FORBES Shire Council is to buy the 85-site Apex Riverside Caravan Park at Forbes in NSW for undisclosed amount.

Mayor Phyllis Miller said the purchase would guarantee community access to the Lachlan River.

"This park is part of our heritage and by vesting ownership in our community we are ensuring that our community will continue to enjoy our beautiful river," she told the Forbes Advocate.

The 55-year-old park, a member of the Top Tourist chain, was run by the Friends of Forbes Apex after the local Apex Club closed in the late 1990s.

It is understood that managers Neil and Jane Gilmore, who have been at the park since 1987, will retire later this year.

Friends of Apex president Kevin Dwyer told the Advocate that the couple had done an outstanding job managing the park.

"Neil and Jane have treated the park as if it were their own and done an exemplary job in maintaining and operating it," he said.

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