Kangaroo Valley ‘open for business’ despite storms threatening further havoc

Months after the two main routes into Kangaroo Valley were destroyed in landslides the rains have returned, with residents and business owners hoping their town can weather another natural disaster.

When Moss Vale Rd reopened late last week, Kangaroo Valley residents rejoiced after months of on-again, off-again isolation due to landslides and road damage due after heavy rain.

However, elation soon turned to anxiety amid renewed rainfall and fears of further destruction.

The main street of the popular South Coast tourist spot was a ghost town on Monday, with the area forecast to receive 150mm of rain on Monday and Moss Vale Rd already shuttered temporarily by a fallen tree.

“There was real joy when Moss Vale Rd reopened,” Laurels BnB owner and local business chamber president, Lindy Pitt, said.

“Having the road closed has added an extra level of pressure for people living in the valley.

“But, with these rains, people are hoping it doesn’t close again.”

When the road was closed, residents living or working in nearby Bowral were forced to travel around two-and-a-half hours to reach Kangaroo Valley, a usually-short 35-minute drive on Moss Vale Rd through the mountain passes.

During that time, Ms Pitt said many businesses on the town’s main street suffered from the lack of traffic passing through the area.

“We’ve had a really tough two years,” she said.

“I’ve heard extraordinary numbers in terms of what main street businesses have lost in profit.

“But, we just have to keep on keeping on. Once the weather’s clear, we’ll start to return to normal.”

With at least a few days still of dangerous weather, cautious optimism pervaded, Ms Pitt believed.

Instead of focusing on the risks posed by road closures, she said there were many issues affecting locals’ lives inside the valley.

Businesses in Kangaroo Valley, a usually popular tourist town, suffered after storms in March disabled key routes in and out of the region.

“We’ve got quite a few problems within the valley,” she said.

“Upper River Rd has closed again, though they were hoping to open it up again later today.

“It’s a problem – just another problem – and we’ve got to deal with it.”

A damaging east coast low – the same weather system that caused devastation in March – swept over Australia’s east coast over the weekend, with more than 70 evacuation orders having been issued by Monday, and hundreds of callouts being logged by local SES units.

While residents in Kangaroo Valley might be waiting to see what this latest ‘one-in-a-hundred-year’ event might bring, independent Kiama MP Gareth Ward has been advocating for a more proactive approach, calling on the State Government to declare emergency areas in NSW.

Mr Ward, who has been an active advocate for Kangaroo Valley, said on Twitter on Monday: “I’m calling on the NSW Government to make natural disaster declarations as soon as possible.

“Our region and its people need all the help we can get.”

Elsewhere in the Shoalhaven, Bolong Rd was closed in both directions at 2pm on Monday.

A list of roads closed in the region can be found here.