The Beagle Editor,
COUNCIL ROAD TO NOWHERE!
Yesterday’s(7th May) new landslide approximately 42km west of Moruya on the Araluen Road has thrown up a whole new set of challenges for residents, emergency services, National Parks and, of course, council.
Truck loads of produce from Merricumbene are ready for the Sydney markets. Ordinarily the truck would exit via Braidwood due to the 2 tonne load limits and rough terrain of the fire trail bypass to the east.
There are children up this end that attend school in Braidwood.
Landowners rebuilding after the fires were accessing building materials from the west.
There are landowners who work several days a week in Canberra.
Some residents regularly access Braidwood for supplies etc as it is closer, especially now with the difficult terrain over the bypass.
Some work in Braidwood/Araluen.
There are 3 National Park camping grounds, that were booked out during the holiday periods and long weekends. These camp grounds are between the two landslides. They can no longer be accessed by campers. We notified National Parks this morning as it seems council has been remiss in providing any updates about the road to them.
The medical emergency that occurred last Monday(3rd April), suspected heart problem, was dealt with by an ambulance from Braidwood as Moruya didn’t have a 4WD available. The ambulance got lost twice on its way to Moruya ending up on a goat track to Mt Wandera Tower. The driver and the patient were most relieved to finally make it to Moruya hospital. The driver explained that if the emergency involved bleeding or broken bones a helicopter must be called.
Eastern side of the landslide.
As can be seen in the photograph, it’s not just the landslide onto the road, but the road itself collapsing. I doubt any machinery will be dispatched to remove the material as it would be too dangerous in such circumstances.
So, does council now need to build another costly diversion road?
It is now over 6 months since the first landslide and council are still ‘investigating’.
All the slip sites along the rest of the road continue to fall apart as can be seen above(the flags have been there for 6 months) – no work has been done.
Council says it is the 6 natural disasters since the bushfires, that has caused this massive problem on Araluen Road.
However, as the road slips away, previous ‘repair’ work becomes apparent.
Above: This photo shows what has been revealed adjacent to the new landslide site. Note the steel droppers and a piece of cracked wood that were supposed to hold the road together. I wonder what engineering genius came up with that one.
And to those councillors who have been heard to say that they are sick of hearing about our road, come walk in our shoes for a while and see what you get ‘sick of.’
For now, we sit and contemplate the odds as to what will occur next, council action or another landslide?
Patricia Gardiner
Deua River Valley
VIDEO: Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads We're on a ride to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin' that ride to nowhere
We'll take that ride
