The Jamberoo Mountain Road has been closed for a year due to extensive storm damage, and over that time the local wildlife has had free reign. Kangaroos, wallabies and wombats are prolific in the area, and it’s not uncommon to see lyre birds, echidnas and even koalas.

Local resident Olivia Mitchell has told the Bugle of her concern that there will be many wild animals run over due to the traffic returning to the road. “Even before the road closure my husband and I would often discover wounded animals lying on the road, some were still alive and others not, so we would remove them,” she said.

“It is important for people to be aware that the most likely times for animals to be out is dawn and dusk.” She also warns that headlights will stun an animal and it will freeze, as it is blinded by lights. The best advice is to “slow down and honk the horn to scare the animal away.”

Motorists may not know when they hit an animal whether it has been killed or wounded. The message Olivia would like to get across is that WIRES should be called, so that a representative can check over the creature, and if necessary, put it out of its misery.

Locals feel very strongly about this matter and one local resident Gill O’Toole has made signs to alert people to watch out and what to do if they do hit an animal.

Rebecca Daley, who works for Wildlife Rescue Organisation (WIRES), said that the area has many kangaroos, wallabies and wombats, some of whom have ‘moved in’ since there has been no traffic for such a long time. “They can’t be relocated, so we need to get the word out for motorists to be aware and watch out at the peak times when the animals are active,” she says.

The locals know where the ‘hotspots’ are and have said that they are willing to work with Council to ensure that the animals are kept safe. Kiama Council have issued a statement this morning about the 40km zone and advising “Motorists should also be vigilant for local wildlife that will be unaccustomed to vehicles given the 12-month road closure.”

Dead kangaroo being removed from road

Council is working with local conservation groups on restoration works, and these works will take some weeks. This will include re-establishing relevant signage. Council is also repeating these key messages through their social media platforms.