cooper creek

Hi Graham,

The Transport SA website states as at 4.01pm today;


COOPER CREEK FERRY INFORMATION
The Cooper Creek Ferry ceased operation on Friday 21 January 2011. The track conditions will continue to be monitored and it is expected that the ferry may need to be recommissioned when flood waters from Queensland reach South Australia in the next few months. While the ferry is out of action, minor modifications have been undertaken to increase the flexibility of this ferry if and when flood waters return.

http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/quicklinks/northern_roads/area1.asp

TJ...

Hi Graham

I have just had to cancel my first reply that I was writing, as I have only just got off of the phone from Jason at Etadunna and had it interrupt him from his beer out in his beer garden...LOL

The very latest news is that one of the men, Paul from Etadunna flew up the Cooper the other week to check of its progress. For reason unknown to them, its seems to have put its brakes on and the progress is at a snails pace and Jason said it will still be at least 3 weeks before it again reaches the actual ferry site, and then it has to get out as far as the Birdsville Track.

Unlike last year when the floodwaters coming down were at a very fast rate, they rose 1.2 metres in depth over the Birdsville Track in just a 24 hour period. From my dealings with Transport SA, they will only put the ferry back into operation when the depth of the water is 600mm in depth over the Birdsville Track, or if it is boggy and unsafe for normal conventional vehicles.

I know that they is still 4 metres in depth of water over the causeway at Innamincka and all that water has to head south, so there is still a lot of water to come down.

When I asked the ultimate question to Jason, he said that the ferry will have to go back into operation this year but he would not like to put a time frame on just how long it will take before it reaches the Birdsville Track and deep enough to get the ferry going again.

The moment that I something positive to report, all the reader will be the first in Australia to know what is going on.


Until me next update.



Cheers


Stephen

Graham,

The influx of water travelling down the Cooper is moving fairly slowly and it may be a month or two yet before it cuts the Birdsville track, invoking the ferry operation.

Member Stephen posts updates from time to time as he has personal contact with Patsy on Etadunna Station where the ferry is located and a contact with Transport SA that is responsible for the ferry operation.

You could try sending Stephen (Clare SA) a member message or wait for his next update.

I was up there over the Easter/Anzac break and there is plenty of water in the Cooper Creek at the Ferry site. (with fish in it as well)
The ferry is moored on the southern side (where the ferry operators' mobile accomodation is) but the operators themselves will only arrive as and when needed to commission the ferry service again.