The forest

Newcastle’s last significant unprotected forest

Link Road Forest is one of the Hunter region’s most important remaining natural areas — a large and largely intact native forest spanning approximately 574 hectares across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

More than green space, Link Road Forest is a living ecosystem. It provides habitat for threatened wildlife, supports biodiversity, stores carbon, helps regulate local temperatures, contributes to cleaner air and strengthens the environmental resilience of surrounding communities.

As development continues across Western Lake Macquarie and Newcastle, places like Link Road Forest are becoming increasingly rare. Once lost, mature native forests cannot simply be recreated.

A vital wildlife corridor

Link Road Forest plays a critical role in connecting habitat across the landscape.

Wildlife corridors allow animals to move safely between bushland areas to feed, breed and maintain healthy populations. As native habitat becomes increasingly fragmented, these connected landscapes become even more important.

The forest supports threatened species and important ecological communities, including habitat used by koalas, gliders, owls, bats and migratory bird species. Large Grey Gums provide important feed trees for koalas, while native vegetation across the forest supports countless other species that depend on connected bushland to survive.

Protecting Link Road Forest means protecting the ecological systems that wildlife depends upon.

Biodiversity close to home

Link Road Forest contains significant native vegetation communities, including areas associated with endangered ecological communities found within the Lower Hunter region.

The forest provides refuge for native plants, birds, mammals, insects and pollinators that contribute to healthy ecosystems beyond the forest itself.

Biodiversity matters because healthy natural systems support healthier communities. Native forests contribute to cleaner air, improved water processes, cooler urban environments and greater resilience to climate impacts.

These benefits extend far beyond the forest boundary.

Nature supports healthier communities

Access to natural places matters.

Forests provide opportunities for walking, recreation, connection to nature and mental wellbeing. Research consistently shows that access to green space contributes positively to physical health, stress reduction and quality of life.

For surrounding suburbs, Link Road Forest represents something increasingly valuable — nearby nature that supports both environmental and community wellbeing.

It is part of what makes this region liveable.

Cultural and community value

The forest also holds cultural significance and forms part of a landscape valued by generations of local residents.

Natural places create connection — to place, to community and to future generations.

People across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie have rallied to protect Link Road Forest because they recognise what is at stake: not only wildlife habitat and biodiversity, but an irreplaceable part of the region’s environmental identity.

A forest worth protecting

Link Road Forest cannot be replaced once it is cleared.

Protecting this landscape means protecting wildlife habitat, biodiversity, climate resilience, community wellbeing and natural spaces for future generations.

This is more than preserving trees.

It is about protecting one of our region’s last great remaining forests — while we still can.