Overview
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is closing expressions of interest this week for a trial spanning 23 campgrounds across 16 parks, with licences due to start in March 2026.
- Selected operators could reserve designated sites up to 365 days in advance, compared with the public’s 180‑day booking window.
- Licence terms run up to six years, with annual fees of about $830 or $1,245 plus a 5–10% share of gross income paid to NPWS.
- Greens environment spokeswoman Sue Higginson and outdoor advocates say the scheme effectively privatises public campgrounds and will reduce affordable access, warning of worsened ‘ghost bookings’.
- Environment Minister Penny Sharpe backs the trial as a way to improve accessibility for people without gear and to support regional tourism, with NPWS noting the pilot targets roughly 6% of the state’s campgrounds.