LONG WAIT: Madeline Spry with her daughters Victoria and Jenelle and family friend Joseph Conti after spending a night in the car on the Princes Highway.
IT was a shopping trip to Nowra the Spry family of Ulladulla would rather forget.
By 10.30am Wednesday, after having been in their car since 6pm the previous day, Madeline Spry with her daughters Victoria and Jenelle and a family friend Joseph Conti had every right to look and feel tired.
Behind them, hundreds were parked up in a two kilometre traffic jam following the initial closure of the Princes Highway on Tuesday afternoon due to the bushfire.
The highway continues to be intermittently closed.
They passed the time making up songs, walking around on one of the hottest nights on record.
“I’m really looking forward to a bath and then bed. We are all overtired and frustrated,” Mrs Spry said.
“One of the problems with this situation is that we keep being told the highway was going to reopen soon.
“We really didn’t sleep; it was so hot. We have walked around a bit throughout the night.
“Being so tired is messing with our heads. We are laughing at things that aren’t even funny.
“It was such a relief when the southerly hit.
“Thankfully, my two-year-old is at home with his dad. It would have been hard with him in the car,” she said.
Her daughter Jenelle said she had the worst night of her life.
“The flashing lights were going all night. I’ve spent about $200 on food, coffee and petrol,” she said.