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I can't keep up with the bikes. I've tried leaning the Rodeo into corners but it doesn't seem to work for some reason.

That was probably me. When I'm driving my wife's car.

If you can't see the road surface through the water, how do you know the road hasn't been washed away like this? One of the worst locations in the Melbourne area is York St South Melbourne. The building with the diamond roofline is the South Melbourne Market. After every decent rain this is a common scene.

Interviewer to Albo: "Did you compile a dirt sheet on Helen Haines?" Albo: "Helen Haines is a local member who stood up for her community." Interviewer: "Did you compile a dirt sheet on Helen Haines?" Albo: "Helen Haines is a local member who stood up for her community." He wouldn't answer the question.

Our girls are flogging the Poms at the World Cup match in Perth. Jillaroos are up 36-0 at half time.

Rush on wise guy, hell ain't full yet. The speed limit doesn't say you have to travel that fast, it's the maximum you are allowed to travel at.

I can see the other side of it too. Especially on the bike, you're on a lovely twisty road but there's someone in front of you doing 5km below the limit and slowing even more for a corner you'd take at full speed. Very frustrating.

A low resolution photo of Allan Millyard's Pratt & Whitney V-twin, probably taken before he put it in the Flying Millyard.

Another thing that gets my goat when driving, is the Peter Brocks who pass you on the left. It's easy to go over the limit when you drive right on the speed limit, particularly when there are rises and depressions in the road. So I drive at about 5 km under the limit, whether it is 60, 70 or 80, and in unsignposted streets, the assumed limit is 50. So when you are driving along a road that has one lane plus a parking or bus lane, these leadfoots pass you on the left any time there is a gap in the parked cars, at speeds well over the limit, only to be stopped at the next set of lights, where you catch up with them. They gain absolutely nothing. And you often have to brake hard when they pull out in front of you from behind a parked car.

Well at least one state has penalties for ignoring 'Road Closed' signs such as used to block traffic entering flooded roads. W.A. has increased its penalty for accessing closed roads and/or interfering with “road closed” signs to $10,000.

Road closure laws in Queensland: Road Closure & "No Entry" Signs: Road closure and "No Entry" signs placed for temporary hazards, flooding, or roadworks are enforceable under the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 and the Queensland Road Rules. Driving past them can result in fines and demerit points (e.g., 3 demerit points plus a fine for unauthorized entry past a flood/road closure sign). Same with any local Council roadworks signs, they have the same legal status as fixed transport department signs. A good example of that is the minimum clearance when passing cyclists law that was introduced in Queensland only a handful of years ago. The fine for breaching the law is $353 and three demerit points, with a maximum court-imposed penalty of $4,712. When there were no laws, cyclists were fair game and very much disliked by a majority of motorists. Since the law was introduced it's had the added benefit of of educating motorists and making them more aware of the vulnerability of cyclists. Now motorists give the pushbike riders much more than the required space and slow down as well, and generally show them respect. One thing that made the law easy for the motorists to accept was the inclusion of legally being able to cross the white lines if safe to do so in order to comply with the minimum distance law. A carrot and stick approach with a good outcome that has saved many lives.

It's simple, you don't need a cop at every flooded road. But you should have a cop attend every vehicle that is stuck in flood waters and book them for negligent driving. It should be a strict liability offence. The danger is obvious so thus they are negligent. If someone is injured the offence should be higher. Just because someone decides I am now 'offroading' doesn't mean your actions are safe nor legal. Fining people for a clearly high risk act is entirely reasonably. We have laws fining people for simply not locking their car, which is purely a cop out for insurance companies. This is about safety, so I don't think a water crossing fine is extreme.

I think there are things happening "out there" that would claim much higher priority than BOOKING fools who drive into water they don't Know the depth of. Nev

No. All I am saying is that Society has to come up with rules to deal with new situations where safety is concerned. Remember back in the 60s when the wearing of seatblets was not mandatory? When it was realised that wearing one improved survivabilty in crashes, the Regulation to require wearing them was introduced. My neighbours down the local road from my place have two ways to leave the area by road. Both roads have creeks which can flood and block them. There aren't enough Police locally to guard those seldom used crossings.

Not that I am aware of. Road closures are usually made by the local government for a number of reasons - flooded roads, processions like ANZAC Day or even severe damage. The creek which runs through my place crosses the local road nearby. The local council has erected a Road Closed sign when the creek is in flood. If a person drives around the sign, they are on their own as to consequences. It's pretty clear that closing a road is done for safety reasons, which is a duty of care that a local council bears.

OME, is there presently a fine for disobeying a 'Road Closed' sign? Most roads that are known to be prone to flooding, at least those near highly populated places, are checked and closed when necessary.

That would require police or SES to be stationed at each and every place that flood water flows across a road. In my opinion, if you tell people not to do something and back that up with a penalty for doing it, people won't do it. Or have we become a society in which it is wrong to punish disobedience? You can post any number of 'yes, but what about ..' situations. First you have to have a rule in order to describe exceptions.

All true, Will. Most drivers have no concept of 'expect the unexpected.' You raised a good one. I used to commute in Bris, and at one point, there was two lanes of peak hr traffic all turning left together. After a heavy overnight storm, but the sun was out and the water had gone. A manhole cover had popped off, and believe it or not, no car had dropped a wheel into the hole! (maybe later?) So hundreds of motorists had good reactions that day! Yes, it is true that few motorists can be trusted. But will new laws stop them doing thoughtless dangerous stuff?

All the best to you and your better half Peter. Hope it doesn't get any closer to your place.

Pete, I wish we could give you some. If the forecasts for Saturday and Sunday are right, we'll end up with close to twenty inches for the week. A bit unusual for October, it's more like January, February weather.

Crikey I wish it was wet. Today was 30 degrees, under 30% humidity and 30kts wind. Spent the day on the fireground only 10k from home. Rough country. It was blowing hard and gusting, towards our place. There were 5 choppers running water bombing all day. We had 2 x D8 dozers cutting a firebreak but the fire jumped that about the same time as one dozer broke down. The terrain was too steep to get our appliances within striking distance of the fire front. Tonight the wind dropped, the fire slowed down. Hoping for drizzle tonight but rain would be real nice. I'm not going out tomorrow (too tired)but there will still be a dozen firetrucks out. So far about 70 hectares still smouldering.

I consider driving through water ti be 'off road' driving. It requires an individual risk assessment before the attempt. It is unfair to compare it with running a red light which instantly places high risk of injury/ death to an unknown number of people who are likely to collide with the redlight runner. I wonder how many commentors have actually done much driving through water, and in what (of the many different types of) vehicles they have gaind this experience. I consider myself fairly experienced in water crossings, and I can see how easily the inexperienced/unwary driver can come to grief. But the same can be said of most motorists in otherwise normal driving. Like all things, you cannot legislate common sense. With common sense and some risk management, most drivers should be trained to make safe decisions and either safely cross water or sensible decide not to. Or maybe just ban motorcars because people can't be trusted to use them safely.