The long and difficult journey to restore public access to Garie Beach in the Royal National Park has taken a major step forward with the start of work on repairs to Garie Road in October.

The road has been closed since heavy floodwaters caused significant damaged early last year.

However, after 18 months of uncertainty, a timeline has now been given for the complex repair work in the Royal National Park to begin and importantly, complete.

Transport for NSW will move a section of the road further into the hill and drive about 100 15-metre-long concrete piles into the side of the road for more than 150 metres.

The work is expected to be complete by mid-next year, dependent on weather.

The collapse of Garie Road was one of the worst in Greater Sydney and there has been continuous slippage of the road and land, further increasing risks in and around the location.

Garie Surf Life Saving Club members will operate from Wattamolla Beach during the 2023/24 surf life saving season instead whilst National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will provide paid life guarding services at Wattamolla over the summer holidays period too.

NPWS is planning maintenance and repairs to buildings, paths and other structures that were also damaged in the Garie precinct.

Quotes attributable to Maryanne Stuart, Member for Heathcote:

“It has been a long, anxious and frustrating road to get to this point.

“Visitors, locals and in particular the members of Garie Surf Life Saving Club, have all been eager for the repairs to commence.

“I am glad that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel – particularly for members of Garie SLSC.

“There is still a lot of work that needs to be done to repair the road but all going well, it should be reopened by mid-next year.”