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.