gbilney39

I lived in Balhannah for more than 30 years. It used to be peaceful, tranquil, safe and a pleasant place to raise children which I did. Local schools though have consistently maintained a degree of mediocrity and expectations must be modest. Development has seen a huge increase in traffic and Greenhill rd which used to be my daily track became just another hectic racetrack. As a long time resident always in the back of my mind is the potential for severe flooding. The soil is of fine silt especially close to the river and deep heavy clay underlies this about 70 cm down to a depth of maybe 8 metres. In wet periods the water sits on the clay and the silt becomes almost like jelly if disturbed. The river was cleaned out years ago but is now returning to its choked up status. I fear that in a wet spell flooding could indeed be a serious issue along the river. In Summer the fine soil is like talc or concrete, in winter, mush. Since 1970 the climate in the valley has changed a lot. Where trees had been planted along the river the winters seem milder and trees survive. The severe winter mornings of minus 5 and all pipes frozen seem to have gone. Yes, the pipes INSIDE our house froze one winter. Likewise the devastating floods where water crossed Bridge st, West Terrace and went right over the Greenhill rd Bridge seem to have gone, temporarily I think. Several houses on Bridge st, Nairne Rd and West terrace had more than a metre of water flow through. On one occasion the petrol station had the pumps sandbagged as was the Post Office. Public transport is not good at all and never has been. Either you board an early bus with dozens of schoolkids or you wait hours for a mid day bus. Pot luck coming back. Advice, catch the return bus from Adelaide, not G.Osmond rd. Nightlife is non existent. The once excellent Balhannah hotel despite Roger's friendly personality and hard work now just serves a very limited menu of average pub food in small serves, but still retains pretensions as evidenced by prices. The Chinese restaurant is friendly but never busy. The nearest good restaurants are at Hahndorf. The Oakbank Hotel's food has gone through some variable patches and I have heard mixed reviews from excellent to deep fried freezer fare. For retirees you really do need a car because not all services are available in the village. Eg, the nearest bank is at Woodside, the nearest hospital is at Mt Barker. The nearest greengrocer except Foodland is at Hahndorf.