ON the day the community had been due to set foot on the 3.2km bridge across the Macleay Floodplain for the first time, Argus photographer Penny Tamblyn gained exclusive access to the deck.
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The NSW Roads and Maritime Service had called off Sunday’s community open day on Friday.
On Sunday morning, Penny was escorted onto the bridge by a senior member of the construction team, allowing her to capture images of a major flood from a completely new vantage point.
“He took me across the length of the bridge and made several stops along the way so I could take my pictures,” she said.
“You could be behind someone’s house you’ve known all your life and it was a whole new perspective.”
Penny described the experience as awe-inspiring.
“As someone who’s grown up in the Macleay and used to its floods, the river itself wasn’t anything unusual to see.
“But seeing the water over the floodplain was an incredible sight. The bridge did exactly what it was supposed to do.
“It allowed the water to flow through. If there had been banking instead of the bridge it would have been a very different story.”
As a dairy cattle farmer, Penny – like others in the Macleay – spent Saturday tending her stock, ensuring they were taken to high ground safely above the flood level.
“Floods for most people are fascinating,” she said, “but for farmers, they’re busting themselves to get their cattle safe.
“It’s not fun for those in the Lower Macleay and that’s why I wanted to get onto the bridge and show what our farmers are dealing with.”
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Click the photo to see more reader photos from the weekend
