Keeping up with River Road

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Penrith City Council (02) 4732 7777 (02) 4732 7958 council@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au 601 High St Penrith NSW 2750 Australia
Keeping up with River Road

The Nepean River is our region’s greatest natural asset Penrith City Council is committed to protecting the river and keeping it healthy so that current and future residents can enjoy and share in its beauty.

Council’s Our River Masterplan was developed in consultation with our local community Vegetation management along the river corridor was identified as a key issue, which is addressed in our Vegetation Management Plan.

Council acknowledges there is no quick fix or simple answer, but we are committed looking for different ways to help address these issues, including identifying new initiatives.

Our bushland management approach incorporates Council bush regenerators, contractors, the Bushcare volunteer program and grant-funded projects.

We coordinate Council staff and contractors to improve the vegetation along the entire length of River Road, including the closed section. This includes:

  • removing and controlling exotic weeds, trees and vines (shown below)
  • planting appropriate native species (groundcover) to help stabilise the bank
  • maintaining the Bioretention Basin opposite Willow Way by removing weeds, maintaining the planted species, removing litter and ensuring the system is functioning
  • mowing alongside the upper footpath (shown below) to provide a safe and tidy streetscape for pedestrians and discourage snake habitat. This occurs between September and April each year.  

picture 1  picture 2

The Bushcare and Working Group

We launched 2 River Road focused groups in May 2022, the Working Group and the Bushcare Group, to help address these issues.

Working Group

This Group is an opportunity for River Road residents to provide ideas and feedback to Council regarding proposed vegetation management work. It also supports the local Bushcare Group.

This is a one-hour biannual meeting held outdoors on the banks of the river.

We also have a quarterly e-newsletter exclusively for River Road residents.

Bushcare Group

This group meets every fourth Thursday of the month for 3 hours. We undertake various activities such as weeding, planting, watering, litter collection and general site care.  

Get involved!

We’d like to hear from you! if you’d like to be part of the River Road Working Group or Bushcare Group, or you are a River Road resident and would like to subscribe to the e-news, contact us! Email

Overlooking a part of the riverbank, volunteers have planted trees to increase tree canopy.

The Bushcare group has been busying planting native species to provide bank stabilisation and habitat.

A volunteer smiling as they remove weeds from plants along the riverbank.

Mulching planted areas keeps moisture in and weeds out!

Volunteers working hard as they mulch an area along the riverbank. This area has a handful of grown trees.

Hard working volunteers are transforming River Road.