Hazardous, slippery conditions following heavy rain events in the Watagans National Park and Jilliby State Conservation Area has resulted in the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) installing temporary gates to close dangerous areas.
NPWS Acting Regional Manager, Alan Henderson said that when clay soils found in these areas become saturated the roads take longer to dry out, resulting in extremely unsafe conditions for park users and increased damage to the roads from vehicles.
“The NPWS has taken steps to reduce the impacts of heavy or long term rain events by installing gates to temporarily close sections within the reserves to protect both park visitors and the roads after such wet weather,” Mr Henderson said.
“We have installed 19 gates throughout Watagans and Jilliby as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all our park visitors and to reduce the impact on the roads.
”The gates will only be closed when absolutely necessary and are aimed at protecting the road system to maximise accessibility to the park in the long term.”
Mr Henderson said that following heavy rain events or road maintenance work, it takes time for the roads to dry out or stabilise.
“The clay soils together with heavy shade from tree canopies mean that the roads remain wet for longer periods and if driven on result in extreme damage.
“Short term closures so the roads can dry out and become safe avoids a longer term closure that would be required to undertake extensive works on damaged roads.
“The cost of maintenance to repair roads that have been damaged by vehicles following heavy rain is extremely expensive.
“Protecting our roads will increase the access and enjoyment of the park for all park users and ensure the roads remain passable for everyone,” Mr Henderson said.
Track closures are reachable via the Association site at www.4wdnow.com/index.php?option=com_newsfeeds&view=newsfeed&id=1&Itemid=57 and listed on the NPWS website (www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au).
Official press release can be found HERE.