‘Stay home': Warning to millions of Sydney workers as freak ‘cyclone bomb' sparks commuter chaos
The intense weather event is lashing down on NSW, causing flash flooding and destructive winds.
Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins warned commuters to stay home if they had that option.
'The advice for people using our public transport and roads is you don't have to travel, stay indoors as your recommendations are,' Mr Collins told the ABC.
'If you're an essential worker and you've got to get home or to work, please take your time.
'They may well be more disruption. So if you are planning to get home, leave early. Take your time. Don't leave it till late in the evening because that's when disruptions occur.'
The storm has caused mass disruptions across the state's transport network.
More than a dozen roads have been flooded in areas including Byron Bay and Jervis Bay.
In the state's capital the Pacific Highway has flooded in St Leonards with two of four southbound lanes closed.
Also in Sydney's suburbs Euston Rd has flooded in Alexandria with one southbound lane closed.
Serious flash flooding has swept through Newcastle with Coxs Ln and Mungo Brush Rd flooded and a warning issued to drivers.
'Never drive through floodwater, avoid the area, stay away,' the warning read.
The affected areas include the Mid North Coast, Hunter, Central Coast, Sydney, the Illawarra and South Coast.
Anyone preparing to commute or drive through those areas has been urged to stay informed and most importantly drive to the conditions.
Mr Collins said: 'Whether you're travelling by car or catching public transport please allow plenty of extra time to get to your destination.
'Don't drive, walk or cycle through flood waters, watch out for storm debris on the road, and if weather conditions become too severe, find a safe place to stop and wait until it passes.
'Passengers on public transport should take the time to hop online and check timetables before they set off and stay across any updates during their trip.'
Transport for NSW warned travellers to expect delays and disruptions as the extreme weather lashes the region.
Multiple ferry services have been cancelled in Sydney with F9 Watsons Bay Wharf closed due to high winds.
⛴� F9 Watsons Bay Wharf has been closed due to high winds. F9 Watsons Bay ferries are not running between Rose Bay and Watsons Bay.
� Consider alternative transport btwn Rose Bay & Watsons Bay. https://t.co/zkxHbFpRcN
— Sydney Ferries Info (@FerriesInfo) July 1, 2025
Replacement buses are operating.
Mr Collins warned that there is 'a lot of risk of the harbour going above four metres', which may mean that ferry services continue to be suspended.
NSW Maritime has advised boaters to stay ashore and avoid any non-essential boating amid the hectic weather.
NSW Maritime Executive Director Mark Hutchings said boat owners should be prepared for dangerous weather to continue to Thursday morning.
'We are advising everyone to stay off the water over the next couple of days, and boaters should check moorings and secure any items on board,' Mr Hutchings said.
Some wild weather hitting Sydney - for those in my community please note the following stay at home orders. pic.twitter.com/AZSDiKbe2h
— Kellie Sloane MP - Member for Vaucluse (@kelliesloane) July 1, 2025
'Large and powerful waves are expected, which can cause coastal bars to change quickly and without warning, and pose a serious risk to those on the water.'
Air travel has also been significantly disrupted with Sydney Airport moving to single runway operations.
This is expected to lead to delayed and cancelled flights at least until 11pm Tuesday, and possibly into Wednesday.
At least 20 flights have been cancelled across airlines, with guests encouraged to keep an eye on the status of their flights.
In a statement a Virgin Australia spokesman said the airline regrets the 'impact of this on guests' travel plans' and it is working to help travellers reach their destination.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
42 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Jockey Joe Bowditch reveals his passion for diving and underwater exploration for seafood
Jockey Joe Bowditch is equally at home scouring the ocean bed for crustacean delights as he is at top speed aboard a 500kg thoroughbred. Bowditch has ridden more than 1450 winners in a career that has taken him to ride in every state in Australia as well as in Dubai and Hong Kong. Bowditch has forged a place in the Victorian riding ranks in the last few years, consistently punching home winners for a variety of stables. While Victoria has provided Bowditch with a good living on the state's bays and inlets have been a bonanza for the jockey's burgeoning obsession with diving. Bowditch takes every chance he gets to head out in search of the high quality Victorian seafood. 'I get out as often as I can, weather permitting and the races permitting as well,' Bowditch said. 'If the weather is good and I've got the day out, I'm happy to head out. 'A lot of people get water up their nose and start panicking. 'I bought a boat when I was up at the Gold Coast and I didn't even know how to put the boat in the water. 'I got into it that way and a good mate of mine in Adelaide, a horse trainer named Darryl Carrison, he's an abalone diver and he took me out and showed me how to do it. 'I've had a passion for it ever since.' Bowditch doesn't seek abalone as he 'doesn't know how to cook it properly and it ends up like eating a gumboot' but delicacies such as mussels, crayfish and scallops often land in his bag. The 48-year-old doesn't use the whole scuba set-up but dives to the ocean bed using an air hose attached to his boat in which he dives with his cousin's husband, who has become one of his best mates. Melbourne's winter is still no match for Bowditch's desire to dive in the ocean while a weight belt helps the lightweight rider get to the bottom. 