“Here comes the rain again……”
We from <snip> are receiving a lot of phone calls concerning the floods in Queensland. We put some information together for you to keep you all informed and on the safe site when travelling in your car or campervan on Queensland’s roads.
The Bruce Highway, the main North – South route between Brisbane and Cairns remains closed in a number of places.
Overnight the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane area have experienced some heavy rainfall and localised flooding. However the floods in this area are not expected to cause any long term road closures.
“Queensland is now facing floods on three fronts – the cities of Bundaberg and Rockhampton, where peak floodwaters are falling only slightly; southern Queensland centred on Maryborough, where flooding has only just started; and western Queensland, where floodwaters peaked in St George at the weekend after previously peaking further upstream in Chinchilla and Dalby” – News.com.au
Find more details on our <snip>, <snip> and <snip>
Reply to this Also for travellers in the West of Aus....the carnarvon/murchison river is flooded and highways are cut. Avoid the area by going down the inland road (through meekatharra etc) or be prepared to camp up until the highway is re opened.
And 400 km south we are on fire....and in drought. If anyone is travelling in Perth at the moment, please check the FESA sites for road closures around the bushfires in Lake Clifton etc...Ive just got home from evacuating my horses down in the area and there have been houses lost - at this time the fire is still out of control and looking likely to destroy more houses.
Reply to this !!!UPDATE!!!
****NEXT 2 DAYS, DRIVERS ARE ADVISED TO STAY SOUTH OF GRAFTON (NSW) AND NORTH OF AIRLIE BEACH****
******NEXT 24 HOURS AVOID DRIVING IN THE BRISBANE – SUNSHINE COAST AREA****************************
******REMEMBER IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOOD WATERS********************
Dramatic reports, images and video overnight of serious flash flooding in Toowoomba. The media is in frenzy and the headlines are frightening and tragic.
We think it’s important to counter the mainstream media message with some advice that hopefully will provide some comfort to our customers, agents and concerned families and friends.
Reply to this Further update...The City of Brisbane is being evacuated, Ipswich, Gympie are underwater......stay out of QLD.
If you are in Brisbane CBD evacuate NOW. It is probably too late to try and evacuate by road so go to an evacuation centre as soon as possible.
Death toll now 9 confirmed and 66 missing.
Fire in Western Australia is still burning, do not attempt to head south from the city down old bunbury road or forrest hwy.
Reply to this I work in the CBD area and live in Southbank, the city is still safe at present, and roads are still open, but this could be a different situation this afternoon. The river has riven considerably overnight, I'll get some photos uploaded so people can see what is happening. I expect to be isolated within 24 hours.
Reply to this Yesterday afternoon their was some slight panic buying in the supermarkets - basics such as water, eggs, vegetables and bread almost gone. Tinned vegetables were popular too. Getting back to my home in Southbank the waters were slowly rising and starting to break parts of the river bank.
[Edited: 2012 Feb 19 21:22 - The Travel Camel:11053 - Linked photos from Flood blog]
Reply to this Situation is much worse this morning. Thankfully I'm two floors above the street, so should be fine. Just been told that power will be cut to Southbank (where I live) very soon. This will be my last update until power is restored and/or the situation eases. I expect to be isolated from everywhere for a couple of days now. Have been told to either go now or stay, but being so high above the road, there is no point in me going.
[Edited: 2012 Feb 19 21:28 - The Travel Camel:11053 - Linked photos from Flood blog]
Reply to this The news is getting better by the hour. It’s a BLUE SKY NEWS DAY!!
BRUCE HIGHWAY at ROCKHAMPTON OPEN BY SATURDAY?
Flood waters are receding! The Fitzroy River at Rockhampton is predicted to fall to 8.5 m by this weekend. 8.5 metres is the magical number that should see the Bruce Highway open!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t tell you how brilliant this news is!!! See Bureau or Met report for Fitzroy River http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20765.html
Rockhampton local Newspaper reports Bruce Highway could be open as early as Saturday Woo Hoo!
