As work begins on removing hundreds of tonnes of sand from Towradgi ocean pool, residents are being asked to steer clear.
Three 20-tonne excavators rolled up on Monday, November 20, to begin the long and painstaking process of restoring the popular swimming spot from sandpit to ocean pool.
Crowds watched as the diggers spent the morning taking sand out of the small pool and, as mounds piled up, one onlooker said "and that's just the baby pool".
"It's all happening at our Towradgi rock pool this morning with our pool crew getting ready for an epic sand removal job," Wollongong City Council posted on social media.
"It's a complicated job that will take about week to complete provided the right conditions of tides, seas and swell continue.
"We're asking our community to stay clear of the worksite and thank everyone for their understanding and patience."
Recent weather had pushed more sand onto the city's beaches, leaving Towradgi pool in particular almost entirely filled.
A Wollongong council spokesperson had earlier told the Mercury the city's rock pools were "particularly challenging" to maintain.
"Their location right on the shoreline means you need a combination of low tides, seas and swell to be able to empty, clean and then re-fill the pools," the spokesperson said.
"Plus, we need to make sure the weather forecast doesn't mean a pristine pool would be re-filled with sand or seaweed just hours later."
