Mark and Luke decided to get out and about yesterday, after being cooped up for days, to see what state every thing was in. There was a break in the weather, a window of opportunity, so to speak. So they headed into Woodburn, the nearest town. They got into town alright, but then the skies opened up again and the rain came down again and it was touch and go getting back to our friend's house again. Our friend M was driving, in their old 4WD – the windows were all wound down, but the windscreen was completely fogged due to the humidity, which T (his wife) was wiping continuously so he could see. As they got closer to home, they saw the river had risen which they had to cross it to get back to the house. So, through they went. They were nearly to the other side when the back of the old 4WD went down into the water and started to fill, quickly. It looked bad, momentarily. But M's skill as a driver, or just plain, dumb luck got them through, when the wheels caught and full acceleration bit into the dirt and the old truck engine roared and up she came, out of the water back onto dry land.
"I'm not sure how we got across that river," Mark said to me. "I thought we were going down, but then out we came.”
And then they were cut off and the road out was declared unusable. It looked as though they were stuck, no way out.
Then today, some old bloke came down the river, with his boat, to collect them. An old timer, who knew the land, and the river, like the back of his hand.
"She'll be right mate," said Jock. "We'll get ya outer there, don't you worry about that." Kip his Kelpie barked from the front of the boat.
They left their hirer car behind @ M & T’s and headed up stream, with Jock, to Balina to catch a plane out.
Mission accomplished. They've made it out safe and sound.
They'll be home tomorrow.
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