Rolong Stanley, a 31-year-old citizen of Vanuatu, pleaded guilty on Thursday to aggravated dangerous driving causing death over the crash near Orange, in central-western NSW.
The ute Stanley was driving spun out of control and slammed into a tree on the narrow and winding Lake Canobolas Road on the afternoon of February 9, 2025.
The crash killed 42-year-old mother-of-two Justine Hammond, who had previously been in a relationship with Stanley.
A final apprehended domestic violence order protecting Ms Hammond was made in Orange Local Court in November 2024, with conditions including Stanley stay 500 metres from her.
In the hours before the crash, the pair drank cask wine in Stanley's ute at a large apple orchard, according to a statement of agreed facts tendered to the court on Thursday.
Seven kilometres from the orchard, Stanley lost control on a slight right-hand bend and the ute smashed roof-first into the tree.
Ms Hammond was dead when emergency services arrived and there was "catastrophic" damage to the vehicle, including a caved-in roof and a bent chassis, the court document said.
"Ambulance officers detected a strong smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle," the statement said.
Stanley was flown to Westmead Hospital and a blood-alcohol analysis later showed he would have been in the range of 0.212 at the time of the crash.
He had been living in Australia unlawfully and was a disqualified driver, who had never held a licence.
Stanley appeared in Orange Local Court via audio-visual link from jail to enter the guilty plea, listening to proceedings through a Bislama interpreter.
A charge of breaching the apprehended domestic violence order was dismissed, along with charges of negligent driving and high-range drink driving.
Other driving offences will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced in the NSW District Court.
Bouquets of flowers, a panda statue and a dream catcher charm were left at the crash site to honour Ms Hammond.
Soon after her death, Ms Hammond's employers in Orange described her as an "amazing" team member.
"We are all grieving from this huge loss," the post by Snowgums Property Services said.
"RIP Justine. We love you and miss you. Now and forever."
Locals had long been worried about the safety of the road, which passes a busy lake and several wineries.
Transport for NSW lowered the speed limit from 80km/h to 70km/h in the weeks after the crash after assessing residents' concerns, the crash history, road usage and surrounding environment.
Stanley will appear in court for a sentencing hearing on June 26.
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