COMMUNITY
New digital road signs
add safety during floods
New digital road signs on some of the Hawkesbury’ s most flood-prone roads are set to improve safety and provide motorists with early warnings during floods and heavy rain.
The Flooded Roads Smart Warning System is a joint project between Rotary, Bendigo Bank and Hawkesbury City Council, funded through Rotary Foundation Australia and the Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation.
Solar-powered signs have been installed at four key locations: Brennans Dam Road, Vineyard( 3 signs); Tennyson Road, Tennyson( 2); Old East Kurrajong Road, East Kurrajong( 2); and Roberts Creek Road, Blaxlands Ridge( 2). Council worked with Hawkesbury SES over the past year to identify the most suitable sites.
The new system replaces older manual fold-down signs at creeks and culverts prone to flooding. Each sign illuminates automatically via a water-level sensor, activating when roads become unsafe. They also capture real-time data to help Council and emergency teams with disaster planning and road design.
Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather thanked Rotary and Bendigo Bank for their
Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather and Resilience and Emergency Management Coordinator Phil Bow with Rotary Foundation Director Paul Rogers, district governors Haran Ramachandran and Michele Ellery, past district governors Christine Owen and Mina Howard; Bendigo Bank Branch Manager for Hawkesbury Tony Weller, and representatives from contractor Substation.
support in helping protect motorists.
“ The Hawkesbury is one of the most flood-prone local government areas in NSW. As we’ ve seen in recent years, roads can quickly become inundated during severe weather,” Mayor Sheather said.
“ These signs provide a clear, reliable warning at any time of day or night. Too many flood rescues in our City have been avoidable, caused by drivers entering floodwaters. This not only endangers them but also the lives of rescuers.”
Council reminds all motorists: never drive through floodwaters. Debris, washouts and hidden dangers can put lives at risk.
FROM THE MAYOR’ S DESK
with Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather
It is an exciting time to be in the Hawkesbury!
Council staff are putting the finishing touches on our activities around the RAAF Richmond Air Show. The show itself is a sell-out, so there will be 80,000 people – many of them visitors to our City – out and about on 27-28 September.
This will be a major boost for our local economy! In support, we will be holding a FREE open-air cinema screening of Top Gun at Richmond Oval from 6pm on the Saturday night, with free popcorn, family activities and more.
Local cafes and restaurants will be encouraged to stay open late. There will also be RAAF displays at the Hawkesbury Regional Museum and our Central Library at Windsor, photo opportunities in Windsor and Richmond and a schools plane artwork competition.
If you love to snack on wings, visit the Visitor Information Centre to collect a Wings Trail map, highlighting all the great places to buy wings in the Hawkesbury.
Speaking of food, preparation for Savour the Flavour 2025 in Richmond is well underway. Make sure you save the date to be at Richmond Oval on Saturday 18 October from 4-9pm to sample an array of flavours and cuisines grown and made right here in the Hawkesbury.
All your favourite activities are back this year, including the apple pie eating competition and cooking demonstrations. This year, there will also be a country theme, so make sure to dust off those boots for a boot-scootin’ good time.
With all the recent wet weather, it seems very timely to announce the partnership between Council, Rotary Australia and Bendigo Bank to install illuminated road flooded signage at some of our most flood-prone roads. The signs automatically light up when water levels reach a certain height, alerting drivers well in advance that the road ahead is closed.
The system also alerts Council officers, and gathers important flood data. The solar-powered signs are located on Brennans Dam Road at Vineyard, Tennyson Road at Tennyson, Old East Kurrajong Road at East Kurrajong, and Roberts Creek Road at Blaxlands Ridge. Hawkesbury City Council liaised closely with Hawkesbury SES over the past 12 months to identify the four most suitable locations for the signs. Remember, never drive through floodwaters as debris and road washouts hidden by water can put your life at risk.
18 ISSUE 184 // SEPTEMBER 2025 theindependentmagazine. com. au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT