REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday June 7, 2007

GOLD Coasters were singing in the rain.

Their delight was a far cry from the situation of just a dayand-a-half earlier, when fed-up locals were watching their gardens turn to dust as water restrictions began to bite in the worst drought in memory.

Good falls were recorded across the Gold Coast region, with the highest — 85mm — at Evandale home of the Gold Coast City Council.

Another of the highest falls was recorded at the Gold Coast Seaway, where 79mm of rain had fallen up until 3pm.

Other big falls were recorded at Carrara, with 67mm, and Molendinar, 64mm.

At times the clouds created an eerie sight, shrouding the world’s tallest residential building, Q1, at Surfers Paradise, while on the roads traffic occasionally disappeared into mist.

But despite all that rain, the weather did not interfere with any Wintersun Festival events at Coolangatta, with organisers confirming that everything went ahead as planned.

The downpour was welcomed by Gold Coast City water committee boss Daphne McDonald.

“It’s fabulous,” she said. “This is a nice steady rain. But we really won’t know the impact for the next couple of days, especially in Hinze Dam.

“Whatever happens, though, it is good news.”

And Cr McDonald has predicted a drop in water use.

“Any time there is rain there’s a significant drop in water consumption on the Gold Coast,” she said.

Unfortunately, it did not mean water restrictions would change, Cr McDonald said.