13/05/2026
It’s unfathomable - this bridge is gone!
Having stood since 1904, the Bonnievale Red Bridge has watched over many paddlers going under it. In this race in 2021, we paddled through probably 10m under the bridge, in mid-winter.
Then exactly two years later, the paddle was cancelled a little up river due to what was believed to be a once in 100yr flood & the Robertson bridge got closed due to just a bit of flow going over it - something I never thought possible.
This flood, however smoked those records, took the Robertson bridge, took the Red bridge, and made the 2023 floods look like nothing. So, it’s the highest almost every river has ever been, all in 48hrs. This bridge is just a tiny example of the damage done - our thoughts are with the many affected.
In all these photos, we would be between 10-15 metres underwater - Even where the TA was.
Humans, and especially South Africans, will rise again but WOW - The earth is angry, that’s for sure.
Nature will win at the end of it all I feel 🙌🏼
