Birubi Point Aboriginal Place Tourism Transport Interchange

Project overview

The development of a new visitor interchange was identified as part of the Birubi Point Management Plan. Over the past few years, we've worked to source funding for the construction of the Birubi Point Tourism Transport Interchange.

The design of the facility includes:

a centralised tour coach parking area and tourism operator interchange
short-term car parking
toilet facilities
all-weather protection
multilingual signage and interpretation.

Council is currently finalising all approvals and design documentation for the management of sand and construction of the interchange facility.

Although grant funding was previously committed to this project, costs associated with construction, sand management and environmental approvals have increased significantly.

To minimise any financial risk to Council, our community and key stakeholders, we have placed this project on hold until an alternate funding source can be found.

Council is committed to the delivery of the Birubi Tourism Transport Interchange to help protect culturally significant land, improve the visitors' experience and create a gateway to the internationally recognised Worimi Conservation Lands.

We will continue to advocate to all levels of government to deliver this project for our community.

Latest updates

The sand management plan has been completed. Additional steps are now required and are impacting the project's timeline. These additional steps relate to:

Development of new sand management plan
Further consultation with relevant stakeholders
Seeking an amendment to the approved DA to accommodate changes consequent to the sand management plan
Respond to recent changes in biodiversity legislation that require an additional level of planning approval to seek an amendment to the approved DA.

We're actively seeking additional funding to ensure the project can be afforded once the planning is in place for construction.

Council has recently lodged a modification to the Birubi Point Aboriginal Place Tourism Transport Interchange Development Application.

The original plan for the facility required the removal of a large amount of sand from the site to enable the build. In 2023 new opportunities occurred for Council to work in partnership with the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council to retain the sand to create a vegetated dune boundary buffer on adjoining land owned by the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council.

This approach will ensure greater long-term protection of the development site by reducing the impacts of windblown sand. This will, in turn, reduce maintenance costs of the facility and more importantly, maintain the cultural integrity of this site by keeping remnant soils and materials on Worimi Country.

A joint vegetated sand dune stabilisation program also provides added protection to otherwise exposed, cultural materials within the Birubi Point Aboriginal Place.

The DA Modification is currently under assessment.

The changes to the DA have impacted timelines for this project. Once approved, Council will review the schedule and be in touch with all stakeholders to communicate the time frames and stages for development.

As the complexities of this project continue to be a challenge and the scope changes to make sure the project can move forward.

The project has been expanded to relocate the sand extracted from the construction site to reconstruct severely eroded dunes within the Aboriginal Place. The currently eroded dunes contribute significantly to the migration and accumulation of windblown sands within the site. Documentation of the dune reconstruction has now been completed and approvals are being sought for this culturally and environmentally sensitive endeavour.

Slab poured under water metre for tourism interchange in preparation for future protective cage installation.

Key Information

Development of the Birubi Point Aboriginal Place Tourism Interchange includes:

Construction of the centre
Car parking area
Landscaping

The proposed project at Birubi Point Aboriginal Place Tourism Transport Interchange involves:

A centralised tourist coach parking and tourism operator interchange
Redesign of small vehicle parking spaces at Birubi Point Headland
Areas for cultural heritage interpretation.

The purpose of the proposed investment

Parking: The transport interchange will remove large coaches and smaller tour buses from the main headland area. It's estimated that 10 coaches arrive at the existing location daily. Removal of the coaches from Birubi Point will have a positive impact on the site allowing more private vehicle parking and reduce gridlock caused by coaches dropping off and picking up tour participants.

Reduction in damage to areas of cultural significance: Removing coaches from the headland will reduce the impact on places of Aboriginal significance. Coaches are currently unloading visitors in areas where they may be required to walk across the protected areas of the Birubi Point Aboriginal Place.

Improve the visitor experience: The new transport interchange will provide an improved visitor experience including additional toilet facilities, all weather protection, multilingual signage and retail opportunities, such as souvenirs and additional tours.

Encourage additional investment: The development of the tourism transport interchange will be a catalyst for the development of surrounding sites. There are 2 key sites directly adjacent to the proposed interchange that are earmarked for development.

Port Stephens Council
Worimi LALC
Worimi Conservation Lands Board of Management
NSW Government
The Commonwealth of Australia – Represented by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources

Birubi Point Tourism Transport Interchange

Project overview

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