Only road to famous gardens used for The Great Gatsby shut for a year

The garden estates and nut farms of Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine attract thousands of visitors and have provided the backdrop for television shows and movies such as Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film The Great Gatsby.But the only road into the two Blue Mountains communities about a two-hour drive west of Sydney remains closed to visitors will not be fixed until July next year.Owner of the Kookatonga Chestnut and Walnut Farm at Mount Irvine, Mark Bancroft, estimated his business had lost about $100,000 since the road was shut to general traffic three months ago"We're scratching our heads to work out how we will survive having another season cut from under us," he said.Mark Bancroft and Robyn Scrivener say they have lost $100,000 from the road closure so far. (Supplied: Robyn Scrivener)Mr Bancroft said the farm makes about 80 per cent of its annual income during autumn, which is the peak season for tourists attracted by the changing leaves.It operates as a 'pick-your-own' experience and does not have cool rooms and graders to package its crop for markets and wholesale buyers."We've had 30 years of building the business into the pick-your-own business and it's not an easy pivot for us to make," he said."It would cost a substantial amount of money to set up for that - and we're not getting any income."The Blue Mountains City Council says heavy rain in March caused significant movement at the hairpin bend on Mount Wilson Road. (Supplied: Blue Mountains City Council)The Mount Wilson Road has been closed to all but local traffic since rain caused significant instability at a hairpin bend.The Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) was recently awarded $8.2 million in disaster recovery funding to fix the problem but does not expect to finish construction until the end of July next year.While residents can use the road in the meantime, visitors cannot unless they are essential workers or providing urgent compassionate care.The road into Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine was shut to visitors in April, in the middle of the villages' busiest time of year. (Supplied: Blue Mountains City Council)'No one to talk to'Owner of the Windyridge Nursery and Garden at Mount Wilson, Rodger Davidson, said he had lost up to $50,000 in cancelled weddings, events and loss of visitors.Rodger Davidson says he misses speaking to visitors. (Supplied: Windyridge Nursery and Garden)"The bills keep rolling for the garden with no income," he said."So what I have to do is use some of my personal income to try to support the garden.""That's not great when you're retired."Rodger Davidson says most of his socialisation now happens with his elderly neighbour over dinner. (Supplied: Rodger Davidson)Mr Davidson said his daughter was concerned for his welfare running the garden alone after his wife died about five years ago."I said, 'I'm fine because I've got people coming in... we can talk about the garden, the plants and how to grow them,'" he said."Now... I go and have dinner with my next-door neighbour and he's 101."We get to see nobody and get to talk to nobody."Majority of money made in autumnVice-president of the Mount Wilson Progress Association, James Douglas, said local business relied on the autumn season, which attracts up to 1,500 visitor vehicles each weekend."If we're closed for two autumns in a row, that means that all the businesses in Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine will have missed two years' worth of revenue," he said. James Douglas says the majority of the communities' revenue is made during autumn. (Supplied: James Douglas)BMCC chief executive Rosemary Dillon said in a statement that the council acknowledged the "significant" impact the closure was having on residents.She said it was hoped the road reconstruction would finish sooner than scheduled.Some weddings and events booked at the Windyridge Nursery and Garden have been cancelled due to the prolonged closure. (Supplied: Windyridge Nursery and Garden)"Council is making every effort to fast-track this critical work while ensuring the safety of our community," the statement said.