While not many grey nomads are travelling up or down the Stuart Highway at this time of year, the shocking flooding that has cut major roads is a reminder of just how vulnerable travellers are to Mother Nature.
The Adelaide Advertiser reports that a 250-kilometre stretch of the Stuart Highway, between Glendambo and Coober Pedy, remains closed.
Richard Patridge, who manages the Glendambo Roadhouse, said there were still about 50-60 people stranded at that roadblock.
He said that the floodwater was receding ‘very, very slowly’ and that, while several people in cars had been able to cross, they had been fined at the other end by police in Coober Pedy.
“To cross now undermines the road because the road has been bubbling and there’s going to be lots of mud underneath, so it’s going to be very fragile if they put a truck over it,” he told the Advertiser. “The water has got nowhere to go so it’s just pooling … we’ve probably got the world’s biggest swamp out here.”
Mr Partridge told the ABC that the water ‘could be here for another two or three weeks at this stage’.
“No-one can do nothing until the water recedes so they can check the road and see how much damage is done to that,” he said.
It’s all left Coober Pedy residents are reporting critical supply shortages including for medication. The town’s Business Association chairman Jason Wright said urged the state government to provide more clarity on when the main highway would reopen.
“You can’t just wait for the water to disappear,” he said. “Something needs to be done.”
A Department for Infrastructure and Transport spokesman said crews have been working around the clock to assess conditions or make urgent repairs.
“Work crews have been attending the Stuart Highway regularly each day since Sunday January 23 to attend to maintenance issues and sign hazards in preparation for major repairs,” he said.
The spokesman said the highway cannot be opened until the water recedes and the condition of the road can be assessed.
Many years ago we were towing our caravan in outback Qld. and we were on a sealed road there was a lot of water around . we stopped to have a look and while stopped the car and van slowly sank thru the road to sit on the bottom of both 2 days later before we could get out .