Funding for rebuild of road $10 million natural disaster funding - 29 May 2009

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border post

border post - 1.3 kilometres south of Williams road

 

This post marks the boundary between Bellingen shire and Nambucca shire councils.

When the road was maintained as a regional road, Bellingen shire graded the road from Bellingen to this point.

When the NSW state government withdrew regional road status from the Bellingen/Bowraville road on 29 May 2009, this was the place that corresponded with the distances proclaimed in the media release documents as the boundary between the two shires.

Note that the decision date of 29 May 2009 was three months after the storms that caused the closure of the road.

There is differing opinions from state government departments about the exact location of the boundary. However Bellingen Council have accepted responsibility for the repair of the Northern zone, when natural disaster funds are provided to carry out the work. 

Rainbow over Alinda's house

border post to Noonannie

The entrance to the property called "Noonannie" is 1.2 kilometres south of the border post. Within this area  are the entrances to 6 properties.

Road regraded 12/13 April 2011

This section of the road was  graded in June 2010.

Nambucca shire Council had declared that the northern zone was too dangerous for council staff to work on, so that they could not send their standard grader to  clear the gutters and shape the road. By the middle of 2010, some 16 months after the road closure, they decided to send in a contractor with a light grader.

The contractor did a very good job, but now after 7 months, the same problems of blocked drains and channels in the road are appearing.

blocked drain forcing water back onto the road

Following a storm on Tuesday 1 Marh 2011, many trees were brought down, damaging telephone lines and blocking the road. On Thursday 3 March 2011, Council cleared the road and scraped it to cover the "water course" developing in the centre of the road.  

The report from the Value Management Workshop states in the workshop outcomes

"it was noted that the highest weighted assessment criteria as determined unanimously by the workshop group was the "Ability" to respond to life threatening situations".

If fire closes the road, or trees fall across the road during a fire, there is no way out for the residents living in this area. see sidebar for page on emergency support

modified  2 February 2011 

Noonannie to the Southern Zone

From Noonannie the road continues up to the damaged section defined as the "southern zone".

According to Nambucca shire council records there are 8 properties in this area.

None are occupied.

More information is being sought on the hopes and plans of the people who own these properties.