Australia’s Big Wet cuts road and rail and empties shelves across the Territory
Despite assurances food would be here, many supermarket shelves remain empty. But there is hope on the way in the coming days.
Northern Territory
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SUPERMARKET shelves remain threadbare across parts of the Territory despite assurances supplies would begin arriving from Monday.
Perishables are still in limited supply with steaks on shelves but little else in the way of meat and fresh vegetables across parts of the Top End.
In Alice Springs Woolworths has released images of shelves brimming with bread and vegetables but meats at Woolworths and Coles remains scarce.
Rains last month blocked the Stuart Highway near Glendambo, about 600km north of Adelaide, with only a handful of trucks able to make it through floodwaters and most freight forwarders having to divert through NSW and Queensland into the Territory.
Unfavourable conditions in Queensland have also challenged access to the Barkly Highway.
Woolworths assistant Territory manager Elisha Moore said Alice Springs was a priority.
“We’ve been working hard on our contingency plans to deliver stock to all of our NT stores, most notably in Alice Springs,” Ms Moore said.
“To increase our chances of getting stock into the NT amid all the road closures, we’ve sent additional trucks from our Townsville and Brisbane Distribution Centres, as well as Adelaide.
“This enabled our NT stores to receive deliveries over the weekend, with large volumes of fresh produce, meat, freezer products and essentials such as milk, bread and toilet paper coming back into stock.
“We have more deliveries scheduled to arrive in a steady stream throughout the coming week.
“We thank our NT customers for their continued support and appreciate the understanding shown by these communities during such a challenging time.”
On Friday, Coles announced purchase limits on popular items.
NT Road Transport Association chief executive Louise Bilato said freight forwarders ABC and Gilberts deliver about 210 refrigerated vans into the Territory each week in about 70 road trains, and also move 240 containers of dry goods off the railway. Only about a dozen were headed here Monday on the 3000km round trip from Adelaide through NSW and Queensland.
Ms Bilato said transport regulators had changed the rules so B-triple road trains can use NSW and Queensland roads.
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