MILFORD TRACK OPENS NEXT MONTH

Grey River Argus, 18 October 1948, Page 7

MILFORD TRACK OPENS NEXT MONTH

INVERCARGILL, Oct 15. The Milford Track will be open to tourist traffic on November 27, and will probably remain open till East&n Bookings for the track are very heavy for the end of December, January and February. Repairs were carried out to the track while it was closed and it is expected to be almost back to prewar condition this season.

During recent heavy raihs three avalanches fell over the road around the Homer tunnel, in the Milford Sound area. These were the first avalanches to reach the road since last winter, and the winter just past is the first for many years in which there were no avalanches over the road.

One avalanche fell avout a mile on the Cascade Creek side of the Homer tunnel and swept away a temporary wooden bridge. Another fell on the Milford Sound side of the tunnel. Ice is still across the road and till it clears it will not be possible to ascertain whether any damage was done to the road. The third avalanche was small and did no damage. It is estimated that there are about 200 avalanches in those valleys each year, >but only a few reach the road.