Vital works to repair NSW Jenolan Caves Road to begin soon

Important slope stabilisation works will commence soon near an iconic landmark within the Jenolan Caves precinct in New South Wales. 

Retaining Specialists Pty Ltd has been awarded the contract to undertake the works that will extend down from Jenolan Caves Road to the Blue Lake. 

The start of works will mark a significant milestone in the rehabilitation of the world-famous precinct. 

“Repair efforts along Jenolan Caves Road and within the Jenolan Caves precinct have been ongoing for more than four years and now our attention turns to the Blue Lake. 

“Everyone who has visited Jenolan Caves would be familiar with the vibrantly-coloured Blue Lake, a result of the way sunlight interacts with the limestone-rich water of the lake. 

“Crews will be working to restore 75 metres of compromised slope retained by an existing dry-stone wall. 

“This section will be strengthened by the installation of 67 soil nails that will be drilled into the bank, 180 square metres of shotcrete that will give a ‘mock rock’ finish to closely match surrounding cliffs, one new pipe culvert and upgrade of an existing pipe culvert, and new drainage on both sides of the road,” Transport for NSW Acting Executive Director Partnerships and Integration West Holly Davies said. 

This project is expected to take 22 weeks to complete, with works anticipated to conclude in February 2026, weather permitting. 

Crews will also upgrade the safety barriers that runs alongside Jenolan Caves Road and workers will return later in 2026 to resurface the road pavement. 

Works will be carried out on a section of road that is currently closed to public traffic, with no impacts on traffic expected. 

Remediation work on the badly damaged Two Mile section of the road is also progressing well. 

The remediation of nine failure sites along the complex section of road commenced in August of last year, with work at one of the sites now complete while several others are well on their way to completion. 

Due to a severe weather event in April 2024, Jenolan Caves Road has been closed to the public at Two Mile and will remain closed for the duration of this work. 

Works at Two Mile are scheduled to be completed in mid-2026. 

“The completed work has included the failure site at Carpark One where about 280 soil nails have been installed. We estimate around 1,200 soil nails will be installed across the nine failure sites by the time crews have wrapped up this project. 

“Transport for NSW continues to work closely with Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust as a key stakeholder in the area, given the direct impact that closing the Two Mile section of the road has on the Jenolan Caves precinct. 

“While Jenolan Caves remains closed to the public, Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust is continuing its own maintenance and upgrade work, including major work on the historic Jenolan Caves House and building the Blue Lake boardwalk,” Ms Davies said. 

Source: Transport for NSW (1, 2); Infrastructure Magazine