Of Droughts and Flooding Rains
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!
My Country - Dorothea Mackellar
Three years ago Queensland was brown from drought - everything was dry and dusty. Now over 75% of my beautiful state has been flood affected and declared a disaster zone. Queensland is brown again, but this time it's because of mud, silt and murky flood waters.
For the past two or three weeks, I've been watching the television and seeing the devastation that the floods have caused in the central and western parts of Queensland. Whole towns were evacuated as the waters raged and towns downstream watched and waited, knowing that they were next. From the air it looked like an inland sea. But it was still so far away.
Then on Monday, the rain started pouring down here and then Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley were hit with the most devastating flash floods I've even seen and hope never to see again. And that all started to head towards Ipswich and Brisbane.
And it became all too real...
On the 19th of August 2007, just over three years ago, Wivenhoe Dam which sits above Brisbane was at 15% capacity and we were on severe water restrictions. If you didn't have a water tank, the only water you could use outside the home was a few buckets between 4 and 7 on three specified days a week. There was no point in owning a garden hose and dust covered cars were the norm.
Earlier this week Wivenhoe Dam was at over 190% capacity and all the floodgates were open. The equivalent of two Sydney Harbours of water were flowing into the dam each day. With so much rain, the flooding was inevitable. Some are saying that building Wivenhoe was supposed to stop the floods and that this flood means that Wivenhoe has failed. What they fail to realise is that the dam has prevented a far worse flood from happening.
There have been stories of devastation and heroics, bravery and despair. Of loved ones tragically lost, and of daring rescues. Do a quick search and you will find hundreds of stories, photos and videos.
My story is simple - I'm okay. The closest river to my home is the South Pine River and it's far enough away to do no harm. A family member in Ipswich had to evacuate from the rising Bremer River and stayed with friends for a couple of nights but returned to find their home untouched.
Mother Nature may have dealt us some cruel blows over the last few weeks but I have never been prouder of being a Queenslander.
"As we weep for what we have lost,
and as we grieve for family and friends
and we confront the challenge that is before us,
I want us to remember who we are.
We are Queenslanders.
We're the people that they breed tough, north of the border.
We're the ones that they knock down, and we get up again."
And because there is humour in every situation...
Suncorp Stadium was flooded up to the fifth row of chairs. As a State of Origin supporter, Suncorp Stadium (or Lang Park) is sacred, and seeing it covered in brown water is devastating.
Outside Suncorp Stadium is a statue of Wally Lewis, 'the King', one of our greatest ever State of Origin players. He was ready for the water!
Also, right near Suncorp Stadium is the XXXX brewery at Milton (XXXX being a Queenslander's beer of choice). It had about a metre of water through the plant. However XXXX management has been quick to assure us that "the good news is the beer is kept in a warehouse at Hendra, which did not flood"! And the beer will flow as soon as possible: "We're looking at how to get products to flood affected areas once the roads reopen, or possibly by boat."
Priorities are important!