Collaborating with Soil Conservation Service to refurbish facilities at Jenolan Caves

Jenolan Caves are an iconic tourism destination for NSW, where visitors can experience the natural beauty of undamaged caves, rich with crystal formations and pure underground rivers. Since 2019, NSW Public Works has been project managing the delivery of eight refurbishment and construction projects (valued at $30 million) at Jenolan Caves, in the foothills of the World Heritage Blue Mountains.

In July 2022, Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust engaged the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) as the principal contactor to lead the design and construction of a 100m boardwalk which forms part of the River Walk trail around the Blue Lake. “Following a thorough tender process, SCS was directly engaged to deliver the $2.1 million project,” said Public Works Project Manager Grant Barker. “Soil Conservation Service brings extensive experience working with NSW Public Works and on Jenolan Caves projects, including trail repairs following the 2019-20 bushfires and de-sedimentation works in August 2020 (valued at $1.3 million) and March 2021 (valued at $2.3 million).”

In early 2022, NSW Public Works and SCS were brought together in the commercial business unit of the Department of Regional NSW, strengthening the existing partnership. “This arrangement enables us to more easily share and leverage each other’s expertise,” said NSW Public Works Program Manager Wayne Bell, based at Bathurst. “For instance, NSW Public Works is using its engineering expertise to assist SCS with the boardwalk design development, and SCS is harnessing its environmental know how to minimise impacts on the resident platypus colony, ensuring the best project outcomes.”

The contract for the boardwalk was awarded in July 2022, with works to start in February 2023, running until June 2023.

This article is part of the 2021-22 Year in Review