Nelligen man Rob Attard’s battle to build bridge over creek crossing on his property

A south coast man’s decade-long battle to build a bridge over a creek on his property, just to get to his house safely, has seen him reach his wits end. Hear his story.

Rob Attard has been trying to install a bridge over the crossing for a decade. Picture: Tom McGann.

A 64-year-old man is at his wits end, after spending the last decade fighting with the government to install a bridge over a “dangerous” creek he crosses just to get to his south coast home.

Rob Attard bought his 300 acre property on Old Bolaro Rd, Nelligen, in 2014 and has since been battling for approval to have a bridge constructed over the fast flowing, deep creek situated on Crown Land which he drives through to enter his property.

“I really am at my wits end,” Mr Attard told The South Coast News. 

He said the situation worsened during the 2020 Black Summer Fires, when debris altered the creek resulting in a faster flowing and higher rising body of water.

As a result, when it rains for consecutive days, the water rises to a level that prevents Mr Attard and his wife Marie from driving through to their home.

The river crossing sits on Crown Land. Picture: Tom McGann.

“It leaves us stranded,” he said.

“My wife has medical conditions, so if something terrible happens and we need to get her to a hospital, we can’t.”

Rob Attard crossing the creek in a tractor. Picture: Tom McGann.

On multiple occasions, the Nelligen couple have stayed in Batemans Bay hotels as they could not cross through the rapidly flowing creek.

Last year, Mr Attard purchased a bridge from National Parks for $70,000, with the intention of having his engineer friends install it.

The application for construction of the bridge remains with Crown Lands.

“A lot of people would look at this and think, screw it, I’ll just do it myself,” he said.

“But, I don’t want to do that, I’ve been trying to do everything by the books but I just can’t get it approved.”

Nelligen RFS captain Ron Shaw wrote a letter in September 2022 urging the bridge be installed in case of an emergency.

“I am aware the current access is frequently unusable during moderate to heavy rainfall,” Mr Shaw wrote in the letter.

Rob Attard purchased the bridge for $70,000. Picture: Tom McGann.

The bridge has been sitting unassembled on Mr Attard’s property for 15 months.

A Eurobodalla Council spokesman told The South Coast News the construction of a bridge was not under the council’s jurisdiction and the decision would have to be made by Crown Land.

Federal Minister for Lands and Property Stephen Kamper was approached for comment on the situation, with a spokesman saying the road Mr Attard was seeking to build a bridge on was not a legal road access to his property.

“The department has advised [the Attard’s] about issues facing the site and potential alternative access options that may assist them,” the spokesman said.

“The department advised that the current track they are using and seeking to construct a bridge is not a legal road.

“We have advised that there are other legal access options to the east of their property and also along the western boundary that they could consider as alternatives, including a closed Crown road that retains a right of carriageway for legal access.”

However, Mr Attard said this solution would not work.

“The other road is just as dangerous,” he said.

“It’s essentially a mountain and when it’s been raining, there’s no way you can drive it. You just can’t.”

Mr Attard said he just wanted something done.

“I just want to get home safe,” he said.

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