The ‘Bridge the Bridge’ event, to be held on July 28, will see campaigners walk from the western side of the tracks to the Nan Tien Temple in order to reinforce the importance of improved pedestrian access at the station.

The walk coincides with the official opening of the Nan Tien Temple bridge, which spans the M1 Princes Motorway from the temple to the Nan Tien Institute.

Read more: ‘Nan Tien Bridge’ at Unanderra to be officially opened

The walk’s route has been designed to highlight how the lack of lifts at the station, the closest to Nan Tien, affects tourists visiting the temple.

“The Nan Tien Temple has 200,000 people a year visit it and many of those people get to Unanderra station, they see the stairs and they don’t want to climb them,” Wollongong MP Paul Scully said.

“Unfortunately, the Nan Tien Temple is a little too far out of the government’s 800-metre radius from the station to even be considered as part of the upgrade assessment.

“We are determined to see lifts built at Unanderra station, we are determined to see full access and we won’t stop until they’re built.”

Long-time campaigner Rebecca Lachlan said the lifts would benefit a wide range of people, including those with a disability, older people, mothers with prams, and people with bikes and luggage.

Ms Lachlan had a stroke when she was 26 and uses a mobility walker to help her get around.

“For a long time I wasn’t even in a state to be using the train to travel,” she said.

“But when I got to the point where I was able to again, I found I wasn’t able to do that by myself, I always had to have someone with me if I wanted to be able to come and us this station.”

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