Sydney wild weather: Residents called for pavilion on site of Waverley landslip

IT’S one of Sydney’s most historic graveyards and boasts picturesque water views. But Waverley Cemetery was not spared the full force of this weekend’s wild weather, which triggered a landslip.

Heavy rain has triggered a landslip at Waverley Cemetery. Picture: Toby Zerna

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IT’S one of Sydney’s most historic graveyards and a spectacular sight from the air.

But Waverley Cemetery wasn’t spared by the weekend’s wild weather which smashed the east coast of NSW.

Two days of heavy rain and rough conditions caused the landslip at the clifftop Waverley Cemetery, sending huge boulders and debris crashing down onto the beach below.

Waverley Council has roped off a section around the adjacent walking track and repair work is now under way.

Wild weather has battered the region. Picture: Bob Barker.

A view of Waverley Cemetery in 2009, showing the clifftop as it looked before the storm.

Perched high on the clifftops overlooking Bronte, the graveyard has operated since 1877 and in recent years has become the source of a struggle between Waverley Council and a local heritage group, who had lobbied for a building on the same spot as this week’s landslip.

Council has repeatedly rejected proposals to build any form of structure on the clifftop, most recently in August 2015 when the plan was deemed financially unfeasible.

At the time, councillors from across the political divide all turned down the proposal.

While the proposal has repeatedly been turned down, an online petition calling for redevelopment of the area has gathered more than 1000 signatures.

“Waverley Council needs to act now to renew the Cemetery’s infrastructure and implement a new competitive business model to ensure the Cemetery is sustainable for the next century,” the Save Waverley Cemetery group says online.

Waverley Cemetery before this weekend’s landslip. The graveyard is a historic site, perched overlooking Bronte. Picture: Erin Byrne

Council’s former director of corporate and technical services Dr Bronwyn Kelly championed the group’s proposal for a $3.5 million pavilion built into the cliff face.

Under the proposal, the site would have also included a memorial garden, genealogical library and cafe.

Dr Kelly claimed the cliffline around the graveyard was unstable and that a pavilion would actually help stabilise the area.

The proposed structure would have come with a $3.5 million price tag. Council rejected the proposal to build a pavilion on the clifftop.. Picture: Facebook / Save Waverley Cemetery

While ar enovation of the cemetery is underway, including roadwork and the replacement of several fences, Council is adamant there are no plans to build a pavilion.

“Council has no intention of reviving any proposal for a Crematorium or a Pavilion at Waverley Cemetery,” it said in a statement.

“Our focus is on preserving the wonderful heritage of Waverley Cemetery.”

Today, a council spokeswoman said the landslip was further proof any building in the area was a bad idea.

“The inundation and severe coastal impacts we have experienced along the Waverley coastline over the last few days is further evidence to show why such a pavilion or any such building in close proximity to the tidal zone is completely inappropriate for the site and why Council has no such intention of building it,” she said.

A full coastal risk and geotechnical risk assessment was completed along the Waverley coastline in 2010 and identified the landslip area as being potentially unstable as it is reclaimed land built up with fills.

“Council has undertaken regular monitoring of the site in response to the consultants recommendations. No movement was detected prior to the extreme wave activity over the weekend,” the spokeswoman said.

The historic Waverley Cemetery is noted for its Victorian and Edwardian monuments and features the graves of many notable Australians, including poet Henry Lawson, the benefactor of the Archibald Prize, Jules Archibald, author Ethel Pedley and even Sydney underworld figure George Freeman.

The region was hammered by heavy rain and rough surf conditions over the weekend as a monster storm battered the east coast.

High tide hits damaged beachfront homes along Pittwater Road at Collaroy. Picture: AAP

Many beachfront homes in Collaroy were left on the brink of collapse by the unrelenting surf conditions.

Six homes are showing signs of “cracking up” following several days of wild weather.

Insurance companies have already received more than 11,150 claims from across NSW and Queensland, with estimated insured losses of $38 million.

The Insurance Council of Australia expected that figure to rise significantly.

The storm also claimed three lives, with deaths at Bowral, Leppington and Cotten River.

Authorities last night called off a air and sea search after reports a man was lost in the surf off Bondi.

Many waterways remain swollen today and authorities are urging people to avoid driving through flood waters or swimming in the rough conditions.

Waverley Cemetery

Opened in 1877, the Waverley Cemetery is well known for its clifftop views and mostly intact Victorian and Edwardian monuments and graves.

It boasts more than 85,000 memorials, plots and mausoleums.

The graveyard contains the final resting places of many famous people, including:

• One of Australia's most famous poets Henry Lawson. Lawson, a contemporary of Banjo Paterson, is widely considered one of the greatest Australian writers of the colonial era.

  He was buried at Waverley in 1867.
  

• JF Archibald was buried at Waverley in 1919. The journalist and publisher was the co-owner and editor of The Bulletin. He was also the founder and namesake of prestigious annual art award the Archibald Prize.
  

• Swimmer Sarah Frances "Fanny" Durack, the world's greatest female swimmer from 1910 to 1918 is also buried at Waverley with her husband.

  In the late 1910s Fanny held every women's swimming world record from 100m to a mile.

• Engineer, explorer, astronomer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer Lawrence Hargrave is also buried here. During his career he invented numerous devices (but never applied for a patent), including the box kite and extensive work on rotary engines, used on many aircraft until the 1920s.

• The graveyard also contains 200 war graves from various conflicts, including WWI and WWII.

Bronte pool on June 5. Picture: Jakob de Zwart