Nurses sleeping in campgrounds, shops shutting and two-hour school buses: what the closure of Victoria Pass means for the Blue Mountains

The main road through the region will be closed for at least another year. Communities who rely on it say they’re already at breaking pointFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen Fran* finishes a late nursing shift in the Blue Mountains, there is no comfort in driving home. Since the Victoria Pass closed on the Great Western Highway this year, her 45-minute commute has ballooned to two hours.Desperate to avoid the journey, Fran – a New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association member from the Lithgow hospital branch – sometimes sleeps at a free local campground with cold showers. Continue reading...