A MEMORIAL garden dedicated to honouring the victims of the Greta bus crash is set to open to the public today.
Cessnock City Council mayor Jay Suvaal told the Newcastle Herald that crews had been working to finalise the tribute ahead of the one-year anniversary on Tuesday.
"The memorial garden will provide a quiet, safe space for those wanting to pay their respects and will feature 10 deciduous Pyrus Calleryana trees, each representing a life lost in the tragedy, along with individual memorial plaques displaying wording provided by the families," he said.
Council's project team expedited works on the garden, with a plan in place for it to open to the public from Saturday, June 8.
Members of the public will be able to lay flowers at the memorial if they wish, or visit to reflect and pay tribute.
It's understood no official events are planned for the anniversary or garden opening, as loved ones privately remember those lost in the tragedy.
The memorial is on the northern side of the New England Highway, near Miller Park at East Branxton, about one kilometre from the roundabout where 10 wedding guests died and 25 others were injured on the night of June 11, last year.
"Members of the public are advised to expect additional traffic at both the crash site and the memorial garden over the coming week and are asked to exercise patience," Mr Suvaal said.
"Additional works associated with the Braxton to Greta Memorial Shared Pathway Project will be completed following the anniversary."
Anyone wishing to visit the memorial garden can use the informal, off-street parking at the site, or find a park safely down the road toward Branxton and use the new shared pathway to access the area.
The wedding bus rollover was Australia's worst road disaster in decades, and sent shockwaves across tight-knit Hunter communities and the nation.
Darcy Bulman, Rebecca Mullen, Zachary Bray, Tori Cowburn, Angus Craig, Kane Symons, mother and daughter Nadene and Kyah McBride, and husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott, lost their lives.
Several were members of the Singleton community and the local Roosters AFL club.
A community-made memorial garden has been nurtured at the crash site.
The Newcastle Herald has set up a tribute wall if you would like to leave a message, tribute, memory or words of hope.
You can take the time to thank the first responders, leave a message for the families affected, or even write about the resilience of the Hunter community during hardship.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
