Contaminated Helensburgh bike track to be dug up and removed

The track, which is managed by the Helensburgh Off-Road Cycle Club, has been closed since May after asbestos fragments were discovered in the soil, and will remain closed over summer.

Investigations have since discovered asbestos well beyond the initial find, with more than 70 fragments discovered across the whole site.

There has still been no information given about where the contaminated fill came from.

Wollongong City Council has now decided the only option is to engage a contractor to remove all the red clay mounds brought in since 2017 - about 800 cubic metres.

Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said there had been no "quick fix", as it was necessary to find all the potential asbestos contamination.

"It's important we work through this in a thorough and methodical way to ensure the safety of the public and to build a complete understanding of the size and scale of the issue,'' Cr Bradbery said.

"In addition to the construction and demolition waste including asbestos being located within the red clay used to build the tracks, to date more than 70 asbestos fragments have been found on the surface at various parts of the site.

"These have continued to be found during regular site inspections. This has added to the challenge of developing the Scope of Work to remediate the site as each new find means we need to, again, review risk levels."

Council general manager Greg Doyle said the park would be closed over summer as the material was classified as hazardous waste.

"This will be an expensive exercise as it's a large site with a significant number of trails and a large volume of affected material,'' Mr Doyle said.

"We will need to work through a tender process to have this work completed by a licenced provider who has the experience to manage an extensive clean-up of this nature, as all the soil to be removed will be classified as hazardous waste and will be disposed of accordingly. This means the park will remain closed over summer to manage public safety.

"I know this closure will be disappointing to some riders in the community who love to ride these dirt tracks. It's not a decision we make lightly, and it's one that is informed by the number of asbestos fragments that continue to be found at this site.''

The ongoing closure and asbestos discovery has not gone down well with the northern mountain biking fraternity.

Fences and signs marking the site's closure have at times been removed and wrecked so some people can enter and use the tracks. There have been wild suggestions on the HROCC Facebook page that the asbestos had been planted by someone related to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

This week, months after the alarm was raised, the council was not able to identify where the contaminated material came from.

"Council is not responsible for the procurement or placement of the material at this site," the spokeswoman said.

"Our focus at this time is on coordinating the remediation process and making this area safe for our community."

In August HORCC president Wayne Teal told the Mercury how the contaminated material got there was "a mystery".