Namadgi National Park celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Its gazettal on 3 October 1984 followed years of campaigning for ‘a national park for the national capital’ – the slogan adopted by the National Park Association of the ACT, which was established in 1960 to lobby for a national park.

From a packed public meeting convened by a small group at the Australian Institute of Anatomy on 1 March 1960 to consider the question of a national park for the ACT, it would be another 21 years before that dream was realised.

 On a motion put to the meeting by the late Nancy Burbidge, a CSIRO botanist, the fledgling NPA ACT was formed, thus beginning a long and sometimes discouraging campaign during which many papers were written, and politicians lobbied.

 A breakthrough came in 1979 when the Gudgenby Nature Reserve was declared.

In 1962 – 63, botanists and zoologists had surveyed the area around Gudgenby and Mount Kelly to draw up lists of the flora and fauna and prepare maps of the area. The compiled information was ‘sent with high hopes to the appropriate officials and departments’.

 The original area proposed now forms the core of the wilderness area of the very much enlarged Namadgi National Park, which covers 46 per cent of the ACT, ranging from grassy plains to snow gum forests to alpine meadows and wetlands. 

 Under Tom Uren as federal Minister for Territories and Local Government in 1983 – 84, the creation of a national park was given new impetus.

Panorama from Hospital Hill. Photo by Rod Griffiths

Members of the NPA and Canberra Bushies had, at various times, taken Mr Uren out into the bush and shown him the area they wanted gazetted as a national park.

 ‘He was interested in the environment, fortunately, and of course as soon as he saw it he just said to one of his offsiders, “Well, this will have to be a national park – so see to it,”’ recalled NPA campaigner Reg Alder.

 ‘ And it was done! It was just so easy that last step that you wondered why it had been so hard to get there.’

 ‘Another early campaigner, Fiona MacDonald Brand recalled: ‘I don’t remember that we had a big celebration. It wasn’t until Tom Uren announced it as a national park that a group of us felt that it needed a big, special walk. [So] we walked up to Mount Namadgi and carried a couple of bottles of champagne and some food.’

 The day of gazettal was also that of the first meeting of the Namadgi National Park  Consultative Committee. At the meeting, an elated Tom Uren ‘waved the gazettal notice happily’ and commented that in a long political career ‘it was one of his proudest achievements’.

 In charging the committee with its task, Mr Uren said he wanted it to recognise and support one important theme: 'Namadgi is to be in every sense of the phrase a park for the people. I want it to be a living part of the ACT community, available for all to use throughout the year, but in a manner in keeping with the need to protect the important natural and human attributes of the area.

  'To have such a magnificent park on the doorstep of a national capital is a rare experience and one I am sure that will become increasingly appreciated by both residents and visitors.’

 Forty years on, we would all still agree.

 Allan Sharp
June 2024