Destination Pagoda, the visitor management plan for a 39,000 hectare Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area, can attract 155,000 visitors in the first year, growing to 420,000 in ten years.

By then, a new reserve will generate an estimated $24.3 million per year for the Lithgow economy in dining, accommodation, retail and transport expenditure, and a total of $40.3 million through direct, industry and consumption effects, contributing to 258 local jobs.

Lithgow, being on the edge the Gardens of Stone region and just 140 kilometres from Sydney, is ideally situated to benefit from promotion of this new reserve.

The economic analysis by Destination Research reveals that the area’s iconic pagoda rock formations, Aboriginal rock art and unique flora.