HEAVY rain and recent snow has caused a section of a popular road for tourists near Nundle to sink into the ground.
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After copping a recent drenching of rain, about 25 metres of Barry Road at Hanging Rock just past the turnoff to the well-known Hanging Rock Lookout, suffered a landslip.
The damage is just on the outskirts of the small town and with snow expected to fall on the slopes early Wednesday morning, Tamworth Regional Council has urged visitors to exercise caution.
Nundle local Fabian Norrie has been documenting the landslip, and has watched it deteriorate further over the past few days.
He said what started as a few cracks has become a "big hole" that keeps getting bigger, and the whole road has also been impacted by pot holes after recent weather.
"You wouldn't think the rain we had would cause so much damage," he said.
"The hole is getting a little bit wider, that's why I'm continuing to keep an eye on it, and there are also a lot of pot holes coming up and down the mountain here, it gets pretty bad after rain."
The keen snow chaser regularly visits Hanging Rock to document snow fall, which is how he came across the landslip, and said he would be up on the slopes "bright and early at 3.30am waiting for the snow to come down at 4am".
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Tamworth Regional Council's manager operations and construction Murray Russell said council is aware of the issue and repair works will soon be undertaken.
"The road is currently under traffic lights with only one lane open," he said.
"The road has shifted approximately 300mm as a result of the ongoing wet weather weakening the embankment."
Council's engineers have recently inspected the site and are preparing to undertake repairs in the near future, he said.
"All drivers are asked to please drive with care in the area," he added.
While Mr Norrie said Tamworth council got onto the issue pretty quick by implementing traffic control, he pointed to Upper Hunter Shire Council's (UHSC) recent failed upgrades on Merriwa to Willow Tree Road.
After spending millions of dollars, the road had basically washed away from landslips, and he hoped Tamworth council would implement a long-term solution, and not take any shortcuts.
"They [UHSC] repaired it, took a shortcut, now it's going to take another three years to repair it completely," he said.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a chance of snow at Hanging Rock early Wednesday morning, which would worsen conditions.
Visitors to Hanging Rocks can also expect showers on the slopes on Wednesday, as well as the chance of a thunderstorm.
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