Sadly, this is what seems to be happening across the country in areas like Ben Boyd National Park south of Canberra, the Tasmanian Tarkine wilderness and Kangaroo Island, where locals are fighting against proposals to build permanent accommodation within their national parks.

Communities surrounding the Ben Boyd National Park, about three hours south of Canberra, are fighting to protect the multi-day Light to Light walk from commercialisation.

One of the most contentious parts of the NSW government proposal is to build huts to accommodate hikers in two of the most pristine areas on the walk. It has been met with outrage, not only for the environmental impacts and Aboriginal heritage concerns, but because it will effectively shut out self-supported hikers at those locations.

It was 140 years ago that Australia's first national park was established in New South Wales, just south of Sydney and now known as Royal National Park.

According to the National Museum of Australia, it was formed to address public health concerns about overcrowded, unsanitary conditions in cities. That same reason is probably why national parks in New South Wales are experiencing higher numbers of visitors than ever before. It's also the same reason why these parks should be kept pristine and wild.

There are thousands of national parks across the country, including two in the ACT and about 870 in NSW.

A surge in visitors saw more than eight million visit the most popular park, the Blue Mountains National Park, in 2018.

That was a 60 per cent increase over the past two years. Kosciuszko National Park registered a jump of almost half in visits, to 3.27 million in 2018, making it the fourth most popular in the state.

It is absolutely necessary for national parks to be well-funded, and for that funding to be spent on improving the visitor experience while protecting the environment. More people should visit the national parks to enjoy the spectacular natural displays on offer. But the key is to keep them natural.

Focusing millions in funding on building huts for affluent tourists, like what seems to be the case in Ben Boyd National Park and others, is a complete cultural change from what national parks were established to do.

State governments would do well to listen to the voices of those railing against the plans. Calling for crowds might line pockets, but it will not serve the public well.

National parks should be protected from commercialisation and over-tourism. Take a picture, but leave only footprints.