National Sparks & Wildfire Service

[Ballina1]

Last year we travelled to Darwin via Central Queensland, back through the Red Centre, Oodnadatta Track, Flinders Ranges, Broken Hill, Hill End and Warrumbungles. As a fossicker / prospector I am not permitted to fossick in National Parks (certainly not in NSW). I suppose this is because the NP&WS are charged with maintaining the parks in pristine condition for future generations to enjoy and for the protection of wildlife and plants. Or so we are told. On our journey, I came to the conclusion that NP&WS are quietly doing one of two things. They have allowed huge numbers of goats to infest the park to eat weeds so as to restore parks to their former magnificent glory (unlikely) &/or they are secretly farming goats!

Wilpena Pound was a disgrace. Goats everywhere. We didn't see a kangaroo or wallaby there during our stay. The living area for staff was also a pigsty. Flinders Ranges near the park was generally filthy with goats. So much for the yellow-footed rock-wallaby. Driving through Broken Hill I was amazed at the huge population of goats in the area, many happily eating by the roadside. Hill End, managed by NP&WS, is also "goat city". The final park visited was the Warrumbungles. We saw NO native animals. No kangaroos, no wallabies! Just goats and feral cats. What a disgrace!

I am amazed the greenies are silent on this issue. We here a lot of fuss about wild horses in parks but nothing about the millions of goats. National Goat Farming Service. Time for a cull - goats AND management.

 

[iamagoldenoldie2]

what happened to the Flinders ranges once the goats took over, devastation to the natural environment, now out back Broken Hill i believe the roads cut farmers properties and the goats are an income the only tree i saw out that way had braziers hanging like fruit bats off it yeah what can you say about their management record

 

[Anolphart]

I think that you might be a little bit harsh Ballina1. The NPWS has a huge area to control and contrary to popular belief they do not have unlimited funds.

I dont know where youve been looking but my visit last year to the Flinders I saw no less wildlife there than I would have expected anywhere else. The last time I was in the Warrumbungles about 3 years ago the roos and wallabies were in the campground and I did not see any goats there at all. Last year I stayed in the Kinchega NP and Lake Pamamaroo and saw no goats. There were goats on the Mundi Mundi plains and Silverton as well as on the road to Tibooburra, and a lot between Wilcania and Broken Hill, but as mentioned previously, these are being farmed.

Whilst we prospectors may have a beef about limited access to some gold bearing country in National Parks, my understanding is that it is being addressed and they may be more receptive to it in the near future.

I had a long chat to the Marybourough ranger the other day and he advised me that this year (after many years without) he was finally allocated $30,000 to grade the parks' access roads ... and thats for ALL of the local park roads, so I doubt that the parks out west would be any more flush with resources.

 

[xcvator]

I was in the Flinders ranges last November and was surprised that we didn't see any goats any where. We drove out to "Sacred Canyon" 5 years ago it was crawling with goats, this time not a goat to be seen. I saw a sign about the culling and apparently there have been a lot of organized shoots and the numbers destroyed were mind boggling, can't remember the exact number bit it was up in the 100k+
The only ones we saw were just out of Broken Hill, none out at Silverton at all

 

[Ballina1]

If you didn't see more goats than kangaroos in Flinders Ranges and Warrumbungles you were lucky. Of course they are in rocky country, not the parkland, except in Hill End south of the village where they are almost tame. My point is that we are unable to detect but it's Ok for goats to eat everything except tall trees. Preservation of the natural environment seems to be interpreted as human exclusion, unless they pay for access or camping fees.

 

[nucopia]

Last year on our way back from W.A we drove through Broken Hill on our way to Cobar.
We left BH at about 9:30 PM at night. As soon as we left the city for the first 50kms we sore plenty of roos on the side or in the middle of the road.
Then we stopped to camp for the night in a rest stop around 12 midnight about 30 ks out of Willcannia.
In the morning we woke to the sounds of goats bleeting all around the camper. There would have been a good size heard of up to 100 goats roaming around us as we packed up the camper to continue driving.
For the next three hours and 260kms driving to Cobar and passing through or on the border of the Paroo-Darling national park we sore scores of goats every few hundred metres grazing along the side of the road.
It was amazing the number of goats out along the road side and the fences were no barrier to their coming and going.
If what we observed along the road was 20% of the numbers out there, then there must be thousands of them out in the bush.

 

[Sacredsite]

Last year on our way back from W.A we drove through Broken Hill on our way to Cobar.
We left BH at about 9:30 PM at night. As soon as we left the city for the first 50kms we sore plenty of roos on the side or in the middle of the road.
Then we stopped to camp for the night in a rest stop around 12 midnight about 30 ks out of Willcannia.
In the morning we woke to the sounds of goats bleeting all around the camper. There would have been a good size heard of up to 100 goats roaming around us as we packed up the camper to continue driving.
For the next three hours and 260kms driving to Cobar and passing through or on the border of the Paroo-Darling national park we sore scores of goats every few hundred metres grazing along the side of the road.
It was amazing the number of goats out along the road side and the fences were no barrier to their coming and going.
If what we observed along the road was 20% of the numbers out there, then there must be thousands of them out in the bush.

