Nuff Nuff

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Marysville - Steavensons Falls - Black Saturday #2

Need I say more?















6 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a prime tourist attraction, I would have thought visitor infrastructure might have been re-instated a little quicker than it has been.

Heather said...

often I would agree with you - but the amount of damage is just too great for the roads to be re-opened within weeks. The number of trees that have to be felled because they are widow makers, the number of bridges that have to be repaired. Due to erosion (no landscape) the embankments have to shored up. They are just some of the issues. previously in years gone by - there have been many people lost (never to be found) so it is essential that signage be re-established to prevent this. Tracks have to be shored up also. Imagine an ants nest, then enlarge to cover 40sq km and all those little tracks and interesections have to be sign posted and the risk of landslides and falling trees removed. They aren;t called widow makers for nothing :(
it's going to take years, possibly as many as 5 years to get some of the outer tracks re-opened.
Sad - but necessary - imagine if you entered the area and a weak tree fell and harmed/killed you or your friends, imagine the uproar then?

Jayne said...

It's hard to reconcile the amount of political blather that happened over 12 mths ago and the few resources/funds allocated to repairing the infrastructure and surrounds.

Heather said...

Jayne, even the simple things have taken so long - like the Post Office, the School, the Kinder. I know I am isolating Marysville a little, but to give you some idea, Kinglake Primary had their school up and running from portables by 2nd term 2009, Marysville NOTHING. Sure the kids were being tranported to other schools, same as Kinglake, BUT, Marysville had nothing and still has nothing.
The only thing I can put it down to is that Kinglake/Flowerdale is close to the CBD (media central) and Marysville is removed from all that - so what one can't see, one doesn't have to notice.
The government has no right to treat Marysville or any other remote community differently to those closer to Maelbourne. No right what so ever.

Anonymous said...

Ok, it is a big task. But you do kind of take your chances any time with widow makers when walking in the bush. I remember that there was a plaque at the falls to commemorate someone killed by a tree.

Heather said...

Andrew that a large limb, that had been borer/termite infested. incidious but part of nature. Widow makers are trees hollowed out on the inside and any logger, worth anything will always fell those before proceeding into the area. They are lethal and could come down anytime, if the wind blows right. if they have a canopy (leaves) and they are wet, it adds more weight to the already stressed trunk and you have an accident happening :(
Public liability the catch cry of the 21st Century :(