Palegoldenrod

We got through to Branxton with few issues.

We decided to avoid Hexham just in case, so we went through Wallsend to the Link Road, then on the F3 to Beresfield – then the New England Highway through Maitland, Lochinvar and Greta.

No problems along any of these (and we were able to find fuel in Mayfield before we left – surprisingly there wasn’t even price gouging).

The water is very close to the road at Maitland between the Maitland Train Station and the Private Treszcinski (sp?) bridge – it was probably across the road overnight. The flats near the airport at Rutherford also looked like they were flooded over the road at one point, but the path is clear now. And the view from Harpers Hill between Lochinvar and Greta is pretty impressive – thats a fair bit of water.

There are also a lot of gawkers – Harpers Hill was pretty packed, and slow moving sight seers in Maitland were holding up what would otherwise have been free traffic.

Branxton itself has some roads that are pretty muddy, wet and littered with debris. The Elderslie Road entrance at the highway is marked as a closed road, but the water has come down. There is a bit of sludge and watermelons (hehehe) on the road – people are driving around the road closure barricade and getting through, albeit carefully.

The RTA has noted heavy traffic blocking the CBD in Newcastle because of people going to see the Pasher Bulker. Gees, guys… there are still people trying to get in there to clear roads and fix houses. Don’t go in there to sight see. According to the RTA note they are sending the cops down there – hopefully they will block off parts of the city except for essential traffic. Its just ridiculous.

Umm, ok. So its back to the office tomorrow morning… hopefully all is well up there. Our server is still responding, which is a good sign