Posted on December 8, 2025
The community is being invited to provide feedback on a decade-long conservational plan to support ongoing dredging in Swansea Channel.
A Review of Environmental Factors has been prepared by Transport for NSW (TfNSW) seeking approval for works to maintain safe and reliable access through the passage.
The consultation period follows the third stage of maintenance works completed earlier this year, which delivered improvements to navigability and safety areas previously impacted by sediment build-up.
An additional stage of upkeep dredging will take place in 2026 following the upcoming busy boating season.
The review coincides with progress on the new Dredge and Sand Transfer System, a permanent solution designed to keep the channel open year-round.
Once approved, it will be valid for a decade and is set to serve as the planning approval required to install and operate the new system.
Swansea MP Yasmin Catley admitted it was a much-needed step to preserve the passage.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard to get Swansea Channel to where it is today, moving tens of thousands of cubic metres of sand to keep the waterway open, safe and operating the way it should,” she said.
“As we wrap up the year, we’re closer than ever to locking in a long-term solution that will keep the channel reliably open all-year round.
“For locals who depend on the channel – for business, for boating or simply to enjoy the lake – this is a significant step toward securing a new Dredge and Sand Transfer System and giving people confidence that the waterway will stay accessible.”
The TfNSW project will be delivered in partnership with the Australian government and Lake Macquarie City Council.
In November 2024, the Commonwealth invested $10 million to deliver the new dredge system, alongside the state and council.
The NSW Government contributed an additional $6 million to fund the operation and maintain the needed equipment.
Meanwhile, community feedback will inform the environmental considerations for the dredging program, including potential impacts and ongoing operations.
A public session for residents is available at the Swansea Library Ocean Room on Tuesday 9 December from 10am to 1pm.
The Have Your Say portal will close on 21 December.
