One of Sydney’s most popular beaches will be closed all summer due to construction delays

Heavy rainfall and disastrous flooding in the state has officially put a dampener on Sydney’s summer.

After months of wild weather, one of Sydney’s top beaches will be off limits all summer.

Unrelenting rainfall and destructive flooding has delayed the replacement of the Nielsen Park seawall by several months, meaning the update will not be finished until next year.

Works at Shark Beach, Vaucluse, which began in March 2022, were originally scheduled for completion by December, just in time for the busy Christmas period.

But Sydneysiders have now been left without the iconic harbour beach this summer, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service confirming the sad news with the Sydney Morning Herald.

While the NPWS said it had budgeted for adverse weather, a spokesperson said the powerful rains and floods had set back a series of projects.

“Continued poor weather has forced delays to a number of projects across the Sydney region, including the Nielsen Park seawall replacement, new whale watching platform at Cape Solander and North Head upgrade by several months,” a NPWS spokesperson said.

Locals and tourists will be forced to find a new beach this summer as seawall upgrades at Shark Beach are delayed. Picture: Toby Zerna

Listed as one Sydney’s nine best beaches according to Tourism Australia, locals and visitors flock to its waters in the summer, as well as to the Bill Drakopoulos restaurant and kiosk The Nielsen on its shores.

Both venues have been closed for the seawall reconstruction.

The 160-metre barrier, which has been standing since the 1930s, was damaged during storms in 2016 and had reached the end of its serviceable life, the agency says.

The upgraded seawall is expected to give greater protection to Nielsen Park.

Works will also include a wheelchair-accessible ramp, resurfaced promenade and a slight extension of the lawn and beach surface areas.

Woollahra mayor Susan Wynne said while the delay was disappointing, “there’s nothing we can do”.

The usual crowds at Shark Beach at Nielsen Park will be missing this summer as heavy downpours delay seawall construction. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“If it’s not ready, it’s not ready,” she said.

“It needs to be done.”

Ms Wynne recognised that the prolonged closure would see nearby harbour beaches such as Camp Cove at Watsons Bay - which are already packed to the brim over summer - face major pressure this summer if the weather comes good.

But that doesn’t look to be the case, with the city on track to have its wettest year ever.

Following a record-breaking 1547.4 millimetres of rain fell between January and June, and record July rainfalls, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a gloomy next few months for the state.

With above-average rainfall is expected for August, September and October, Sydney’s annual rainfall record of 2194 millimetres is likely to be smashed, with the state having already faced 1913 millimetres this year to date.