Residents’ message to city council as road repair delays cause hour-long detour into town

Furious residents of a small coastal community say they are being forced to take an hour-long detour into town because of damage to roads, which have been unused for two weeks, meaning that for some, what was once a one-kilometre journey now takes 38.

Residents of Wisemans Ferry, north of Sydney, were cut off from their hometown after a landslide swept through the area in June, which saw boulders devastate the main thoroughfare of River Road, crushing guardrails and leaving huge holes in their wake.

The town is home to just a few hundred people. They say they are fed up with waiting for their council and the state government to take action, and many rely on the River Road operation for their business. Leeya Clark-Goodison, whose parents run the NSW Water Ski Gardens caravan park, fears the prolonged road closures could put them out of business.

Businesses fear road closures could be ‘the straw that breaks the camel’s back’

For the family, what was once a one-kilometre drive to town is now 38 kilometres. They say that’s what’s been driving away their guests. According to the Hills Shire Council, which closed the road, repairs must first get approval from the NSW government before they can begin.

“We usually have three, four, five campers a day, coming in at all hours, and now there’s nobody,” Clark-Goodison told A Current Affair. “It’s an empty shell. There’s nobody.”

The family says they have survived wildfires, floods and the pandemic, but this could be the final blow. “We work on commission (and) we get nothing,” she said.

“We will not survive,” say residents

“How are we supposed to survive when this is their income… and they don’t get any profit from it? People are suffering, maybe it’s not you, but it’s us. This is a community here and it’s not right.”

Wisemans Ferry Bowling Club licensee Margie Pratt said the business had barely broken even in recent weeks. “This little club has a long history and a lot of quality people have put a lot of time and effort into it, and things like this just make it happen,” she said.

“These kinds of things are sometimes like the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It hurts the community and it hurts us.”

Yahoo News Australia understands that since residents’ complaints were aired, only one lane has been reopened to traffic on River Road, although residents say there is still much work to be done.

Yahoo News Australia has contacted Transport for NSW about the road damage. A spokesperson said the issue was a matter for Hills Shire Council, which has also been contacted for comment.

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