Further 167,400 hectares of Boodjamulla handed back, with lease-back to continue public access

A further 167,400 hectares of Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park in north-west Queensland has been handed back to the park’s Traditional Owners, the Waanyi People, in what the Queensland Government says is the second phase of a staged transfer.

In a statement issued on 7 January 2026, Queensland’s Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said the Waanyi Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC has agreed to lease the land back to the Queensland Government, building on what it describes as the state’s first successful lease-back arrangement for national park land, formalised in 2023.

The department said more than 247,000 hectares has now been handed back as part of the ongoing partnership, and that the park will be rededicated as Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal land) following the transfer of the Aboriginal land title deed.

Executive Director Partnerships Karrell Ross said the handback was a significant step. “This historic hand back is a testament to the Queensland Government’s commitment to reconciliation and the recognition of our Traditional Owners,” Ms Ross said.

The department said the handback event took place in Cairns on 19 November, when Waanyi representatives formally signed the national park lease and accepted the Aboriginal land title deed.

Queensland’s State of the Environment reporting has previously described the handback and cooperative management as being delivered through an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) and a Cooperative Management Agreement, with a joint management council structure involving Waanyi representatives and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff.