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Heading south for a late summer weekender? You might want to read on before you plan your days outdoors. From now until late 2026, parts of Mimosa Rocks National Park will be temporarily closed as a major upgrade gets underway – and while it might mean tweaking your next South Coast road trip, the long-term payoff is set to be big.
According to NSW National Parks and Wildlife, work has officially begun on a $6.5 million infrastructure overhaul in the park, located on Yuin Country along NSW’s far south coast. The project is designed to shore up the park against future flooding and extreme weather, following a string of natural disasters that have battered the state since 2019.
Funded through the NSW and Australian Government’s Infrastructure Betterment Fund, the works won’t just repair damaged areas, but will rebuild in a way that can better withstand the next big weather event.
The first cab off the rank is the Nelsons Beach precinct on the park’s southern edge. Here, crews are rolling out drainage works to reduce erosion, expanding visitor parking, and installing new fencing and signage. It’s practical stuff, but crucial for a park where heavy rainfall can quickly turn access roads and beachside facilities into soggy no-go zones.
To make it all happen safely, Nelsons Beach Road and car park, Moon Bay access and Wajurda Point Lookout will be closed until mid-2026 (exact re-opening date still tbc). A worksite exclusion zone will also be in place, and visitors are being reminded not to duck under barriers or wander into closed areas – regardless of how tempting that empty lookout might be. The improvements won’t stop at Nelsons Beach. Over the coming months, work will also begin to future-proof some of the park’s most popular campgrounds: Aragunnu, Gillards and Middle Beach. The broader vision is to ensure this much-loved protected area can weather a changing climate without losing the wild, untamed beauty that makes it so special.
According to a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson, these are “once-in-a-lifetime improvements that will significantly protect the park into the future”. By tackling the works during the off-peak season, the aim is to minimise disruption and have the upgraded infrastructure ready to welcome next summer’s crowds – ideally with a little more climate resilience baked in.
The rest of the park will remain open while the works are underway, so you can still cash in on walks along rugged headlands and swims in the Sapphire Coast’s quiet coves. If you’re planning a visit, it’s worth checking updates via NPWS Alerts before you set off.
The park is set to be fully open again by the end of this year. Short-term closures, long-term gains – your 2027 nature escape might just be better for it.