BIG Water, mozzies and swamp conditions

Over the last couple of weeks we have had 14 inches of rain.

10 of those inches fell in the first three days.

It started on Wednesday, 23rd Nov.

I travelled to pick up my son from Boarding school on the Thursday.

When I crossed a little water on the highway I had serious doubts that the road would be passable the next day. It was still raining, heavily.

 And then on the return trip the next day, Friday, we managed to time arrival at this point 15 minutes after the road closure had been put in place.

Initially it was a bit further along and we were made turn back by police at a roadblock.

only 1 1/2 hours from home.

All the trucks had to park and wait in the road houses.

 Or turn back.

We decided to quickly check in to a motel. before they all filled up.

We could have tried to get in from the west, the direction the water was heading from the road closed.

I decided it was just too risky, as I had been hearing on the 2 way that the roads to the west had one and a half metres of water going over them. I knew it was only rising and I did not fancy getting stuck between 2 rising creeks or stranded in one of the near tiny towns with - no shopping or movie theatre.

There is only so much laying around watching movies and amusing three active, strong-willed kids who don't always get along, that one can cope with, endure,  tolerate.

I may have done the wrong thing in giving them sugar!

(that is ginger beer he is sucking on, not real beer!)

So we hit the shops in Goondiwindi. We had a total of 4 days in Gundy!

I feel I know the shops pretty well.

 

AND Watched the birds in the parks.

AND Watched movies (3 at the picture theatre) til they closed for their days off.

AND more Shopping, (enthralling for the boys!!)

AND more drinking pots of tea, and eating scones.

But finally I found something interesting for all.

RIVER WATCH!

 Day 1

the SES were surveying the scene.

While the locals were fishing.

(-note the height markers under the bridge- here it is at 15 feet)

 

the next day at 25 feet.

day 3 at 28 feet. The river peaked later on the Monday night.

The marker reads at 8.5 metres.

 

Even though it looked like a fun adventure, our minds were constantly aware of the danger and grief people were experiencing at home, A 3 year old child had been washed away and after we had returned home we heard of an elderly lady who had become disoriented and had been washed away in her vehicle also some people lost beloved horses. not to mention all of the lifting or flooding of things in sheds and gardens.

 

The same tree over the days.

Meanwhile, my husband back at home,

was sending me pictures of the rainfall and flooding.

These iphones are great things!

this one was at about 3 am on sunday 27.11.11 morning, 255mm of rain.

The neighbours sale sign was almost under.

He got around in our old, old tractor

He was seen going to a BBQ with an esky strapped on the back.

Talking to neighbours on a bit of high ground.

from out the front of our house.

The water height would have had to be another 5 metres high to be an inconvenience to us at our house. The paddocks are a different story!

 

Then he started tripping around in the plane on monday 28.11.11 morning.

He could get to the airport.

The river had peaked at 10pm the night before.

It is amazing how far the water will spread out on these flat plains.

This can help with easing the height of water going through homes, yards and sheds.

After 4 nights and 3 days, with the 3 kids trapped stranded in a motel room, on the Tuesday morning, I decided I'd had enough. So I packed everything in the wagon.

I was going home, even if I had to cut a big circle around that would take about 16 hours!

I had heard of people getting through to the east of town.

So a goat track I took. It was high and dry.

There were 3 cars and we convoyed it home. Only getting lost once, because the leader did not have a GPS nor a phone with good service, so I couldn't contact them, to tell them.

Ah well, I did not want to be the leader and come across the holes in the road, I was very happy to be a follower and let them get washed away first!

It wasn't a problem, with only shallow bits of floodwater to get through and a bit of damaged road that didn't worry the landcruiser.

This bit was opened up just an hour or so before we got there.

Its usually the first to close and first to open.

When we finally got home, we went for a drive up our road.

This water had cut through our country and then flowed through the neighbours to go past the front of our house then into the river to finally flood town and all to the west.

some fences were knocked down.

On our place, we had big logs that were swept by the water knocking down our fences, there must have been some huge force in that water to lift and carry big old river gum trunks.

Everyone had been quite isolated. They are still juggling cars to get in and out. Using 4 wheel drives to shuttle out their driveway to parked cars on the roadside.

the water had flowed very quickly through lots of causeways.

And is still laying about and getting topped up with an inch or so every couple of days.

Breeding mozzies that want to carry me away and creating a jelly like feel to thhe earth under my feet.

This can mean big, big, big trouble if there is another huge downfall.