Whitsunday mum's plea for a safer Bruce Highway

A notorious stretch of the Bruce Highway some 20 km south of Proserpine closed on Monday morning bringing back dreadful memories for a young Proserpine mother of the day her partner was nearly swept from her life.

Bridget Middleton’s partner Scott Boldiston was travelling to work before dawn one morning in January 2011 when he was swept off the Goorganga flood plain.

"The flood indicators weren’t working, and my husband didn’t see the flooded road until he was in it. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was in the old ute, he wasn’t speeding and he had a trailer on the back. Coming up to the flood plain he had to dip his lights because a truck was coming the other way," Ms Middleton said.

The mother of three said a phone call came through from her husband before dawn but bad reception meant she couldn’t hear what he was trying to say.

"I knew he wouldn’t wake me up at that time of the morning … so I knew something was wrong."

A few hours later Mr Boldiston came back to the family home.

"He was soaking and freezing when he told me the story. As soon as he hit the water he wound down a window before the power cut out. He’s not the best swimmer so luckily he found a tree to climb up in where he basically sat until he could flag someone down for help. He could have died – the current was so fast and quick."

Ms Middleton followed the near tragedy up with a letter to the Main Roads Department.

"That was a year ago and nothing has happened. What will it take … someone dying?"

A spokesperson from the Department of Main Roads says in early 2011 (the time of Mr Boldiston’s accident), the flashing lights did not activate due to a software error which was immediately rectified by the company which designed and installed the system.

"The department has continued to regularly test the system and the flashing lights have not malfunctioned since this occurrence," the spokesperson said.

"Motorists are advised to drive with caution as wet weather continues across the Mackay/Whitsunday region and not to attempt to cross flooded roads. The message is simple. If it’s flooded – forget it," she said.

The department put up permanent flood warning signs on the Bruce Highway at the approaches to Goorganga Plains in 2010.

"The signs read "Road subject to flooding - indicators show depth", and drivers can see from the indicators the maximum depth of floodwaters across the road.

"The flashing lights are in place as an added warning signal for drivers."

Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace says the Bligh Government has a clear vision for the state’s longest road

"Upgrades of bridges and approaches at Goorganga Plains have been identified as priorities in our plan.

"Funding is fundamentally a Federal responsibility but the Bligh Government is making contributions because we know how important the Bruce Highway is to Queensland.

"Over the next four years, the State and Federal government are spending more than $120 million on the Bruce Highway in the Mackay/Whitsunday region.

Works are already under way to build four overtaking lanes between Mackay and Proserpine, with work to begin on another four mid-year. A further four will be constructed between Mackay and Bowen over the next two years. All up, 16 lanes will be built between St Lawrence and Bowen, including four being constructed between Sarina
and Mackay.

Carpenters on ancient pilgrimage travel through the Whitsundays

They say the Bruce Highway is a thing of the past . . . dated, full of potholes, unable to cope with the traffic of the 21st century and pretty much on its last legs.

However, in the last 24 hours of the year 2011, Whitsunday motorists witnessed a new historical record for the ageing artery.

Three men on an ancient pilgrimage, wearing costumes from the medieval era, were hitching a ride up north in search of some hands-on work.

Robert Lettner, Dominik Grubinger and Rene Jacobs are journeymen from Eastern Europe, who are skilled in the art of carpentry, are following in the footsteps of their ancestors who have been embarking on similar journeys for some 1000 years.

The journeymen years, which have some similarities to Australian students deferring for a year before commencing university studies, refer to the tradition of setting out on travel for several years. However the journeymen travel after completing their apprenticeship.

The roots of the journeymen tradition date back to pre-medieval times and entice young craftsmen without worldly experience to go out on their own for exactly three years and one day and travel through European towns to find work as proof of their dedication to their chosen field.

These dedicated craftsmen who are two--and-a-half years into their journey after crossing four continents, almost ten countries, a myriad of counties and countless towns and cities, say their seven-day stint in the Whitsundays has been both the most exciting
and frightening of their amazing adventure.

"We were caught in that big storm that capsized boats, I have never been so frightened in my whole life," said Robert.

The main aim of the three men’s travels is to find work and while they are hoping to make Cairns by early in the new year, they would welcome any carpentry work along the way.

The journeymen can be contacted via email on rene.jacobs83@gmx.de.