National Parks and Tourism: Where Should the Line Be Drawn?
March 14, 2018
Balancing tourism, conservation, and public access
Australia’s national parks are increasingly being considered not only as places of conservation, but as opportunities for tourism development.
Proposals for new infrastructure, accommodation, and visitor experiences are often framed as ways to support regional economies and improve access. While these goals are important, they raise a broader question.
Where should the boundary lie between access and development?
Mount Buffalo National Park
Mount Buffalo National Park is one of Victoria’s most historically and environmentally significant landscapes. For more than a century, it has offered visitors the opportunity to experience alpine environments through relatively simple, self-directed access.
In recent years, proposals have emerged to introduce large-scale tourism infrastructure within the park. These have included concepts for accommodation, visitor facilities, and commercial attractions designed to increase visitation and diversify tourism offerings.
Such proposals highlight a key tension. Introducing commercial infrastructure into protected areas may increase visitor numbers, but it also changes how these landscapes are experienced and managed.
The role of existing infrastructure
Mount Buffalo already has a long history of visitation and infrastructure. Previous proposals to restore the historic Mount Buffalo Chalet demonstrated that conservation, heritage, and access can coexist when approached carefully.
The question is not whether infrastructure belongs in these landscapes, but what kind, and at what scale.
Low-impact, publicly managed facilities that support access are consistent with the purpose of national parks. Large-scale commercial developments designed around private investment introduce a different set of priorities.
The rise of ‘icon’ walking experiences
Alongside site-specific proposals, there has been a broader push to develop ‘icon’ walking experiences across Victoria. These are often designed to attract interstate and international visitors through multi-day walks supported by accommodation and guided services.
Examples include the Great Ocean Walk, the Grampians Peaks Trail, and the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing.
While some of these projects successfully integrate tourism outside park boundaries, others have proposed accommodation and infrastructure within protected areas. This raises questions about consistency in approach and long-term impact.
A question of approach
Tourism plays an important role in connecting people with nature and supporting regional communities. However, not all tourism needs to occur within national parks to be successful.
An alternative approach focuses on:
- Maintaining low-impact, publicly managed infrastructure within protected areas
- Locating accommodation and higher-impact development outside park boundaries
- Supporting regional towns as gateways to natural landscapes
- Encouraging self-directed access alongside guided experiences
This approach allows both conservation and tourism to coexist without compromising the core purpose of national parks.
Looking beyond individual proposals
Proposals such as those for Mount Buffalo and other locations are not isolated. They reflect a broader shift in how protected landscapes are being valued and used.
Understanding this shift requires looking beyond individual developments and considering the cumulative effect of incremental change.
Continuing the conversation
Questions about access, development, and stewardship continue to shape how Australia’s national parks are managed.
You can explore these issues further through:
Position on Trail Access and Development →
For further information, please contact:
Victorian National Parks Association
