Work underway to repair historic Charles Darwin Walk
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Work is underway to repair Charles Darwin Walk, at Wentworth Falls, following devastating impacts from flooding in both 2020 and 2021. This major project is expected to take 18 months.
The historic and much-loved walk is being repaired with assistance from the NSW and Federal governments’ Disaster Recovery Funding. Council is contributing $440,000 to the project.
Once rebuilt, the walk along Jamison Creek will form one of the main entry points to the Grand Cliff Top Walk – a two-day 20km walk from Wentworth Falls to Katoomba linking existing tracks and lookouts and providing spectacular views of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
Council responded to more than a dozen significant landslip events across the City, following the natural disaster in February 2020. Damage to the 2.4km Charles Darwin Walk was exacerbated by flooding again in 2021.
Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill, said: “This project involves significant investigation, complex redesign and reconstruction work in order to provide a high quality track and infrastructure that is more resilient to future, severe weather events.
“Hundreds of metres of boardwalk and half a dozen footbridges are required, in order to start replacing critical track infrastructure that was either damaged or lost downstream.”
The Grand Cliff Top Walk project funding of $4 million, which includes the repair of Charles Darwin Walk and two landslips on Prince Henry Cliff Walk Leura, was awarded to Council under Stream 2 of the Local Bushfire Economic Recovery Fund in July 2021.
The Grand Cliff Top Walk project is a joint partnership being delivered by Blue Mountains City Council and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
“Bushwalking is one of the most important recreational activities in the City, with the highest per capita participation,” Mayor Greenhill said. “The refurbishment of the damaged tracks and their improvements will be of great benefit to the local community that has been hit hard by bushfire, flood and COVID-19.
“We appreciate the community’s patience, while this important project is completed.”
Signage about the project will be placed at entry points to the walk in the coming weeks.
The project is expected to be finished by June 2023.
You can stay up to date on this project at bmcc.nsw.gov.au/grand-cliff-top-walk.
Pic: Damage at Charles Darwin Walk, Wentworth Falls.