Paramedics will eventually operate out of a site on Kosciuszko Road in Jindabyne. Photo: NSW Ambulance Facebook.
The location of the Snowies’ newest ambulance station has been locked in, but it won’t be operational for a while.
A new Jindabyne ambulance station was announced in 2023 as part of the NSW Government’s $232 million Rural Ambulance Infrastructure Reconfiguration (RAIR) program. The program involved the building of new NSW Ambulance stations and the upgrading of existing ones.
All RAIR projects have been completed, with the exception of Jindabyne, according to the NSW Government’s website.
This month, Member for Monaro Steve Whan said the previous government had not allocated funding for the project.
“The site hadn’t been acquired. We’ve just acquired the site, which involved a land swap with the Anglican school there,” he said.
“That took some time, but we’ve now completed that.”
He also said planning for the new facility was “pretty much done”.
In a statement, a spokesperson for NSW Ambulance said the new, purpose-built facility would replace the existing Thredbo Terrace station.
“NSW Ambulance uses a well-established service planning process to identify where to locate ambulance stations and works closely with Health Infrastructure to identify appropriate sites.”
The station will be located on Kosciuszko Road, to the west of Snowy Mountains Grammar School.
The construction and operational timeframes will be confirmed as planning continues.
The NSW Government’s website states the new station will include internal parking bays, a wash area, staff amenities and parking, storage areas and administration areas.
Business owner and Jindabyne Chamber of Commerce president Olivier Kapetanakos said expanded emergency services in the area would be welcomed.
“Certainly it’s overdue. We need a bigger ambulance station and more resources,” he told Region.
“Having more emergency responders in the area makes sense, particularly when you consider that our main industry is adventure tourism. …We need transfers [between facilities], we need emergency responses in the area.”
He said seasonal swells to the area’s populations meant higher demand on nearby services.
“We have over 20,000 people on any given weekend here, but no hospital [at Jindabyne].”
“Any additional money being invested in the area for emergency services just makes a lot of sense.”
The NSW Ambulance spokesperson also said Jindabyne residents and visitors could be confident they would receive any care they needed.
In winter, extra NSW Ambulance paramedics are brought to Jindabyne Ambulance Station and Perisher Ambulance Station.
The spokesperson also pointed to the Strategic Workforce and Infrastructure Team Program, which has seen an additional 35 paramedics join the Southern NSW Zone (an area that includes Jindabyne).
“NSW Ambulance has a network of highly mobile clinicians, including paramedics, intensive care paramedics, critical care paramedics, extended care paramedics, doctors and nurses, available to respond across NSW,” the spokesperson said.
“Vehicles and their paramedic crews are moved throughout their shift to provide geographical coverage across NSW.”
Further information on the new Jindabyne ambulance station can be found on the NSW Government’s website.
