Birubi Point car park stays shut as council ramps up summer measures

newy.com.au – Port Stephens Council will roll out extra peak season measures at Birubi Point over the coming summer while a storm-damaged lower car park remains closed.

The council says the popular headland, which draws thousands of visitors over the holiday period and holds deep cultural significance for the Worimi people, is under growing pressure from increasing visitor numbers and environmental impacts.

Council general manager Tim Crosdale said the “lower car park” at Birubi Point had suffered “damage beyond Council’s usual maintenance resources” during a natural disaster in May 2025 and would stay closed.

“It sits on land that is highly sensitive and naturally unstable, and pressure from more frequent major weather events, repeated rising groundwater and increasing visitation has been impacting this special place,” Mr Crosdale said.

He said Council still wanted people to visit Port Stephens and enjoy its beaches but warned that “car parking opportunities will remain limited through the busy summer period”.

Council’s peak season management plan will guide operations at Anna Bay and Birubi Beach over the holidays, building on earlier measures including active traffic control, shuttle bus trials and smart digital signage.

This summer the plan will feature extra linemarking, additional onsite signage, more Council Rangers on duty, variable message sign (VMS) early warning boards, Live Traffic updates and ongoing digital signage to let drivers know about car parking availability and restrictions.

During peak visitation periods, Council will also schedule more frequent cleaning and waste collection and install temporary toilets to cater for the larger crowds.

Mr Crosdale said Birubi Headland was “a very challenging location to manage”, given its environmental sensitivity and cultural value.

“We’ll keep working with the Worimi community, tourism operators and local residents and businesses to support essential access and plan for the future. The cultural value of this site is extraordinary, and the environmental risks can’t be ignored,” he said.

Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Andrew Smith said Birubi Point was much more than a holiday destination.

“Birubi Point is not just a beach location, it’s a magical place of cultural significance, teaching and ceremony which […] people are drawn to, as it has been for thousands of years,” Mr Smith said.

“Birubi is ‘second to none’ and this is echoed by the Worimi Conservation Lands vision of ‘Protect, Respect, Connect’ which highlights our shared custodial responsibility to sit, listen and learn from past actions and work with Country, not against her,” he said.

Council says a review of the Birubi Point Aboriginal Place Plan of Management will be critical in future decision-making, with the aim of balancing protection of cultural heritage with sustainable visitation so the site remains a place of learning, connection and respect.

The community will be invited to give feedback through an engagement program in early 2026.

“We’re fortunate to have Birubi Point Aboriginal Place in our own community, a place of such profound beauty and cultural value,” Mr Crosdale said. “Protecting it is not just the role of Aboriginal custodians or government, it’s something we all share as a community.”