But this weekend I had no choice but to use it. The flooding of the Avoca, Loddon and Campaspe Rivers meant that the Calder was closed for 100's of km's.
I delayed my trip for 24hrs, hoping this would make it easier, but it didn't.
I got to St Arnard about 11.30am to find all roads heading north were closed. A car was nearly submerged at Cope Cope, and although I watched a Commodore drive through the floodwaters, there was no way I was going that way!
I went back to the BP Service Station and a lovely old bloke gave me directions to Donald, his daughter had just got through, in a small car like mine. So I took a risk and off I went.
The roads he had recommended weren't on my Vicroads map, but the iPhone came to the rescue! Brilliant, it had all of them, even the dirt ones.
Google Maps - St Arnard to Donald.
It was very scary, it's been ages since I've had to drive on a wet, slippery, dirt road, llet alone one with water across it. There were 2 other cars behind me, so if something did happen, then at least I wasn't out in the middle of nowhere on my own. And everyone was looking out for each other, lot's of stopping and checking each other, asking about what was coming up.
I made it to Donald. And was shocked by what I saw there, they were pulling out a submerged car just near the bridges over the Richardson River. A motel was taking all it's beds out and loading them into trailers.
The river was running so fast, you don't think of these rivers as powerful and destructive, but they are right now.
The problems continued all the way to Speed, which had a few businesses sandbagged.
And just out of Speed there was still water over the road. My rule had become - if I could still see the white lines then I drove through it.
1 comment:
I'm glad you made it through safe and sound, my biggest worry was not being able to get back the following day. Good luck with the move this week and I'll see you early Feb...
Liz
xxx
Post a Comment