Sitting on the edge of national parkland on the banks of Sydney’s sparkling harbour, Shark Beach at Nielsen Park has long been one of the Eastern Suburb’s most treasured swimming spots. But since March 2022 it has been tightly closed to the public, inciting mass frustration among locals who desperately want to dive back into their favourite turquoise cove as warmer days approach.
In happy news for swimmers, the beautiful harbour beach is on track to open this summer – with construction to replace the concrete seawall well underway, due for completion in mid-December.
Getting to this point of near completion hasn’t been as easy ride. Reconstruction work was originally meant to be completed by December, 2022 – but the wettest Sydney year on record, contractual delays and the discovery (and removal) of a hefty 3,600 tonnes of asbestos put big delays on progress.
Recommended: Speaking of sharks, did you go to see the now-infamous 'Sharnana' sculpture?
Now, just a month away from the (updated) slated completion date, we’re within our rights to start getting excited, but lets not count our chickens before the eggs have hatched. According to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) who have been managing the Neilsen Park seawall repair, the re-opening date could still be subject to further delays depending on weather and coastal conditions.
For now, all we can do is wait – and pray for gentle weather to keep work underway. In the meantime, we’ll just have to swim at one of these gorgeous Sydney swim spots instead.
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