'Crown jewels' of Australia's savannah tropics to become national parks

Almost 400,000 hectares of land will be turned into new national parks in Queensland, but the state government is yet to decide how many rangers will manage it.

Three cattle stations, including part of Westmoreland and Cliffdale Station in the Gulf Country and all of Cape York's Kendall River Station, will become protected state-owned land.

The land was purchased under a deal involving the Queensland government, $21 million from the Nature Conservancy, and $3.5 million from the federal government.

Nature Conservancy Australia executive Mike Roache said while "only portions" of the land were purchased, those sections were the "jewels in the crown" of its ecosystems.

"You've got the classic Gulf plains, spinifex and wetlands and rivers that are captured in these properties, that are beautiful to witness and now will become national parks for all to enjoy,"

Mr Roache said.

He said some land in Cape York would also become Aboriginal freehold land, while traditional owners would have "opportunities" to manage land in the Gulf.

Land 'well-managed' but weeds spreading

The endangered Carpentarian grasswren, the purple-crowned fairywren and grey falcon rely on Gulf habitat, while swamp mahogany, Darwin stringybark, palm cockatoo and the white-bellied sea eagle are found in Cape York.

Burke Shire Mayor Ernie Camp said protecting the "natural asset" was welcome, but he had "some concern" about the loss of ratepayer money as councils would still need to maintain nearby roads.

"Those roads to the new declared areas as well as the [existing] Lawn Hill National Park are council-controlled roads, so the burden does fall onto councils,"

Cr Camp said.

The shire has an annual rate base of $4 million and a population of 550, but has to manage 550 kilometres of road across an area two-thirds the size of Tasmania.

Cr Camp said the land had also been "well-run" by previous owners but warned that those "natural values" would be rapidly lost without proper management.

He said wet conditions in the Gulf Country had supercharged the spread of rubber vine and prickly acacia since 2023 to "ridiculous" levels.

"The thickness of the prickly acacia in some of the areas had become fully carpeted, so there were no natural or native grasses under the shade cover,"

the mayor said.

Tourism, park rangers on the cards

Neil O'Brien from Gulf Savannah Development said the region could benefit from tourism, but the state government would have to keep parks and roads well-maintained.

He pointed to the success of the Hell's Gate Roadhouse along the Savannah Way as a "great opportunity" to become a "gateway" into the region.

"It's as simple as sealing the road, as simple as putting in concrete causeways, to break the burden that will be borne by the Burke Shire Council,"

Mr O'Brien said.

A spokesperson for Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell said Queensland Parks and Wildlife would manage most of the land, but staff numbers were "not yet available".

"Planning for the future national parks is underway, including consideration of visitor access and infrastructure, land-management requirements and the resources needed to support their long-term management," she said.

The Queensland government purchased three cattle stations for national parks in 2024 but councils are waiting to know how many staff will be allocated to manage them.