Ahhh, the Bulli Bypass. I’ve been wanting to write about this one for a while now.
There’s two things that get my goat with urban design and infrastructure and that’s not enough dedicated bike lanes and too much space given over to cars. (I’d also like to add not enough skateparks but that’s for another article!) I know this might ostracise a lot of people whose work and play requires a car, but this is not a debate on whether we need cars or not, it’s about how much space (and money) that privately owned cars take up! Roads have been found to occupy between 17% to 30% of terra firma in the modern city. That’s a lot of real estate that could otherwise be used as parks, affordable housing or alternative transport methods (yes, like bike lanes). Whilst taking back all this land may not yet be feasible, we need to carefully consider where new roads should be situated for maximum benefit. And that leads me to the campaign behind Build the Bulli Bypass.
Transport for NSW consulted the local communities back in June/July of 2021. Whilst the issue of the bypass wasn’t on the agenda, many respondents called for the bypass. Transport for NSW advised that it was not under consideration. No doubt this was due to the extra costs involved with building a bypass over that of the intermediate measures proposed to alleviate traffic flow (currently under construction). The consultation focused primarily on improving traffic flow and parking. What I believe was an under-sight was that very little consideration was given to the heritage value and streetscape of a unique and vibrant coastal mining town.
And whilst that also goes for the likes of Coalcliff, Coledale, Austinmer and Thirroul, Bulli has been long divided by the busy end of Memorial Drive and has lost a lot of its original appeal thanks to the endless traffic that rolls through its centre. From my limited understanding of old mining towns (and perhaps with the exception of Newcastle), I don’t think that there are any other places along Australia’s coastline where you get such establishments like the Bulli Heritage, the Scarborough or the Imperial Hotels. I believe these unique towns and their heritage buildings require some special attention and protection.
Take a look at the photo (above) and look at how much more approachable the sidewalks are in the older image with their deep awnings and wide berth. Imagine attempting to take this photo at peak hour on a weekday? You’d be risking life and limb (I know I did!). Now, let’s imagine what Bulli would look like if the bypass was built. Why you might even consider a street fair by closing the street off between Station Street and Park Road. You won’t get rid of all the traffic all the time, but in pushing a good portion of it away from the township, you open up the possibility of outdoor seating, street activation, trees instead of carparks. Why, you might even get the bottleshop to move its front door back to where it should be – facing the Main Street!
There is some really special heritage still left in Bulli. Wollongong City Council’s LEP lists 38 heritage items within its confines. That’s 10 more than Thirroul and 22 more than Austinmer! Only Wollongong central has more listed items in all of Council’s gazetted area.
Driving south from the bottom of Bulli Pass we have a number of delightful heritage moments that all hold little histories. First we have the bridge that used to take coal from Bulli Colliery out to Sandon Point, then we have the old Denmark Hotel and the Miner’s cottage next door, then as we pass over mailbag hollow and near the Main Street, we come upon the Former Joint Stock Bank (now Two Sisters Garage), and the crowning glory of the Bulli Heritage Hotel where once you could stand upon its upper parapets and watch the coal trains load up the old steamers from the jetty. Bulli still has its laneways like Stokes and Veigals. And I bet that if you pulled off some of the cladding on the shop awnings along the east side of the highway, there’d be some delightful heritage fabric just waiting to be uncovered. We mustn’t forget the railway station with the delightful Black Diamond Museum, the recently renovated Bulli Railway Guesthouse (now Resin Brewery), and the list goes on..
I have a dream – a dream where pedestrians, diners and street fairs may once again occupy the streets and lanes of Bulli. Let’s promote pedestrian flow in Bulli’s unique town centre rather than letting more traffic through more efficiently!
Further reading: Jobs are going to be lost by Flame journalist Caitlin Sloan