'I run off a hook-up, a dive hose, so when we go for crays, we got out for crays, we're in anything between 20 or 30m of water,' Bowditch said. 'If we're chasing scallops, we're in four to six metres of water. 'I've got like a 7mm thick wetsuit so even now in the winter time, if the water was flat and the sun was out, I could still go out and not get cold in that wetsuit. 'My weight belt weighs as much as I do. When I'm out of the water, I'm flat out picking it up. 'Once I get it on and get in the water, I'm able to get down to the bottom. 'It would probably be 20 or 25kg of weight in the weight belt to help me get down to the bottom.' While Bowditch is a vastly experienced diver, he said he still had to be extremely careful to stay safe while indulging in his passion. 'It's dangerous if you don't know what you're doing,' Bowditch said. 'If you come up too quick, you can get the bends pretty easily. 'You can even get the bends in four metres of water because you've still got the nitrogen running through your blood. 'You can either get the bends or getting an air bubble in the brain, which can kill you.' But the development of culinary skills has been a pleasurable by-product of Bowditch's diving experiences. 'I've become a good cook on the barbie,' Bowditch said. 'Just before I went on holidays, I went out and got probably a dozen squid and feed of whiting and flathead. 'I catch plenty of scallops that I've learned about 15 different ways of cooking them. 'I just love it.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Avoid non-essential travel': Bomb cyclone sparks travel chaos as roads closed, trains cancelled and flights delayed
Sydneysiders are being advised to brace for travel chaos with wild weather from the 'bomb cyclone' system continuing to reek havoc on travel infrastructure. In an update on Wednesday morning Transport NSW warned 'train passengers should avoid non-essential travel across the rail network' with service alerts issued on eight of the nine major train lines. 'Due to fallen trees, trains on some routes have been cancelled,' the update read. 'Motorists across Eastern NSW are being urged to prepare for delays and disruptions, as extreme weather is set to lash the region today and into the coming days. 'Transport for NSW is warning that damaging to locally destructive winds, heavy rainfall, and hazardous surf conditions will impact key coastal areas from the Mid North Coast down to the South Coast, including the Hunter, Central Coast, Sydney, and Illawarra.' Airservices Australia announced single runway operation at Sydney Airport on Tuesday night, with reduced operations expected to continue into Wednesday. 'This adheres to our International Civil Aviation Organisation safety regulations for runway usage amid inclement weather,' a spokesman said. 'Safety is Airservices' number one remit – this decision is purely weather- and safety-related to safeguard the travelling public. 'Delays are expected. We will continue to work closely with industry to minimise impacts for the travelling public. 'Decisions regarding flight cancellations are a matter for individual airlines.' In a statement on Wednesday morning, Virgin Australia said they expected their schedule to continue to be impacted by the adverse weather and encouraged all guests travelling today and tomorrow 'to keep an eye on the status of their flight via our website or app prior to travel for the latest information'. Qantas issued a similar statement warning of disruptions, saying customers would be contacted directly if there were any changes to their flights. Over 20 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, and more than 50 have been cancelled on Wednesday already. The powerful weather event will likely bring another day of chaos for Australian travellers, with warnings from the SES on Tuesday afternoon that the 'situation is going to worsen' through the next 24 hours. The 'bomb cyclone' or 'bombogenesis' system was forecast to hit Sydney and lengthy stretches of the NSW coast from Tuesday, bringing significant rainfall and blistering winds. Flight routes between major cities Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne have been among the worst-affected. FULL LIST OF TRANSPORT DISRUPTIONS: TRAINS Trains between Central and Wynyard are running again after earlier flooding on the tracks near town hall. T1: Trains are not running between Penrith and St Marys due to a tree blocking the track at Kingswood, with 'a very limited number' of replacement buses in place, and commuters urged to use regular bus routes instead. CCN: Buses continue to replace trains between Fassifern and Wyong on The Central Coast and Newcastle line, due to urgent overhead wiring repairs at Dora Creek. FERRIES F1 Manly ferries are not running due to heavy swell, with buses replacing services between Manly and Circular Quay in both directions. ROADS Flooding has closed the Wakehurst Parkway between the Sydney Academy Of Sport And Recreation at North Narrabeen and Oxford Falls Road in Sydney's north. Motorists can use Pittwater Road and Warringah Road instead. Allow extra travel time. Further south, Audley Weir in the Royal National Park is closed between Audley Road and Sir Betram Stevens Drive due to flooding. The Illawarra Highway between Tongarra Road and the Princes Motorway on the South Coast is closed in both directions due to flooding. In the state's far west, Old Pooncarie Road from Coona Point to Bindara is also shut in both directions due to flooding. A crash has backed up traffic at the Hume Highway on-ramp from the Old Hume Highway at Aylmerton. In Toronto, one of two southbound lanes are closed on Wangi Road near Wilton Road, with people reported trapped in the wreck.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Heavy rain continues to fall across NSW with widespread warnings in the southeast
Nate Byrne gives a weather update as heavy rain continues to batter parts of NSW with widespread warnings issued across the southeast.
