loaf and Next Door appeal to the surfers who come in for snacks after chasing waves. Blackwood’s Pantry and The Press are also popular for breakfast and lunch, while Pilgrim’s continues to hold a special place in the hearts of vegans.
Newer arrivals signal where Cronulla is heading: Homer Rogue Taverna is being hailed as one of the best restaurants in Cronulla, with the confidence that comes from understanding what locals want. Ask a local to reveal their favourite restaurant for a special occasion, and it’ll likely be Pino’s Vino e Cucina al Mare, Yalla Sawa or Alphabet Street. Summer Salt, Sealevel, Benny’s, Bobbys and Pippis are a few of the best waterfront restaurants in the Shire.
A short ferry ride from Cronulla, Bundeena offers a counterpoint to Cronulla’s mighty surf beaches. If Cronulla is the Shire’s social heart, Bundeena – or Bundenesia, as it’s affectionately known – is the place to go to exhale and unwind.
Hop on the ferry from Cronulla, and within 30 minutes, you’ll be inhaling the eucalyptus-scented air. Check the creative pulse of the local community by timing your visit with the Bundeena Maianbar Art Trail on the first Sunday of every month.
One of the best things to do in Bundeena is paddle into Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. Follow the five-kilometre Jibbon Beach Loop Track that leads past quiet coves to ancient Indigenous rock art, or simply find a stretch of pearl-white sand to relax on.
Pristine walking trails
Cool off with a coastal stroll.
Beyond the coastline, Sutherland Shire offers myriad ways to shift gears. Royal National Park – the oldest national park in Australia – sits just minutes from the surf. Clifftop walks trace the edge of the continent, the rugged bushland is threaded with creeks and hidden waterfalls, and a network of tracks rewards those willing to go a little further.
Take the Coast Track, where the land drops cleanly into the ocean over sheer cliffs that have been stacked together like giant Jenga. Or veer inland, where pockets of forest cool the air and filter the light. It’s a reminder of how close nature sits to the bustle of suburbs in the Sutherland Shire.
Enjoy whale watching
Spot whales from May to October. (Credit: The Edit Suite)
Twist your binoculars until the ocean is in focus, stretched like a creased blue sheet all around.Come May, the East Coast becomes the humpback highway. Thousands of whales migrate along this stretch of coastline each year, their movements tracked by keen eyes from vantage points like the Cape Solander platform in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, one of the best places for whale watching in Australia. There’s something quietly thrilling about seeing that first telltale spout or the arc of a breaching body against the vastness of the sea. From June to October, whale-watching cruises depart from Cronulla, offering a closer look at the migration.
Awards come and go. But places like Cronulla endure because they belong as much to the visitors as they do the early-morning swimmers, walkers and surfers.
