Twelve truckloads of crushed sandstone have been transported more than 30 kilometres from Mount Victoria to be used as a base for roads and walking trails in the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area.
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The virgin excavated natural material had been removed from an embankment by Transport for NSW crews working to stabilise a slope beside the Great Western Highway near Fairy Bower Road.
The ongoing work at Mount Victoria will provide a permanent fix for the slope that was badly damaged by heavy rainfall in 2022 and will replace the emergency stabilisation work carried out at the site.
But the project will also leave a legacy of a very different kind beneath the feet of thousands of bush walkers and campers who use the Gardens of Stone on the Newnes Plateau, north of Lithgow, every year.
"The crushed sandstone is a beautiful base for roads and walking trails within our national parks because it's a very similar material to surrounding areas and very hard-wearing," Transport for NSW regional director west, Alistair Lunn, said.
The material was ideal for reusing because it will be free of contaminants that could potentially damage fauna and flora.
"None of us likes to see any natural resources go to waste so when the idea came that National Parks could use this crushed sandstone, it was an obvious solution for everyone," Mr Lunn said.
The ongoing slope stabilisation work at Mount Victoria includes a 75-metre long gabion basket retaining wall which will be backfilled to create a final slope length of about 25 metres and reduced gradient.
Work is on track for completion in October 2024.
