One of the most beautiful drives on the NSW Mid North Coast – the iconic Waterfall Way – could soon be re-opened to limited traffic again.
One lane of the 185-kilometre route which links Coffs Harbour to Armidale will open to motorists within six weeks, after it was closed in both directions by a major landslide on January 19.
The event was triggered by seriously heavy rain, and the route has a history of closures and issues.
Experts are now continuing the search for a permanent engineering fix.
The State Government says more than 250 tonnes of rock and debris have fallen at the Gordonville Cutting site since the initial failure, with a 26-metre-high slope continuing to shift in the days that followed.
The Waterfall Way is set to reopen soon. PIC: CIzza
It says the scale and ongoing movement made the site unsafe and required complex geotechnical investigation, 24-hour monitoring, and specialist stabilisation work before any reopening could be considered.
Now, after weeks of expert assessment by specialist engineers, protective shipping container barriers will be installed to shield motorists from potential rockfalls.
Independent geotechnical advice confirms the road can operate under strict controls while permanent remediation is designed.
Under the interim traffic arrangement:
Restoring controlled access will reconnect communities between Bellingen and Dorrigo – but reopening the road does not mean the job is done.
The Government says it will continue to progress a full corridor assessment of Waterfall Way and surrounding routes to identify alternative access improvements and long-term resilience measures.
Minister for Roads, Jenny Aitchison said this wasn’t the result of a minor slip, but rather a significant geotechnical failure.
“Safety had to come first,” she said. “We could not reopen this road until expert engineers were satisfied it could operate safely under controlled conditions.”
The Minister said she appreciated how disruptive the closure had been.
“But reopening prematurely would have put motorists and workers at risk – and that was and never will be an option,” she said. “We’ve worked closely with Bellingen Shire Council on this solution which will restore access in a controlled way while permanent stabilisation works are properly designed and delivered.”
More than $100 million has already been invested in Waterfall Way, including over $50 million between Bellingen and Dorrigo.
The Government says nothing is off the table as it considers how to strengthen this regional lifeline and improve reliability during extreme weather events.
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We did the Waterfall Way in February of 2023 and we had a wonderful time sightseeing and camped at Dorrigo Caravan park and used it as a base for a week then moved on to Ebor for 3 days then on to Armidale for a week. The sights were amazing and we are planning a trip in reverse and staying at different places than the last time.
We had no problems with towing our van as we were not in any hurry we took it easy around the winding roads.
Highly recommend it.
We travelled that road in 2019, we found that the road was very poor with pot holes.
But, it was an intersting drive.
Hi, We have a property at Ebor and rely often on items to be delivered, from Coffs Harbour, that cannot be found in the New England. We also have a break on the coast often and travel via Waterfall Way. It is a busy thoroughfare, and we hope the problem is soon resolved.