The last residents displaced by the sinkhole that forced the evacuation of 40 on Fogo Street at Wallsend have returned home after three nights away.
Residents were told to leave their homes as the ground began to sink several inches after torrential rain, ruining the bowling greens of the Wallsend Diggers Sport Club and opening a large crack in the adjacent roadway.
Utilities were cut off to some 26 properties on Fogo Street as a police took lead on a multi-agency response that included the state's Mine Subsidence Advisory who were still monitoring the situation on Wednesday, March 29.
Residents of Fogo Street, and the surrounding neighbourhood, who spoke with the Newcastle Herald were effusive in their praise for the emergency response, all of whom said they were kept well informed of the situation as it developed.
Michelle Winslade, who has lived in the neighbourhood for a few months and did not need to evacuate, said emergency services were nonetheless quick to keep residents informed as the response developed.
A second subsidence, which the state's advisory has treated as a separate incident, opened on Monday, March 27, under a home on Platt Street, adding to a list of works including Fogo Street and a months-long remediation of a third subsidence at Elemore Vale, which began in July 2022.
Police have said, while experts were monitoring the situation closely, the Fogo Street subsidence had not made any significant movements since it began sinking at the weekend. So far, there have been no reports of structural damage to residential buildings on the street.
The last 17 residents were allowed to return home, police said in a statement, after experts on scene declared the site was safe.
Fogo Street, which is broken to an extent that it is impassable for vehicles, will remain closed while works to fix the road get underway.
Mine Subsidence Advisory NSW will continue to monitor the situation, police said.
The ground began sinking across roughly 100 sqaure metres of the suburb around 9.45am Saturday, March 25, causing a sweeping depression on the Sport Club's greens, estimates to repair which have already run into the millions of dollars.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery, who romped back into office taking just shy of 65 per cent of votes in Saturday's state election, said she had been briefed on the subsidence on Tuesday and was pleased with the response.
