Snow closes Blue Mountains Highway Oct 2012: Devastating bushfires exactly 12 months later

On the morning of Friday, 14 October 2012, I drove from my home at Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains half an hour up the highway to Blackheath to take the dog for an early morning walk in the park. It was snowing by the time we arrived. We went for a walk in the park in the snow. 

Needless to say, young Noah, who had never seen snow before, was having a ball.

After about half an hour of shivering in the park, it was still snowing and so time to go. The highway would soon be closed. After leaving Blackheath, we got as far as Medlow Bath, the next town down the mountain. Too late, the highway was now closed. It was around 9am.

As it kept snowing, the pine trees lining the side of the highway began creaking under the weight of the snow. Every now and again, a branch would snap and crash to the ground. This one was a little too close for comfort.

The Great Westen Highway, which runs through the Blue Mountains, remained closed at Medlow Bath until around 3pm that day. Walking up and down the line of parked cars, I met a number of foreign tourists on their way back to Sydney to catch planes. I had to give them the news that it was unlikely that they would be making their flights. Most of the people stuck in the snow that day took it in their stride and with good humour, including the truck drivers. For them, the delay was costing money. But by around midday, the snow had eased and we were all moving again by 3pm. For me, it was back home to defrost with a hot shower and a glass of red by the fire.

Exactly 12 months later, almost to the day, devastating bushfires swept through the Blue Mountains, including Medlow Bath and Blackheath. Nearly 250 homes were destroyed and 2 poeple lost their lives https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_New_South_Wales_bushfires

All images taken by me on my iPhone 4S.

!steemitworldmap -33.683211 lat 150.283184 long Snow closes Blue Mountains Highway d3scr