Helensburgh Mountain Bike Park

In mid-2023, Wollongong City Council closed Helensburgh Mountain Bike Park following reports that fragments of asbestos had been found on the site’s tracks.

We are working to remediate the site, with the support of the NSW EPA and in conversation with the licensee, Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club (HORCC).

In February, an experienced contractor will remove the contaminated material from the site. The Scope of Work for the project has been approved by the EPA and, in line with this scope, includes the removal of the soil material to licenced waste facilities in Sydney. Council has also appointed an independent hygienists to ensure all the work is completed in accordance with the Scope of Work.

While the site will remain closed while the work is underway, there will be no impact on adjoining sports fields.

Once the removal has been completed, we will continue to work with the Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club on their plans for the reinstatement of safe tracks.

Project updates

Most recently we have:

Appointed a suitably qualified and licenced provider with experience to manage an extensive clean-up.
Engaged an independent hygienist to ensure the clean up work is completed in accordance with the approved scope of work.
Continued to undertake independent expert weekly asbestos inspections of the site. Unfortunately, these inspections continue to find new asbestos fragments across the entire site.
Continued to meet with representatives from the HORCC to keep them updated in the work Council has been undertaking as landowner.

More information

You can read our past statements about Helensburgh Mountain Bike Park to learn more about what's happening at this location.

Media Release - February 2024 - Soil removal works to start at Helensburgh Mountain Bike Park

A statement to media on 14 September 2023, read:

Earlier this year, we closed Helensburgh Mountain Bike Park following reports that fragments of asbestos had been found in clay material on the site’s tracks.
We’re working to remediate the site, in consultation with the NSW EPA and in collaboration with representatives from the Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club as the licensee for the site.
It’s important we get this right because, while we’ve removed asbestos fragments from the clay material from multiple locations across the site, further fragments continue to be found. In addition to the asbestos, the site contains significant amounts of building waste (broken up tiles and bricks), and it’s possible there is more asbestos containing materials below the surface in the park’s dirt tracks and jumps.
Council shares the Club’s concerns about the origins of the material and the fact more fragments continue to be found. Whilst we are uncertain as to how the asbestos material found its way to the site, and there is a possibility it has been placed.
Our priority is community safety, and while we’re getting closer to being able to reopen, we’re not there yet. We are focussed on getting the park up and running as soon as possible and are working closely with the Club to do this in a safe way.
It’s important people stay off the site as walking or riding on it can change its risk profile and could, potentially, disturb yet-to-be-identified asbestos fragments.
We will continue to collaborate with the licensee on next steps for the facility.
Council continues to encourage community members to stay outside the site fencing, and should anyone have concerns about people entering the site they should contact HORCC or NSW Police.

Common questions about Helensburgh Mountain Bike Park

We temporarily closed the Park in May 2023 as a precautionary measure to allow investigations to be carried out into the make-up of the soil on the dirt tracks imported to the site by the Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club.

As asbestos fragments had been found right across the site, the site will remain closed until remediation work can be completed.

No. There have been more than 70 fragments, and these have been found right across the site on both Council-owned land and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service land. An independent hygienist undertakes a weekly inspection of the site to remove and test suspected fragments and, unfortunately, new fragments continue to be found every week.

At this point in time, we have only found asbestos containing material in the form of fibro pieces on the surface of the ground.

However, we are concerned it is within other parts of the dirt tracks that contains fill material. The fill material consists of construction and demolition waste like brick, tile, and concrete. We believe the fibro fragments are very likely to be contained within this fill material.

While any identifiable asbestos fragments that have been found at the site have been removed, the site has remained closed until the necessary clearance certification is obtained.

The movement of bikes and riders across the dirt tracks can disturb the soil, and potentially uncover further materials that could contain asbestos.

Council installed the fencing for the safety of the community. While the site is fenced off, and the soil remains undisturbed, regular on-site air monitoring has come up clear. However, should anyone ride on the dirt, this puts them at risk of uncovering and disturbing new fragments.

While the safety fencing has been in place, it has been extensively damaged. It’s there to keep people out of the site for their own safety. In addition, tasking Council staff to repeatedly fix the fencing diverts ratepayer funding from other works.

Council has been working with the Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club.

When dangerous materials, such as asbestos, are found at a site like this there are a number of steps that have to be undertaken. These include detailed reports and assessments of the site by independent experts, consultation with important stakeholders like the NSW EPA and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the development of a long-term site management plan.

We are conscious of the need to return the site to the public. However, public safety remains our highest priority.

Sourcing consultants to test and provide a clearance for the site, developing a detailed Scope of Works and finding suitably qualified contractors to remove the material and confirming their availability takes time.

We went out to Tender in early 2024 and in mid-February a licenced provider with experience at managing an extensive clean-up such as this will start work at the Park.

We know this is area is a valued space and we are focussed on reopening the site to the community as soon as possible.

Yes. The sportsgrounds remain open and are not impacted by the closure of the neighbouring site.

We do not have a date at this time but it's estimated the clean-up will take about a month, provided the contractor gets good weather. However, we are focussed on reopening the site for the community as soon as possible.

Under the Voluntary Improvement Program with the NSW EPA, we are required to gain an asbestos clearance certification by an independent hygienist before we re-open the site to the public.

We have explored a partial re-opening of the site, but the ongoing presence of new asbestos fragments being found weekly across various parts of the site is preventing any possibility of a partial asbestos clearance certificate to re-open selected sections of the site.