The children on board, aged between seven and 12, were helped to safety after the bus came to a stop on the edge of the four-metre drop.

A woman aged in her 50s was trying to park the bus outside the charity's building on Batho Street in Freshwater about 3.25pm when it crashed through the fence and onto the top of the rocky embankment, police said.

She managed to get the children off the bus without incident, before police helped her off the bus as well.

Inspector Jill Waters from NSW Police told media at the scene that the driver was "a little bit shaken and shocked" by the incident.

"The driver fortunately managed to brake before it went down a 15-foot embankment," Inspector Waters said.

"The driver has actually driven into the driveway and reversed out, and it appears she's then sort of started to straighten up and slipped, and the vehicle's gone down towards the fence.

"It's very lucky, we're just very fortunate that she did such a good job of braking the vehicle and getting the kids out of the vehicle safely."

Inspector Waters said the children will be offered assistance by a school counsellor.

Paramedics treated one adult patient at the scene, believed to be the driver. She did not need to be taken to hospital.

???Three crews from Fire and Rescue NSW also responded to the crash, arriving within seven minutes.

The bus was towed away and is due to be examined by mechanics as police investigate the crash.

/*

Batho Street, Curl Curl, New South Wales, Australia<\/p>\n",color:"green", title:"Bus crash", maxWidth:200, open:0}] ); } if (!window.gmapsLoaders) window.gmapsLoaders = []; window.gmapsLoaders.push(CreateGMapgmap2017430161556); window.gmapsAutoload=true; /*]]>*/