The road closures at Gympie, Coffs Harbour and Ballina will all be OPEN by then as well.
So let’s add a little bit of a safety margin and say that by Monday 17th of January all major road closures will be OPEN.
More details on our <snip>, <snip> and <snip>.
Reply to this Stay safe Shane and TABgirl - EVERYONE in QLD. This has become something out of a horror movie, I turn on the tv and am just gutted at the magnitude of this disaster.
The fire here is out for now - 9 homes lost but no loss of life thankfully.......
BUT.....
We are now hoping Cyclone Vince on the north west coast continues to head away from the Pilbarra (its currently off exmouth) and a catagory 1 however there will be heavy rainfall and the likelyhood of flooding.
The scientist in me knows this was predicted 2 years ago by climate models and why its happening, the Aussie in me is just .... gutted. Its like cyclone tracey and the ash wednesday fires and the victorian fires all rolled into one.
Be safe everyone. Were a bunch of larrikin aussies and we will get through this. To my fellow Aussies on the East coast - hang on guys, help is on its way....we are all with you. I donated $1000 to flood relief today and felt like it was a stupidly small amount considering the billions of dollars damage, Im organising horse and pet food supplies but those pics of the empty shelves with no eggs and tomatos or bottled water makes me feel so very inadequate.
Its times like this that that amazing aussie mateship and pulling together and standing side by side really shines. Thoughts with all those who have lost loved ones, pets, homes, everything.
Reply to this I'm safe, but I have had no electricity since Wednesday and only can access the Internet tonight as I'm staying at a friend's place for the evening. Thankfully, the water was a metre below the expected peak which saved a lot of businesses in Southbank, but water has flooded the basements, mud is everywhere and so too is the rubbish. Once we can drain the 150 million litres of disgusting floodwater from our carpark, electricity crews will be able to repair the substations located there and we'll have power again, but that is still a few days away.
Once power is restored to my apartment, I'll post a blog about this experience with more photos.
Reply to this We're currently at Pinewood Caravan Park in Heywood Victoria having travelled along the Great Ocean Road with closed from Lorne to Skegnes Creek. The Hopkins River was expected to flood at teatime so they started sandbagging at Warrnambool and the A1 Princes Highway was closed from Warrambool to Geelong and they're asking people not to sightsee by the riverbridge to allow for the emergency services to pass. We seem to be fortunate to be ahead of the floods by a day though we're due to head head from Adelaide to Sydney by Australia Day...how we'll wait n see. We are touched by the spirit of the Aussies coming together through these hard times. Keep it up guys!!
Reply to this Victoria is about to receive a fair bit of flooding as well, so hope it is not as bad there as it has been here in Brisbane.
The cleanup in Brisbane is underway, but it is such a long, tiring process. Where I live at Southbank will be closed for many more days at least- the place took a hammering. I doubt that there will be any Australia Day celebrations at Southbank this year.
I still have no power, so it is getting a bit frustrating, but I still consider myself lucky as things could have been so much worse.
Reply to this I still have no power, so it is getting a bit frustrating,...
Its amazing how much one comes to depend on and take for granted electricity. I still have not switched on my electricity in my appartment in Dublin, since the last tennant left. I spent 5 days without electricity there in December. It was weird reading by candlelight and taking cold showers in winter. Luckily, there were some warm cafes nearby.
Reply to this I guess thats it Shane, we have to consider ourselves lucky - watching the news with the cleanups and the flooding now in Vic makes me think I have nothing to complain about other than the cyclone wobblying around up north making it as humid as Vietnam and the constant drone of waterbombers over my house.
Seems we here in Perth have some <snip> little idiots who think lighting fires is fun. Two yesterday with houses damaged, just had another one flare up less than three hours after the one yesterday was bought under control this morning...
Anyone camping in the south west should stick to known camping grounds with good access roads in and out.
Reply to this Power finally back throughout Southbank - 8 days and 4 hours after it was shut off (though many had it on earlier, my building was the last one connected). It is very nice to be able to access the Internet at home again, have hot showers, and use lights at night.
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