Home Sweet Home

We are sending this short update to let everyone know that we have safely made are way home to Scarness. Main Roads is going to be very busy repairing and in many places rebuilding roads that are flood affected. The devastation is mind boggling over such a large area. We had to make a couple of detours around sections of highway that were still flooded and had to make numerous water crossings, the deepest was only about 200 mm, but made it through without any dramas. Keep tuned for our next adventure.

Chinchilla Floods 2011

Words cannot describe the anguish the population of Chinchilla is going through at this time. Especially the people in low lying areas who have had to evacuate their homes for the second time in about two weeks. The flood peak on this occasion reached 7.5 metres about 0.5 metres above the December inundation.

Two cockatoos come into the CP for seed each afternoon, now I realise that there is only one here, the other one got camera shy.

The second cockatoo didn't like my camera and vacated to this perch.

I think they call this the 'Outback Dunny' because it is out the back of the dunnies we are allowed to use.

How's this for a mail box, it's at the gate to the Museum beside the CP.

Sandbags ready to go.

Council vehicles and machinery parked along the streets because the depot is flooded.

The SES base also got a little wet.

Fortunately most of the houses here are on stumps and above the flood level.

Big wet around a church.

Yesterday we were able to walk down to the next intersection.

The house at the front is OK but take a look at the house in the background.

One of the bakeries in town is closed for business.

The water was at the lip of the doorstep of this furniture shop, very lucky indeed.

Looking down the main street towards Charley's Creek.

The PO is now surrounded by water.

CBA and the NAB are closed, surrounded by water.

The street down to Riverside Park. The water is backed up to the round-a-bout in the main street.

Check the flow, the water is taking a short-cut through town at the round-a-bout.

Another street and more houses underwater.

At the end of the street is Charley's Creek.

Many houses have water in their back yards.

This house has a boat tied up to the front verandah.

Across the road this house is high and dry but the garden in not.

We believe the peak came in at 7.5 metres, when these shot were taken the level reads 7.42 metres, or there-abouts.

The central part of residential Chinchilla is basically on a large knoll, with the creek winding around it.  Any house near the creek is affected.

Too many houses have gone under though.

The shed down the back is bad news, as is their BBQ.

The RSL Club carpark has water down the back.

The RSL Club affected carpark.

House OK, garage not.

This house is inches from going under.

More of the same.

Homeward Bound

Homeward bound! Well we almost made it, only 350 km to go. But who knows when we will finally get there.


Left 'The Isa' (as the locals call it) on the morning of the 6th. We didn't know how far we would get with all the flooding happening over the eastern side of Queensland. Made it through to Winton for the first night, left early next morning and drove all day to Tambo where the Motel/Van Park filled up fast with many travellers driving hundreds of kms out of their way to avoid the road closures. This was also the only route open to trucks heading north with supplies for the areas north of Rockhampton. The RACQ road conditions site showed we could get through to Chinchilla. It wasn't a relaxed drive for Noel with a continuous stream of oncoming road trains and trying to dodge the worst of the pot holes. We elected to stay at the very pleasant Cypress Pines Tourist Park until the road through to Kingaroy was re-opened. The CP wasn't flooded in the floods of the 27th Dec but 93 homes and businesses were. The clean-up was continuing amidst the pungent smell of the december floods but now the town is flooded again following the torrential downpour of 10th January. The rain began in earnest about 4 PM and by 8 PM we had received at least 200 mm. We were listening to the truckies and the SES on the CB Radio and we heard that all the roads into Chinchilla had been closed. This flood peak is expected to equal if not surpass the December peak of 7 metres. There are many road transports that are also caught here in town. They are waiting for the all clear to get to Brisbane. We are still listening in on the truckies CB Radio so we will know when the roads are open again.

The Carrangarra Hotel in the Main Street of Tambo.

Fanny Mae's Food and Fuel, as with most of the town this is also in the main street.

Very old and very large Bottle trees are a feature of Tambo. This one is in front of the Tambo Municipal Offices.

The Tambo Post Office.

Chinchilla is a very pleasant little town with a tree lined Main Street. The December floods reached this round-a-bout.

Looking down towards Charley's Creek, this whole area was under water on December 27th.

This sector of the main street retail area was not flooded in December.

Charley's Creek must take a large bend around the centre of town, this is the flood water to the right of town.

This is the bottom end of the main street, compare that with the earlier photo from the round-a-bout with no water. When I took this photo in the morning the locals were saying that the peak would be 1.5 metres higher.

Water creeping in between the Post Office and the telephone exchange.

These businesses had not yet re-opened following the December floods.

One of the homes in the low lying area to the left of the main town.

As the sign says, Charley's Creek Riverside Park, but now the park is under the river.

Mount Isa for Christmas and the New Year.

We arrived at the home of Justin, Merlita and family in Mount Isa about a week before Christmas Day and have been busy ever since that day. We have met some of their family and friends and enjoyed their company over Christmas and the New Year. It has been fun living and playing with Maisie, Mason, Keanna and Kayne, water wars and Nerf Gun fights were especially fun. Justin arranged for me to have a tour of the Xtrata Copper Smelter, this is where Justin is now employed. Justin and I spent over four hours in the smelter plant and still didn't see it all. It was especially good to view the smelter plant from the control cabin of a high level overhead travelling crane that is used  to transfer pots of slag and molten copper throughout the plant. Merlita and Judy took the four kids to the cinema to see Mega Mind in 3D. We are leaving tomorrow, thursday 6th, hoping to reach Hervey Bay through Roma and Kingaroy.

We experienced many skies like this one during our stay at 'The Isa', some bearing rain others just lightning and thunder.

Water fights were very popular with the kids. L to R, Kayne, Mason and Maisie.

A rain squall going over Lake Moondarra, we were dry under the BBQ shelter.

Jude and Noel at Lake Moondarra. I'm not too proud of the 'pot' stomach.

Justin and Merlita at Lake Moondarra.

Santa bought new bikes, Mason's first ride without trainer wheels. After the first couple of rides he didn't want to go home.

Maisie was happy with her new bike too.

New Years Eve, dressing up with flouro sticks.

L to R, Keanna, Merlita, Mason, Justin, Maureen (Merli's sister), Kayne with Maisie and Judy in the foreground.

Justin cooking the BBQ for New Years Eve.

The girls and boys with sparklers to celebrate the New Year, the men had to take the pictures.

Then the girls were inside on the Wii Dance Mat.

Drawing off slag from the Central Holding Furnace at the Xtrata Copper Smelter.

Drawing off molten metal from the Continuous Furnace into the holding furnace.

Same process as the previous shot from the other side. The heat was really evident here.

A section of the smelter plant and 'The Isa' city in the back ground from the 15th level of the smelter plant.

Some slag pots in crane alley waiting to be used.

We were invited to dinner with Robert and Maureen and family.

L to R, Kayne, Keanna and Maisie.

Dinner with Maureen and Robert was a feast.

Around the table from the right is Robert, Justin,Merlita, Maureen and Noel.