 Until 1968, much of the inland southeastern corner of New South Wales was rugged forest terrain known as the Wallagaraugh Wilderness, and was vacant crown land.At the time, a scientific committee appointed by the New South Wales state government recommended the area of around be protected as a national park, however the Japanese company Harris-Daishowa sought to log the area for woodchips, and most of the land was categorised as state forest, with only Nalbaugh and Nungatta National Parks declared in what is now South East Forests National Park.Nearby, Mount Imlay and Ben Boyd National Park were gazetted.