Mila Road is a major route for logging trucks, farmers and families in Bombala and for generations it has been full of potholes.
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Immediately turning onto the road, an electronic sign blares "ROAD DAMAGED" through the foggy autumn morning, forcing drivers to lower their speed from 100km/h to 60km/h.
It is common practice for drivers to verge completely on the wrong side of the road to avoid deep potholes, many of those vehicles are logging trucks weighing up to 100 tonnes.
Patrice and Clay Clear have been dealing with this ongoing saga for decades and have seen no government action.
"If you talk to my parents, we've been waiting for 40 years ... this is generations of having to deal with really, really crappy roads," Ms Clear said, who runs the family sheep farm.
Government promises and grants from "the guys in Canberra" have come thick and fast over the decades, but the family have never seen any action.
"We don't seem to see it on the ground. It gets offered up top but then getting filtered down to us, it doesn't get delivered to the projects where it's most needed," she said.
Mr Clear is an electrician alongside working on the family farm and he says he is over it after years of mismanagement.
"It's pretty ordinary because you're not only dodging potholes, you're dodging trucks ... it quite potentially will cause an accident - it's a matter of when really," he said.
The road is vital for Bombala: it is a major commuting point for logging trucks and farmers, while the Clear family's home is based on the street.
WHERE THEY'RE SPLASHING CASH THIS ELECTION:
Mr Clear knows "that's what's wrecking the road" but argues "there's an industry" that they want to keep thriving.
"It's what keeps the town going ... but the road needs to be fixed," he said.
The upcoming election is received with despondence from Mr Clear as they feel "the opposition just disagrees with what the other one says", making them not sure on who to vote for at the end of May.
"Often the country areas are Nationals but ... we got amalgamated under Nationals," he said.
"But on the other hand, Labor doesn't do much for me either."
Olivia Ireland
Olivia is a reporter for the Canberra Times. She has covered federal politics and public sector, court and crime, local news, arts, education and business. Olivia started as an intern in August 2021 and began her career with the Times after completing her studies in November 2021.
Olivia is a reporter for the Canberra Times. She has covered federal politics and public sector, court and crime, local news, arts, education and business. Olivia started as an intern in August 2021 and began her career with the Times after completing her studies in November 2021.
