“Bottom of the queue”: Crews can finally start work to fix about 90 landslip sites across the Nambucca Valley

Works to fix about 90 landslips across the Nambucca Valley caused by flooding – with some of the damage done back in 2021– will finally kick off in February, but it could take up to three years to complete.

What happened:  Nambucca Valley Council has so far received about $46 million in funding from the NSW Reconstruction Authority to remediate landslip sites and repair public infrastructure, such as roads damaged by the 2022 floods.

• Council’s Disaster Recovery Projects team has completed preparatory work and engineering assessments. Starting next month contractors will begin geotechnical and hydrological surveys at the landslip sites.

How long will it take: Nambucca Valley Council General Manager Bede Spannagle said it could take two to three years to carry out remediation work at about 90 landslip sites.

Why so long: Spannagle told The Mid North Coaster assessing landslips is a technical task and council is required to have a geotechnical engineer assess each landslip site, for it to meet the disaster funding guidelines set out by the State Government. 

• “In 2022, flooding was widespread and many local government areas were affected, all the way from Tweed Heads down to the Hunter region,” Spannagle said.

The expansive damage resulted in an increased demand for geotechnical assessors, he said.

• “Due to Nambucca Valley Council’s size and the impacts being less severe here than what was experienced in some other LGAs in NSW, Lismore for example, we found ourselves at the bottom of the queue for contractors’ geotechnical engineering services.”

Back to back disasters: Spannagle said in the meantime, the damage done during the 2022 flooding has been exacerbated by numerous other natural disasters in the years following, including major flooding in May 2025.

• “This has caused delays to remediation works, further damage at landslip sites and, in some instances, the need for geotechnical re-assessment and funding re-assessment, all of which takes time,” Spannagle said.

The General Manager also noted the valley’s landslips did not cause an emergency, and road detours were able to be put in place, meaning there was no urgency for the State Government to assess the council’s remediation funding submissions.

• The council is currently in the process of claiming for damage caused to infrastructure from Ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred and the severe flood events in 2025. To date it has received $4.5 million to go toward repairs.

Where are the sites: Works are scheduled for the following roads, to start from early to mid-2026:

• Johns Bridge, Missabotti Road, Missabotti

• Piggott Street, Nambucca Heads

• River Street, Macksville

• Riverside Drive, Nambucca Heads

• Taylors Arm Rd, at Congarinni, Burrapine, and Thumb Creek

• Upper Buckrabendinni Road, Buckra Bendinni

• Welshs Creek Road, Talarm.

The community should prepare for closed roads across the valley during the works. To find out if any remediation works are happening in your area, visit the council website or click the interactive map here.

You can also download the Antenno app, which will enable you to receive work notifications in your area.