Port Macquarie Southern Breakwall Upgrade

Reviewed

The NSW Government is delivering major improvements to maritime infrastructure and facilities statewide, to help the boating and wider community safely access, use and navigate our inland and coastal waters.

Port Macquarie Breakwall Upgrade

Latest news

May 2023 – Tender process concluded

The tender process for the Port Macquarie Southern Breakwater project ended on 30 May and there were no successful tender submissions.

Transport for NSW is now reviewing the project design to incorporate a footpath with improved disability access.

We will go out to tender again once we have completed the redesign in July.

We are now planning to start construction in Q3/Q4 2023 with the aim of completing it in Q2 2024.

May 2023 – Internal review complete

The Maritime Infrastructure Delivery Office (MIDO) has completed its independent internal engineering review of the project and will provide a briefing to the Government in due course.

A definitive start date for construction has not yet been determined. 

March 2023 – General update

The NSW Government is committed to progressing the Port Macquarie Breakwall project. 

Transport for NSW Maritime Infrastructure Delivery Office (MIDO) is yet to finalise the tender process for the Port Macquarie Breakwall Project and is undertaking further internal project development reviews. 

The Port Macquarie Breakwall Project relies upon engineering reports conducted by Manly Hydraulics and Royal Haskoning DHV, both of which confirm the need to remediate and repair the Southern Breakwall.

December 2022 - Environmental approval received, project now seeking tenders

Following the release of the submissions report in November, and the resubmission of the finalised Review of Environmental Factors and project plans, Transport for NSW has obtained approval to proceed with the Port Macquarie Southern Breakwall Upgrade project.

We are now advertising the tender for the construction work of this critical maintenance project. This tender process will take a number of months to complete. Information about the tender process can be found on the eTender website.

We will continue to update you on the progress of this project.

November 2022 - Consultation Submissions Report

We thank the community for providing feedback on the Port Macquarie Southern Breakwall Project.

The number of submissions received reinforces that the Port Macquarie Breakwall is an iconic and loved treasure for the community.

Transport for NSW recognises the importance of this Maritime infrastructure asset and has carefully considered all feedback received, provided responses in the submissions report and has changed the project in response to some of the concerns.

This submissions report and a number of additional project reports are now available on this page. See the Documents section below.

 Port Macquarie Breakwall map

Project information

Background

The Port Macquarie breakwalls were installed to provide a safe navigable boat entrance and maintain the current river mouth entrance.

The Port Macquarie breakwall was built over a period of 40 years with completion in 1939. The last major maintenance was carried out on the head of the breakwall  in 2014.  

As part of the project early investigations, including underwater assessments and scans shows the southern breakwall is in need of extensive repair works. The rock has settled and shifted over time, creating voids which compromise the effectiveness and stability of the structure.

In November 2020 $5 million was announced to complete the critical maintenance work on the southern breakwall at Port Macquarie and to ensure its structural integrity and longevity.

About the project

The NSW Government is funding a proposal to upgrade the southern breakwall at Port Macquarie. We have developed a refined concept design which includes:

  • rebuilding 600 metres of the breakwall along the river section
  • completing maintenance of the breakwall head with minimal change to the footprint
  • installing a new five-metre-wide footpath along the majority of the structure’s length. This excludes the last 30 metres at the head of the breakwall, where the current footprint and width will stay the same
  • Installing two new stair accesses to the NRMA Holiday Park, and a new access ramp at the seaward end of the Holiday Park
  • Installing safety fencing along the southern side of path and a kerb along the northern side of the path
  • Installing new lighting on the shared user path
  • Installing six seating areas
  • Landscaping the area with over 6000 plants and 43 mature replacement trees

To view the refined concept design view the June 2022 community update (PDF, 3.56 MB).

What's happening now?

Following release of the Submissions Report in November, and the re-submission of the finalised Review of Environmental Factors and project plans, Transport for NSW  has obtained approval to proceed with the Port Macquarie Southern Breakwall Upgrade project.

We are now advertising the tender for the construction work of this critical maintenance project. The tender process will take a number of months to complete. We are still aiming to start construction in May 2023 following the Iron Man event.

We will keep you informed on the progress of the project approval to proceed.

Next steps

  • Award the tender for the work
  • Start construction

Community information

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Community updates

Project documents

Some documents on this page may not comply with accessibility requirements (WCAG). If you are having trouble accessing information in these documents, please contact us.

Project notifications

Reports

Contact us

For more information contact the project team:

Phone: 1800 571 311

Email:portmacquariebreakwall@transport.nsw.gov.au

Related information

Maritime projects
On this page you can find all Maritime projects related to Maritime property and commercial, environmental and ferry wharf upgrade programs.

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