Thursday, Jan 06, 2011 at 08:14
Hi Michael and Ruth
Firstly a very Happy New Year to you both. Surprise, surprise, they have actually had it dry up on the track recently. Jason said water levels have been dropping over the actual
Birdsville Track to the point where they are able to drive across...but....
Having said that Jason said that there are a couple of boggy sections under water and only for their local knowledge that they can get through and Jason said that the average tourist would have no hope of getting through.. (Jason will kill me if he reads this but he told me he actually got bogged and had to get towed out much to his discuss..LOL)
There is no dispute that there is mega water coming down the Cooper, but Jason feels that the track will be drivable again before the next body of water comes down and here lies their next problem and perhaps Ian can help Jason Ruth.
They have been very busy grading a new track into Lakes Hope so they can start on the netting of the fish. Jason was telling me yesterday that they are around the 12" - 14" mark and are ready to collect. The problem is that they can only legally get the fish while there is no inflow into
Lake Hope and the moment that next body of water start to enter the
Lake,
well it is all over until the water level drops, which could be quite some time.
Paul is up at Etadunna at the moment and was telling Jason the other day the water now was only a couple of inches over the windrow on the track, so you can see just how much the levels have dropped over the last month or so.
The way that things are drying up over the track, my next office report from DTEI next month will be very interesting, but one thing is for sure, if it does open up again, it will only be for a shot time, as there is a lot of water coming down again.
Cheers
Stephen
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