George, Kilmore’s famous pothole, has finally been repaired.
Located in the middle of the Clarke Street and Northern Highway intersection near Kilmore Woolworths and Coles, what started off as a small, relatively simple bump in the road eventually decayed into a four by one and a half metre wide crater requiring its own postcode.
Its smug presence has seen many a driver swerve, inadvertently practicing a hook turn to avoid its tyre-destroying, shock-absorber defying impact.
Dubbed ‘George’ by local Fran Cleland on Facebook in late October, the pothole has become a point of amusement for many who watch unassuming tourists fall into its depths and mouth unprintable phrases behind the wheel.
Others have turned navigating the beast into a game, judging drivers’ personalities based on their approach: do they cut sharply to the right, venturing into oncoming traffic; charge straight through its clutches; or cautiously swing wide to the left?
Not quite old enough to be heritage listed and perhaps not spectacular enough to be a tourist attraction, the Department of Planning and Transport finally filled in the pothole early last week, bringing an end to George’s young but destructible life.
But like all villains, and with no improvements made to the drainage of the intersection, locals can rest assured that he will return—and perhaps even in time to celebrate Easter with the town.
