Wednesday, 9 June 2021

Barrington Tops Road Closure A Snag for Snow Chasers

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Snow chasers could have their dreams dashed this winter, with a major road closure at Gloucester blocking access to the Barrington Tops.

Barrington Tops Forest Road was shut for structural damage suffered in the March floods earlier this year, and there's concern the road could collapse at any moment.

Accomodation Gloucester owner Trudy Schultz said the road is likely to remain out of action for the whole season.

"We are going to have quite a lot of snow this weekend, I would say," Ms Schultz said.

"You can access the snow via Gloucester Tops, because apparently it's going to be snowing down to six hundred metres, but please don't access the Barrington Tops via Gloucester side and don't try and take backroads because you're going put people's lives at risk." 

While local businesses are usually preparing for peak tourism season, Ms Schultz said accommodation properties like hers are coming in under capacity.

Ms Schultz said the Forestry Corporation needs to sort the road out sooner rather than later.

"We've been through a drought, where Gloucester ran put of water, we were trucking in water," Ms Schultz said.

"We've had the bushfires, we've had major flood back in March and now we have a road that can't access the Barrington Tops."

"I know it's going to take a lot to do, but instead of just talking about it, we really need to start, because it's going to effect the whole Gloucester district, right down to Stroud, the whole area."

Image credit: https://barringtoncoast.com.au/