“I wonder how long it is since the graders have been through.”
It’s one of the key questions grey nomads ask themselves as they turn off the bitumen and head down a dirt track in remote country. Out in the bush, road conditions can change literally overnight, potholes can appear, a little rain can turn tracks into skating rinks, and then, of course there’s the corrugations.
While fellow travellers who passed through a week or two ago might say a certain track “is like a highway”, you ever know for sure until you get down it yourself. And it’s always extremely encouraging to know the graders have been working in the area.
As grey nomads head north now, road maintenance crews are rushing to repair the network of unsealed roads and make sure they are in reasonable shape. The heavy rains of the Wet Season cause significant damage and it’s always a race against time to get the job done.
Grader drivers work long hours in remote country in order to earn a living … and perhaps a cheerful wave or a grateful nod from a passing grey nomad. The ABC recently went out went out to the Duncan Road, which weaves along the Northern Territory/Western Australian border, to meet a few of them.
Clive Lovell told the ABC it could be difficult working in such a remote location, but he loved spending time ‘out bush’.
“I suppose you’re out on your own sometimes, but you get used to it,” he said. “We have a campfire and cook up whatever we feel like having. So we don’t eat flash while we’re out here, but we keep ourselves happy.”
About 50 kilometres south of Mr Lovell’s camp, grader driver David Gallan says that, after working an 11-hour shift each day, he likes to take his fishing rod down to one of the many creeks which cross the Duncan.
“We’ve got them all organised back at the camp,” he said. “I’ve also got a mate with me, so he’ll probably do a bit of fishing while I’m working. He’s not a bad cook actually!”
Grader driver Marty Walker, from Katherine, is working on a station track just to the east of the Duncan Road.
“The roads are a bit of a mess after the wet season,” he told the ABC. “I think we go from here back to Camfield, then Killarney Station and I might even head down to Helen Springs near Tennant Creek.”
Mr Walker says he basically worked from dawn until dusk.
“You spend most of the time just watching the blade, and seeing what’s happening with the road because it changes all the time,” he said. “So you just have to try and fix it up as best you can.”
* Do you love to hear the grader has been through when you head down a track? Comment below.
Great part of the world and great people keeping the roads safe to drive on. Five stars for the grader drivers.
Just like to say thank you too! They do a great job
These grader drivers need medals! Without them we would see very little of the outback, they do a tremendous job. Met some on the way to Innamincka a couple of years ago and had a 10 minute chat to them, they appreciated the short time spent, good encouragement for them!