Bombo Quarry

Bombo, NSW - Dharawal Country (Wadi Wadi Land)

Positioned on a dramatic coastal headland just north of Kiama, the 115-hectare Bombo Quarry represents one of the most technically complex post-industrial landscape transformations on the New South Wales South Coast. 

This landmark master plan sets a benchmark for design-led regeneration, outlining a 15-year framework to convert a working basalt quarry into a climate-resilient, self-sufficient coastal village. Developed through extensive community engagement and collaboration with Kiama Council and State agencies, the vision establishes a vibrant mixed-use community anchored by rich public open space and coastal ecology.

To resolve the site's physical isolation and geotechnical complexity—including 60-metre vertical batters and vast rock voids—the spatial framework establishes a stageable urban structure aligned with ground settlement projections. Rather than concealing the dramatic basalt faces, the design integrates them as defining visual features framed by safety buffers, water quality zones, and panoramic public walking trails.

Accessibility is unlocked through a switchback road network up the western batter, alongside a proposed bridge link and activated rail corridor that connect the precinct directly to Bombo Station, Bombo Beach, and Kiama Town Centre.

Underpinning the landscape, an engineered ephemeral creek line forms a central blue-green spine that manages complex site hydrology. Co-designed with First Nations partners, the public domain embeds cultural narratives and indigenous vegetation to guide ecological and cultural healing across a heavily modified landscape.