Important safety notice: quarry and gravel pit sites are excluded from hunting

Please be aware that all quarry and gravel pit sites located in NSW State forests are excluded from recreational hunting activities, regardless of whether the site is

• currently active

• inactive

• under rehabilitation

• on care and maintenance, or

• temporarily not being used for extraction activities.

Forestry Corporation manages quarry and gravel pit sites as operational areas and excludes these areas from the community to protect the safety of workers, contractors, visitors, recreational users, and the broader public.

Quarry sites may present ongoing hazards including unstable ground, stockpiles, quarry faces, access roads, blasting areas, mobile plant movements, and other infrastructure associated with quarry operations.

Areas covered by this exclusion

The hunting exclusion applies to all land and infrastructure associated with Forestry Corporation quarry and gravel pit operations, including:

• quarry extraction areas

• gravel pits

• stockpile areas

• processing and crushing areas

• quarry haul roads and access tracks

• blast exclusion zones

• rehabilitation areas

• any area identified as forming part of a quarry or gravel pit operation.

Hunting and firearms restrictions

Recreational hunting in NSW State forests is subject to declared hunting areas, hunting exclusion maps, licence conditions, and directions issued by Forestry Corporation as the land manager. Areas identified as hunting exclusions must not be entered for hunting purposes.

No hunting, stalking, firearm discharge, or target shooting activities are permitted within quarry or gravel pit exclusion areas.

Holders of a NSW Sport/Target Shooting Firearms Licence are reminded that:

“The licence does not authorise the use of a firearm except at a shooting range approved under Part 8.” 
— Firearms Regulation 2017 (NSW), Clause 29(b).

Accordingly, target shooting is not permitted within Forestry Corporation quarry or gravel pit sites.

State forest quarry sites are permanently excluded

Unless otherwise authorised in writing by Forestry Corporation, all quarry and gravel pit sites are to be treated as permanent hunting exclusion areas and must not be entered for hunting or shooting activities. This applies whether or not operational works are occurring at the time.

Further information

For information on recreational hunting in State forests, including hunting conditions and current hunting exclusion areas, please visit the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development website.