Hi All,
Well what a day it has been. Speaking with my contact on the
Birdsville Track toady for an update on track conditions and was told some news that has me and Station people along the track hopping mad.
Patsy said that things are drying out quite
well and the countryside is looking a million dollars. The flood detour road had been fully graded, yet they have had no contact from Transport SA, even though the detour goes through their property.
There is a lot of water making its way down and still has to fill
Lake Hope, but at its current flow rate, should cut the
Birdsville Track within 2 - 3 weeks.
Patsy then tells me that the Station people along the track may be getting together and having a meeting, as there are rumours that there may not be any money to get the ferry running, right on the peak time of the tourist season and cutting the station people north of the Cooper
Creek crossing off from the outside world. If this does happen, then the
Birdsville Track could be closed for up to 8 months, with no way of crossing it.
I then have personally made 4 phone calls to Transport SA, from the Ferry Section to the Northern Roads sections. All the people that I spoke to were all very friendly and helpful, but could not give any firm indication, as it is out of there hands and their reports have been sent to
Adelaide for approval and they said it will all come down to whether the government will put money towards the operation of the ferry. I was told to ring back next Thursday (Yes on the eve of
Easter) and they should have a clearer answer if funding has been approved. I was then told that if it does run, it would not be put into operation until June or July, some 2 months after water may have closed the
Birdsville Track.
Prior to our state elections last weekend, the Labour State Government has big promises of millions of dollars to be spent on city based works ($450 Million Dollar up grade of the Festival Complex alone) yet they may not have any money to run a ferry on one of South Australia's most important outback roads.
One thing is for sure, if some Politician had to get access over the flooded
Cooper Creek, they would soon find money then to get the ferry running. What we can do from hear I do not know, but we are all at the mercy of the Political Giants in the Big smoke that once again seem to push country affairs under the carpet and in the too hard basket.
I now have to wait for another week to see what the answer could be. Lets hope that the powers of be realise that there is more to South Australia and the lively hood of country and station people that live outside of metropolitan area.
Cheers
Stephen