View from Butterbox Point  (Gary Humble)

Jamison Valley  (Ann Penhallurick)

Oct 2022 - The Australian Heritage Council (AHC) is currently assessing whether the Greater Blue Mountains Area has additional heritage values, and whether to expand the National Heritage listing to include adjacent areas. We need your help to strengthen and expand the Greater Blue Mountains National and World Heritage Area, ensuring all of the its values and areas worthy of National and World Heritage listing are recognised.

Read about the assessment process including the map of the adjacent areas and lodge your submission and support through the federal Environment and Water engagement hub.

URGENT: Submissions close on 16 November 2022.

Below is a submission guide.

The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area covers over one million hectares and contains eight reserves, including the Blue Mountains National Park. In 2000, the Greater Blue Mountains Area was included on the World Heritage list for its outstanding universal natural vegetation and exceptional biodiversity values. Cultural (Indigenous and historic) and scenic values were also nominated by the NSW and Australian Governments, but given the nomination was prepared in just six weeks, time defeated the effective justification of these important values. . Since 2000 conservationists, ecologists, geologists and Aboriginal people have presented data and information on other values and adjacent high conservation value (HCV) natural areas that should be listed.

Visit our "World Heritage Experience" website for amazing panoramas taken from in and around the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

Public comment is now being sought on the AHC assessment for the National Heritage listing as a first step toward broadening the World Heritage recognised area and values. The AHC’s assessment will consider:

• Geodiversity values
• Aesthetic (natural beauty and wilderness)
• Historic values
• Biodiversity in relation to any additional areas.

The AHC is also engaging with Traditional Custodians regarding assessment of Indigenous cultural values.

Over 200,000 ha including the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area (SCA), Mugii Murum-ban, Parr, Burragorang and Yerranderie SCAs and other adjacent reserves, state forests, crown land and inholdings area being assessed for inclusion. After the exhibition period, the AHC will consider submissions and recommend to the federal Environment Minister additional areas and values to be inscribed on the National Heritage List under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The Society has raised the issue of additional values and areas in its priority issues at successive federal elections and in meetings with successive federal environment ministers. Following a recent meeting with current federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, and federal MP for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, the Society is very pleased that this National Heritage assessment is at last being progressed.

Read our Aug 2022 letter, on this and related issues, to The Hon Tanya Plibersek MHR, Minister for the Environment & Water.

Submission guide

In your submission we suggest you provide strong support in relation to the following:

• The Australian Heritage Council (AHC)’s preliminary assessment of biodiversity, aesthetics, geological heritage, Indigenous heritage and historic heritage in the Greater Blue Mountains Area as described and mapped by the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.[1]


• The detailed information and reasoning for additional values and areas in the 2015 Values for a new generation report compiled by the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee).


• Additional areas recommended by the Advisory Committee but not included in the AHC’s preliminary assessment. These are Bargo River, Jellore and Putty State Forests; Joadja and Wollondilly River Nature Reserves; Mares Forests National Park, Yerranderie Regional Park, Gosper Mountain inholding and Putty freehold lands all relying on detailed information and reasoning in the Values Report.


• Addition of adjacent high conservation forest areas considered by the Blue Mountains Conservation Society as suitable for listing. Most have been gazetted as reserves after 2015. These are Koolewong Flora Reserve in McPherson State Forest; Ngula Bulgarabang Regional Park; Wiarborough Nature Reserve; Wollemi, Goulburn River and Yango State Conservation Areas; Maiyangi Marragu Aboriginal Place and Appletree Aboriginal Area; plus Crown lands between Medlow Bath to Hassans Walls (which are part of the Gardens of Stone stage 2 proposal and flagged by the AHC for assessment) and Ben Bullen State Forest which remains threatened by open-cut coal mining.


• The rapid inscription of over 40,000 hectares of reserve additions to the eight protected areas already inscribed on the World Heritage and National Heritage lists, as this can be done through a simple administrative process.


• World Heritage listing considerations be undertaken at the same time as the National Heritage listing process, as was done for the Opera House, otherwise these nomination processes could drag on for decades.

Submit your feedback to the AHC by 11:59pm AEDT 16 November 2022. You can do so through the federal Environment and Water engagement hub webform or email heritage@environment.gov.au