First home relocated to Queensland after floods
One of Lismore’s original homes will be the first to be relocated after the owner accepted a buyback under the Resilient Homes Program, almost two years after record-breaking floods inundated the region. The Victorian-era cottage was built on Molesworth St on the farm originally known as Lismore in 1905. Current owner Tess Dellagiacoma bought it in 2016. “I lived in Lismore for nine years in that house,” Ms Dellagiacoma (inset) said. She said floodwaters came into the downstairs unit in 2017 and almost two metres upstairs in 2022. “I signed up to the buyback scheme pretty early on, and straightaway contacted Mackay and Sons house relocations to really get the ball rolling,” Ms Dellagiacoma said. “Being self-employed I could be flexible with my time and I was able to that. “You sell the land to the government and they give you the house, but you don’t get the money from the sale of the house until settlement, and you’ve got to move the house off the land before settlement, so the timing is really difficult.” She said organising the relocation was “stressful”. Development applications needed to be submitted to the destination location council and also Lismore Council. Ms Dellagiacoma said the DA process with Lismore Council was a “nightmare” that left her in tears of frustration. “They just hadn’t set up for anyone doing relocations,” she said. The house will be leaving the Lismore LGA and making its forever home in country Queensland. “Poor old thing, it has been through enough floods,” Ms Dellagiacoma said.