Recent plans by the Cobar Shire Council to seal the 52 Mile Road to Tilpa were met with excitement by residents of the small town, but unfortunately things are not going to progress as planned.

Those living in tiny Tilpa are no strangers to being cut off from civilisation due to the vagaries of the Darling River and the conditions of the only road in from Cobar. In fact the town’s claim to fame is being cut off by flood waters for a record five months, back in 1956.

"It doesn’t matter if it's wet or dry, the roads are always an issue," a spokesperson from the Tilpa Hotel said. "If it's wet its boggy, if it's dry its bulldust and potholes. Both situations are as bad as the other."

It was only in February that the Tilpa Pub reopened after nearly three months when the flooded Darling River forced the closure of the venue and the evacuation of much of the township. Thankfully no structural damage occurred to the building and locals could soon return to their favourite watering hole.

"We're used to the being dependent on conditions as to whether we can get supplies or travel in and out of town," the spokesperson said. "It's just part of living here, and we're used to it. Still, it will be great when the road is sealed. When the road is open or at least driveable, we get plenty of tourists and the population of Tilpa swells to more than eight!"

When the Western Plains App spoke to Tilpa pub employees they were excited at the prospect of a more reliable route in and out.

"It's about safety too," the spokesperson said. "While the Flying Doctor can come in if there is an emergency, it's really all we have to rely on so a sealed road would be great. We're not expecting a highway, but anything would be an improvement."

In the interceding days between speaking to the Tilpa Pub employees and seeking information from the Cobar Council, the project scope had changed.

Charles Taveira, Cobar Shire Council's Director of Engineering Services said it was disappointing but the process would be delayed.

"The project scope has somewhat changed in recent days," Mr Taveira said. "The original scope was to apply an OTTA seal along the 52 Mile Rd but this will not be achievable given what has been recently discovered."

An otta seal is a type of road surface consisting of a bituminous binding substance and aggregate rocks ranging from gravel to fine particles. Put simply, graded gravel/crushed rock is placed on a relatively thick film of soft bitumen, and then rolled.

OTTA seals are a low-volume, low-cost road treatment used predominantly in South Africa but they have been used at Narrandera, among other locations.

"In attempting to claim and process the gravel for the OTTA seal, it was discovered that the material was significantly saturated – more than likely from the recent floods. Whilst the surface waters have dissipated, there is still quite a lot of moisture below the surface in some areas,"

Mr Taveira said the Council's engineering team is currently working towards finalising a scope and will be able to advise the community once this has been confirmed.

In the meantime, the Tilpa locals will continue to patiently wait.