Plans for $83 million Blue Mountains Wildlife Park resurrected for Wentworth Falls
By Lani Oataway
ABC Central West
Topic:Animals
17m ago17 minutes agoFri 14 Mar 2025 at 12:09am
a digital sketch of hotels covered in greenery, with people milling about walkways.
A concept drawing of the proposed Blue Mountains Wildlife Park. (Supplied: Cox Architecture & Eximia Design)
In Short
A company is proposing to build an $83 million wildlife park in Wentworth Falls.
The tourist attraction would include 5-star accommodation, a zip line, a toboggan track, high-ropes course, and exhibits for native and exotic animals.
What's Next?
The company will develop its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as the next step in the planning process.
Plans to build a multi-million-dollar wildlife park in the Blue Mountains have been revived, despite council opposing the project claiming visitors want to see animals in the wild not in a "zoo".
The $83 million 'Blue Mountains Wildlife Park' is proposed to be built across ten hectares of land in Wentworth Falls.
The plans include a five-star hotel, enclosures for dingoes and penguins, a toboggan track, chairlift, a high ropes course, an animal hospital and walking tracks - among other features.
President of Blue Mountains Tourism, Jason Cronshaw, said the development would not only be a new attraction but also help address accommodation shortages.
"We just haven't got enough beds to meet current demand," he said.
A man smiling at a lookout in the Blue Mountains.
President of Blue Mountains Tourism, Jason Cronshaw, says more attractions would help distribute visitor hotspots in the region. (ABC Central West: Lani Oataway)
"The mountains need more attractions and more accommodation for visitors we've got now, as well as new visitors that'll be arriving with the growth of Western Sydney Airport."
Mr Cronshaw said interest in the region has skyrocketed as local landmarks are shared on social media.
However infrastructure is not keeping pace with increased visitation, and he welcomed the proposed development.
'Zoo' doesn't belong in the mountains
While some tourism representatives support the idea, the mayor of the Blue Mountains, Mark Greenhill, said the project was not appropriate for the region.
"The whole thing is a bad idea, and should be rejected outright," he said.
Mr Greenhill said visitors come to the district to experience the Greater World Heritage Area.
"They come to the Blue Mountains to see wilderness, and when they do see animals they're in the wild, where they should be," he said.
"People come because of that brand - you can go to Taronga Zoo if you want to see a zoo."
A pathway through greenery and ponds with native animals, with a raised walkway above, and hotels behind.
A concept design of the proposed Blue Mountains Wildlife Park at Wentworth Falls. (Supplied: Cox Architecture & Eximia Design)
Farshad Amirbeaggi is a lawyer and spokesperson for the company behind the proposal - Aesthete No. 14 Pty Ltd - and he rejected the project being described as a zoo.
"The offering includes a flora and fauna wildlife park... among many other offerings," he said in a statement.
"It includes a hotel, but one that has interactive experiences with wildlife."
"It does offer a zip-line and a luge because not only are they joyful and bring a smile to the face, but they will travel through the flora and or over fauna and a skyline that is pretty spectacular," he said.
Mr Amirbeaggi also described the educational benefits of the planned First Nations cultural centre, and wildlife hospital.
A grey metal fence with a padlock, with bushland behind.
The site of the development along the Great Western Highway. (ABC Central West: Lani Oataway)
"What is proposed in a destination location is an offering we expect to be recognised not only across NSW, and Australia, but internationally," he said.
"Those abroad should plan their visit to Australia to include visiting the park."
The company is described in the scoping report as being made up of 'experienced property developers' and 'high net worth individuals' that are connected to the Blue Mountains.
'Croc Park'
Plans for a wildlife park at the site have been in the works for more than 35 years, and have garnered significant community backlash.
The original approval for a development in 1989 sought to include crocodiles, and became known locally as the 'croc park.'
Although the current planning documents do not mention the saltwater animal, Mr Amirbeaggi did not rule it out.
People looking into an outdoor wildlife exhibit that has koalas in trees.
A concept drawing of what the animal exhibits could look like. (Supplied: Cox Architecture & Eximia Design)
The community has raised concerns over the decades about the development's potential environmental impacts.
Aside from some preliminary works in 1992, and clearing conducted in 2018, the property is mainly bushland.
The site also contains a long corridor of the Blue Mountains Swamps Endangered Ecological Community.
"The environmental damage that will be done by the wildlife park on environmentally sensitive land is obvious and profound," said Cr Greenhill.
The President of the Wentworth Falls Business Chamber, Lew Hird, has a background in environmental science.
He said he is supportive of the development, if it addresses some environmental challenges.
Mr Hird raised concerns about water run-off, and how sewage from the animal enclosures would be contained from flowing into the streams.
Man in suit smiles at camera with shops and signs in background.
President of the Wentworth Falls Chamber of Commerce, Lew Hird, says the development would be beneficial for the town if it is environmentally sustainable. (ABC Central West: Lani Oataway)
"I have issues associated with the impact on riparian areas - particularly given the topography," he said.
He said he will await the detail in the central planning document - the Environmental Impact Statement - which is being developed.
"Hopefully it will provide us with that sort of information so we can go forward with some confidence."
Posted17m ago17 minutes agoFri 14 Mar 2025 at 12:09am
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