Damage to roads in the Royal National Park
Project overview
The Royal National Park has experienced flooding and major damage to roads after unprecedented rain levels since 2021. Earlier last year, significant landslides occurred at McKell Avenue and Garie Road, and movement continued until recently, resulting in restricted access at McKell Avenue and a full closure of Garie Road.
Our priority is to repair these landslip sites as soon as safely possible.
Transport for NSW understands and appreciates the inconvenience this causes to National Park visitors and the local community, however due to the significance of this land slip and associated damage to a large section of road, there has been no short-term solutions.
In addition, periodic closures continue at Audley Weir due to flooding events. Audley Weir typically floods three or four times a year but has experienced a significant increase in flooding events in the last 18 months, prompting the need for improvements at the weir.
Transport for NSW is working with National Parks and Wildlife Service and other stakeholders to repair these landslip sites and damaged roads and improve safety and information to the community when Audley Weir is closed due to flooding.
Oct 2023 - latest news
Important updates
Garie Road landslip
The collapse of Garie Road is one of the worst in Greater Sydney due to the severe wet weather and there has been continuous slippage of the land under the road that increases risks around the site.
The slippage has now stabilised, allowing Transport for NSW to assess the damage and plan work to repair the road.
Work will commence in October 2023, and is expected to be completed by mid-2024, weather and site conditions permitting.
Garie Road remains closed to ensure the safety of motorists, pedestrians and workers who need to access the site. Our priority is to repair and open the road safely as soon as we can.
Garie Beach closure
Garie Beach will remain closed until at least mid-2024. National Parks and Wildlife Service will also continue with the closure of the Garie Beach precinct to minimise visitors to the area.
During this time, Garie Beach will not be patrolled by the Garie Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Alternatively, Wattamolla Beach will be accessible and patrolled by Lifesavers and Lifeguards over the 2023/2024 summer season. Please check https://beachsafe.org.au/beach/nsw/sutherland-shire/maianbar/wattamolla for patrolled locations/times.
Little Garie Cabins
The access track from Garie Road to the Little Garie Cabins is also closed due to flood damage. The National Parks and Wildlife Service will undertake track repair works from February 2024, subject to site conditions and approvals. Access to the cabins will be via Garawarra Farm until track works are complete, which is expected to be in mid-2024.
McKell Avenue landslip
During construction, McKell Avenue will be closed between 6am Monday and 6pm Friday and will reopen on weekends, from Friday 6pm to Monday 6am. A detour will be in place at Farnell Avenue/Audley Road. We expect repairs to commence in October 2023, and completed by mid-2024, weather and site conditions permitting.
Audley Weir Flooding
A range of upgrades to improve access and safety are now underway at Audley Weir to address disruptions caused by rainfall and flooding, with more improvements in the pipeline.
A temporary electronic message sign has been installed at the intersection of Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and Bundeena Drive to notify vehicles of weir closures, replacing the ageing ‘flip-sign’ currently in place, to improve the reliability of information for the community.
Gates will be also installed at both sides of the weir to stop vehicles from crossing during flooding and new live-traffic cameras will be installed to monitor flood levels at the weir. We expect gates to be installed by end-2023, subject to approvals.
Location of sites in the Royal National Park
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Planning your trip
If you are visiting the Royal National Park, please monitor traffic conditions via LiveTraffic.com and check the NPWS alerts page before visiting Royal National Park.
For further information
We will keep the community up to date via this website, social media, electronic signage and Live Traffic updates.
Thank you for your patience while we undertake repairs as quickly and safely as possible.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the repair work at either site, or the improvements to Audley Weir, please contact the Connect Sydney project team:
Phone: 1800 735 563
Email: info.harbour@ConnectSydney.com.au