RESIDENTS living along the Bridle Track have been isolated since a rock fall at Monaghans Bluff, halfway between Bathurst and Hill End, closed the iconic bush route in 2010.
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And anyone living on the Hill End side of the blockage is in a potentially perilous situation because emergency services cannot gain access unless they go the long way around.
Despite Bathurst Regional Council committing $300,000 in this year’s budget for repairs and shoulder widening of sections of the Bridle Track, the chances of it being reopened are remote.
City engineer Doug Patterson has told council the fragile nature of the track at Monaghans Bluff means they cannot get heavy machinery to the site.
Determined not to let the matter rest, president of the Hill End and Tambaroora Progress Association Nick Harvey has written to the Western Advocate expressing concern about the situation.
“The hazardous nature of the Bridle Track between Hill End and Bathurst was never more in evidence than the recent incident where a resident ran off the track and his vehicle landed upside down in the Macquarie River with him trapped inside it,” Mr Harvey said.
“It was several hours before he was found. He was lucky that someone came along the track and noticed his truck in the river, since the track has been closed to tourist traffic for five years and travellers are few and far between, with only a few locals driving along it daily.
“The driver was trapped inside his vehicle for four or five hours before help could reach him, because there is no access from the Bathurst end.
“The SES, ambulance services and Bathurst police all had to make the roundabout trip to Hill End in order to reach the scene of the accident.”
Mr Harvey said the police officer stationed at Hill End, who got to the driver first, stripped off and waded into the river to rescue him.
“Fortunately, he was uninjured, although suffering from hypothermia due to being immersed in freezing water for such a long time,” he said.
“This incident is just another example of how insolated people living along the Bridle Track have become and how far they are from receiving any help in the event they suffer severe illness or an accident.
“The accident victim, who lives near Monaghans Bluff, has no recourse other than to drive all the way to Hill End to pick up his mail and buy groceries. It is certainly a good reason why the Bridle Track should be reopened as soon as possible.”
