Evacuations of visitors trapped in the Megalong Valley have begun.
Police led the operation to evacuate visitors via a private access road on Sunday, April 8. More than 100 people were trapped in the valley after a landslide cut off the only public access road during heavy rain on Friday night, April 5.
"Over the next couple of days visitors will be evacuated via that route," Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill told ABC Radio on Monday morning.
He said cutting a temporary road through rock near the landslide site is one option being considered to reopen access to the Megalong Valley.
"If the geotechnical advice is that this is safe... you'd be able to have the residents coming in and out via that," he said.
The road would be one-way only.
"It will be an enormous amount of work and an enormous cost but right now we have to look after that community. They are our priority. If that work can be done safely, it will be done," said Cr Greenhill.
The mayor said he will be lobbying the federal and state governments for financial support for the roughly 200 residents plus businesses in the Megalong Valley.
"People can't get out to go to work - that has a massive impact on them. Businesses in the Megalong can't have custom coming in - that has a massive impact on them. This cannot be forgotten. That community needs that level of support," he said.
In the long-term he said an alternative route to the Megalong Valley will have to be considered, which could involve discussions with Lithgow City Council as well as private landowners.
But he said reopening temporary access for residents was the priority now.
"Those people are our total focus at the moment. Getting them in and out is our absolute priority and then having a conversation with the other levels of government about supporting them financially."