I grew up about 70km east of Swan Hill and they used to talk about the amount of goats around Balranald back in the 70's.

 

[Goldfreak]

Goats are worth good money live :Y:

 

[shakergt]

I know that in some areas of Western Australia wild dogs have pretty muchly wiped out goats. There are still plenty about though.

 

[MJB]

It should be illegal NOT to cull feral animals that destroy our native environment

 

[iamagoldenoldie2]

if your driving around the outback and you don't see any feral wildlife ,it does not mean there not there, the dear in the royal national park were culled years ago but there back in numbers , never saw a koalal bear in the bush around the area i live but there are recent signs posted 7 koala's killed in the past 5 years, so on the probability of my 40 years of driving the road there here in plague proportion or have they been relocated from say , king island , to repopulate the bushfire devastated region, same goes for the roos around here, they have been planted by the national park people because they are supposed to be native to the area, the devastation of the flinders rangers was the talking point years ago not now there was a culling program initiated on the quiet to many greenies out there , the Hill End goats, 30 years ago they were the number one target , now theres an increase in dear and pigs in the broader region , they are out there .

 

[Shep]

when governments tell departments/agencies to save money it is always operational staff and programs that get cut.

 

[nucopia]

Last year on our way back from W.A we drove through Broken Hill on our way to Cobar.
We left BH at about 9:30 PM at night. As soon as we left the city for the first 50kms we sore plenty of roos on the side or in the middle of the road.
Then we stopped to camp for the night in a rest stop around 12 midnight about 30 ks out of Willcannia.
In the morning we woke to the sounds of goats bleeting all around .

I grew up about 70km east of Swan Hill and they used to talk about the amount of goats around Balranald back in the 70's.

Yep seen goats on the Euston side of the Murray when we stayed at Happy Valley out of Robinvale.
They can thrive most any where like other feral animals do..

 

[Ballina1]

Folks, We can all help! Every prospector needs to have a goat curry at least twice a month.

 

[RM Outback]

Goat meat is the most consumed meat in the world that's the reason feral goats are mustered rather than shot these days. Years ago we use to shoot hundreds of them between Wentworth and Broken Hill on one trip we came across a bloke with his parents who were shooting the biggest goats they could. Their reason was to make carpet for the house oh the smell phew anyway it's interesting how tough some people live. As for Park's I wouldn't put it passed them to use the dollar value without informing the stake holders, bureaucracy operating as normal.

 

[Ballina1]

I first stated this thread in 2016. Since then I have come to the conclusion that National Sparks and Wildfire Service does not intentionally farm goats or intentionally provide fabulous habitat and a safe haven for feral cats. Accordingly, I have concluded that NP&WS have no funding to undertake the responsibilities expected of them. That is, to manage and protect the areas under their jurisdiction.

I have also come to the conclusion that NOT allowing recreational fossickers to enjoy their hobby in National Parks is ridiculous. You cannot fossick at Hill End in the area controlled by NP&WS, although the goats can roam freely doing more damage than I ever would. Further, the inference is that the only place you can fossick is at Tambaroora which is nonsense.

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[Grylls]

Hey mate,

Just come across this forum.
I used to work for NPWS NSW at Bourke and cobar. The parks in These areas expecially GUndabooka and Yathong had huge amounts of goats. They were been farmed for National Parks revenue and also certain staff were cashing in and running the parks and reserves like they were there own farms. These people were also involved in native wildlife smuggling. NSW national parks is corrupt to the top. If your are part of the scam you can get away with murder. The people involved with the goat farming are colluding with the corrupt at the top and so the top protects them. Read about Raymond Hoser who exposed the NPWS years ago.

 

[LONEWOLF]

Spot on Grylls, NPWS in NSW needs a complete overhaul and some of the things that I have witnessed around Coffs Harbour and Torrington are mindboggling... As you say, some who are there are out for their own Benefit...

Native wildlife smuggling is rampant, and so is Gold Dredging by NPWS Staff...
I have reported some for these activities, including photo's of numberplates of NPWS utes with Dredges in the back with tarps thrown over them, only to meet a brick wall.. No one wants to know and act on these matters....

But if it was you or me, we would have the book thrown at us....
As I have said before, you cant have 'Police' investigating 'Police'...

LW...

 

[Manpa]

Send it to the media, current affairs love a scandal.

 

[RM Outback]

Send it to the media, current affairs love a scandal.

Yeah they thrive on it :Y: and it gives an investigative journo something to do that's worth while for the next 3 to 5 years :beer: