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Published: February 21st 2011
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We really didn’t know what to expect. We had heard so much about the floods and we knew that it had been big news all over the world, but without a television it made it difficult to picture. There was a strange feeling as we headed into the unknown. Soon enough we no longer needed a television as we were able to see it with our own eyes. As we drove closer to Rockhampton the water level in each creek and river got higher and higher. Rivers were covering the rail bridges which were built high in the air to cross them and trains were sat stranded on higher ground. Just outside the city we saw what was once a field. It now looked more like a lake with someone’s roof sticking out of it. All of us had seen disasters on the news before but it always looked so far away. This time we were here witnessing it first hand. There were thousands of people on the news who were stuck either side of Rockhampton, all wanting to get through for one reason or another - we were among these people.
As we drove into Rockhampton we were still
hopeful that we would find a way through or at least get a better idea of how long we would have to wait. There were many homes and businesses with furniture and personal belongings piled up outside, petrol stations and take away restaurants with car parks full of water. When we came to cross the river it was almost touching the bottom of the bridge and still looked very fierce. Each way we turned we came up against road closed signs until the detours had us driving up a steep hill. As we reached the brow of the hill and caught a glimpse of what was on the other side we all gasped. It looked like a massive lake , but when you looked closer you realised that it wasn’t supposed to be there. The water had engulfed peoples homes until all that was left were the rooftops. We also knew that underneath the water would be one story homes that would be completely covered. This was when we realised that our chances were very slim.
In a last ditch attempt we found a police station. There had been reports of some people getting through so we wanted
to know if it was safe. Me and Gem waited with Hilda while Andy and Kieran went into the station. When they returned we could tell from the look on their faces that the news was not good. There were some people who had got through, but they were locals who knew the roads well and drove 4 wheel drives. The police officer strongly advised us against attempting the journey. In any case we may get in the way of the aid trucks coming through. In her opinion the roads wouldn’t be open for one or two weeks . The mood was very sombre as we realised that our journey together, which had been planned for months, couldn’t continue. Gem and Kieran had to be back for work on the 28th so there was no way we had time to wait for the roads to open and still get them back to Melbourne on time. Kieran got on the computer and booked them flights home. They would fly out of Makay airport in 2 days time.
We drove to Mackay and found a lovely beachside campsite. It was a bit more expensive than we were used to but you
could see the beach from our pitch and we wanted to enjoy our last few days as much as possible.
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