The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is continuing to improve facilities at Illawarra's much-loved Killalea Regional Park, with a $1.2 million investment in major works.
NPWS Director Kane Weeks said major works are underway to revitalise the area, making it more comfortable and safer for the park's 350,000+ annual visitors.
"We are redeveloping The Farm car park so it will be safer for the environment and provide a greater service to the public. The works here also include a new accessible toilet and landscaping," Mr Weeks said.
"NPWS has also started connecting the café and campground to mains sewerage. This will be a major improvement for Killalea, benefiting visitors and the environment, and reducing long-term maintenance costs.
"As locals and long-time visitors will appreciate, there are structures in the park that are in very poor condition and are unsafe for staff and visitors.
"The front entrance building and the former manager's residence have been assessed by a structural engineer; unfortunately they are beyond repair and will be removed.
"Upgrades are also planned for the café car park and the entrance road to the campground at Mystics.
"There will be some temporary changes to park access from next week while these works are underway, and we thank visitors for their patience," Mr Weeks said.
Killalea Regional Park will be closed to all vehicles from 8 to 12 May but pedestrian access will still be allowed and the café will remain open.
The cafe car park and campground road (only) will be closed to vehicles for another week, until 19 May, to allow resealing and line marking.
In planning for the future, NPWS has established a Community Reference Group to provide advice on the development of a draft Plan of Management for Killalea Regional Park, to go on public exhibition later this year.
