For businesses in Stanwell Park 2020 has been one hit after another.
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The year started off with the bushfires and, while, the suburb wasn't threatened, plenty of their Sydney customers figured they were and stayed away.
Then, not long after the fires, COVID-19 hit and the businesses saw their customers plummet again.
Now, just weeks after COVID-19 restrictions have eased, there's one more hit - the closure of Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
For two months from Monday, a 1.3-kilometre section of road between Stanwell Park and Bald Hill will close for slope stabilisation work.
Businesses just south of that closure fear they will lose their Sydney customers and nor will they see Wollongong residents make the trip up to what will, for two months, be a cul de sac.
Some are planning to struggle through the next two months, others may find its not worth it after a few weeks and close up, while at least one business had already planned to put up the "closed" sign for two months.
The public had known about the closures since July last year, when Transport for NSW first announced its plans.
So businesses had known it was coming for some time, and at least one decided they would lose money if they stayed open.
So Kat Erskine decided to close Uluwatu Blue cafe and take a holiday.
"I know a high percentage of my business comes from down that hill, maybe 70-80 per cent," she said.
"There's a lot of Sydneysiders and people from Helensburgh. I don't think I'm going to have enough business to stay open, it's not feasible."
The bad news for Ms Erskine is that the holiday she was planning was to Indonesia; that's now off the table due to COVID-19 travel bans.
She's lived in Stanwell Park for 22 years, and can remember the two and a half years when the coast road was closed while the Sea Cliff Bridge was built. Those recollections were part of the reason she's closing the doors this time.
"That was really quiet," she remembers. "All the businesses really suffered."
John Vander also remembers that time. The owner of Articles Fine Arts Gallery stayed open then and said the RMS and Wollongong City Council helped out with signage at Waterfall to attract motorists to Stanwell Park.
"Also every weekend they paid for bands to play on the grass outside the art gallery and the businesses which are there," Mr Vander said.
"This time, although we've asked, nobody has come forward whatsoever. There's no help from the RMS or council to advertise the fact the road is closed but the businesses are still open."
With around 70 per cent of his customers coming from Sydney and Wollongong residents' tendency to go south for a day trip, Mr Vander says the next two months are "going to be absolutely terrible".
"Unless it's dead as a dodo we are planning on opening as usual - Friday, Saturday and Sunday," he said. "If there's absolutely no one we don't know what we're going to do."
The owner of Loaf Kitchen is in a bit of a bind; Annaleigh Sturmann lives in Engadine and has another cafe in Cronulla, and has to travel between the two businesses.
"I'm going to be catching the train down, I think," she said.
"I would usually drive between the two but the closure will make it an hour and a half both ways so it's not really feasible when I'm trying to open up the shop for 6am."
The week before the closure was spent ferrying supplies from one shop to the other while the road was still open.
The closure will also pose a problem for her Sydney-based suppliers, who would have to drive down to Thirroul and then up to Stanwell Park - almost a 90-minute trip.
Some have said they'll make that trip but others have said no.
"My costs will go up during this time and I'll have to find a new supplier - it's a bit of a nightmare," she said.
The initial plan was for two one-month closures - one in February-March 2020 and the second during May-June 2020.
A public outcry forced Transport for NSW to change the approach and put up four closure options to a public vote, with a straight two-month closure the narrow winner.
That change of plans worked in Ms Sturmann's favour.
"I really appreciated the community consultation when they decided not to do it in February based on the feedback and they did do it in winter," she said.
"For us it will be a lot quieter in winter. That makes all the difference for us."
Symbio Wildlife Park is north of the road closure but marketing manager Kevin Fallon is concerned about the "flow on effects" for tourism in the Illawarra, with day trippers visiting the park and then heading down to northern Illawarra suburbs.
"It's also going to limit the flow-on visitation when visitors come here, if they can't go down to those beaches as easily it could affect the flow on to the cafes and the places down there," Mr Fallon said.
He was also unhappy the closure included the July school holidays. While that timing worked for school students, it's not ideal for a tourist destination.
"I think it couldn't be worse timing," Mr Fallon said.
"It would have been ideal if, as soon as the lockdowns occurred, there was a bit of foresight and work was done when it wasn't going impact visitation to any of the region."
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