Looking out the windows to the rolling hills of her Central Tablelands farm stay, Jacqui Harman points out the dying flowers in her garden bed.
"The spare money to do the little things like plant the pretties, it's just not there, I can't justify it," she said.
Typically, large groups would have travelled from Sydney to book out Kenzell Farm, spent money in Oberon, visited the Jenolan Caves and Mayfield Gardens, and learned about the region's food and fibre.
But fewer are coming due to multiple road failures.
Sitting just kilometres from the oldest open cave system in the world, Ms Harman said the tourist hotspot was "dead quiet" and "quite depressing".
The Jenolan Caves precinct is shut while major road repairs are underway. (ABC Central West: Xanthe Gregory)
Jenolan Caves Road has been closed off and on for more than 1,300 days since 2019 due to bushfires and slope collapses from floods.
But the final straw came in March when the failure of a convict-built bridge shut part of the Great Western Highway.
The number of visitors to Kenzell Farm have been down about 90 per cent since then.
"Within two weeks I'd had nine cancellations for weekend bookings and next to no people coming up and wanting to do tours," Ms Harman said.
"People would ring and say, 'Sorry, we just didn't think we could get there.'"
The Great Western Highway was shut in both directions at Victoria Pass in March. (ABC Central West: Xanthe Gregory)
What used to be an 80-minute drive from Katoomba now takes at least two hours with the major diversion over the Darling Causeway and through Lithgow.
Unable to pay the bills, Ms Harman has returned to casual teaching just to get by.
"I'm terrified about the next six months,"
she said.
"One of the hardest things is reconciling the fact that it's through no fault of my own."
While "grateful" to receive a $10,000 grant from the state government for the impacts of the highway closure, she said it was too little too late.
Sydneysiders normally come to Kenzell Farm to experience the region and different animals. (ABC Central West: Xanthe Gregory)
Despite everything, Ms Harman remains hopeful that the Jenolan Caves Road's scheduled reopening in early 2027 will be the lifeline her business needs.
"We'll be waiting with open arms," she said.
'Ghost town' of Oberon
Nicky Holbrook's Garden of Wire shop is about 20 kilometres north-west of the farm in the cool-climate town of Oberon.
Nicky Holbrook's Garden of Wire shop on Oberon's main street is barely staying afloat. (ABC Central West: Xanthe Gregory)
Four months ago the main street was busy with tourists, but she said it now resembled a "ghost town" on weekends.
Almost all of her sales of wire art were to visitors from Sydney.
"Since Victoria Pass shut that part of it just died off completely. I don't sell pieces very much at all now," Ms Holbrook said.
"It's a bit of a money pit."
Like so many business owners in the region, she has had to pivot by finding a space in Bathurst to host workshops.
Some pieces of art have not shifted for months. (ABC Central West: Xanthe Gregory)
"If I can get through to Christmas I'll be pretty impressed. Otherwise I may have to pull the plug," she said.
The NSW government estimates the reopening of Victoria Pass bridge will take about 12 months, aiming for the second quarter of next year.
Few in the Central West believe that timeline will be met and the region will suffer for longer.
"I worry there will be some empty shop fronts in 12 months,"
Ms Holbrook said.
Lithgow bears traffic brunt
The gallery on Lithgow's main street has shut until September. (ABC Central West: Xanthe Gregory)
With all the traffic from the Great Western Highway being diverted through Lithgow's main street, people could be forgiven for thinking that would be a good thing for the town.
Despite trucks, caravans and cars being banked up on the street outside the Gang Gang Gallery, its doors will be shut for the remainder of winter.
Sharon Howard's gallery used to attract hundreds of visitors a week. (ABC Central West: Xanthe Gregory)
The gallery's owner, Sharon Howard, said instead of stopping and spending money in Lithgow, most travellers were trying to get straight to their destinations, finding it too difficult to turn off the main road to her gallery.
"It's desperate times,"
Ms Howard said.
"A lot of people aren't realising how damaging it is to a small town like Lithgow."
Ms Howard, like other business owners, believes the worst is yet to come as people become more financially squeezed over the next 12 months while the road gets fixed.
"It's going to get worse, it can't get better," she said.
Their message to Sydneysiders, in particular, is that the region is open and in desperate need of support.
