Riding it out as Burdekin rises
GROPER Creek folk are used to the water, but the sheer amount of unprecedented rain from the lingering monsoon trough has some residents bracing for the worst as the Burdekin River continues to rise.
Danny and Jeanette Garvey have gone through a few major floods, with most of the homes in the fishing community near Home Hill built on stilts to cope with inundation.
After the 2011 flood came close to inundating their house, Mr Garvey, a builder, raised the home and built a higher extension at the back of the original hut to withstand a flood well above record levels.
“It’s been a harrowing few days. The water is 1.5m under the house at the moment,” Mrs Garvey said yesterday.
“We’re used to preparing for floods and cyclones at Groper Creek and we’re a resilient lot.”
About 20 residents are riding out the floods. Their cars are parked about 1km away on a grassy mound on a nearby farm and tinnies are the new mode of transport.
“We’re pretty confident it won’t exceed the major flood level. We’ve been monitoring the flood heights and warnings online – there’s not much else to do,” Mrs Garvey said.
“The record flood level, according to local Alf Shand, who built his home in 1962, it was up to his top step in 1991 so we’re keeping an eye on that.
“They’re predicting the Burdekin River to reach 11.2m (last night). They keep changing the bar and moving it upwards, and given how the rain in the catchments are going it’s looking like it’s probably going to be one of our biggest.”
Residents from Home Hill have been ferrying some supplies down as needed, but some staples are starting to run a bit low.
“If anyone could drop down more scotch and Coke and a Bully (the Townsville Bulletin) that’d be great,” Mr Garvey said.
Mrs Garvey said there was some interesting history surrounding their home, which had originally been the old Burdekin Bridge pay office when the bridge was being built.
“Jack Hinkson, who was a councillor at the time, moved the hut and put it on stilts here,” she said.
“There’s stories of a time when he was camped down here during one major flood and had his mattress up on the table.
“Underneath our hut there are holes, and the story goes he had to use a tomahawk to let the water out. The holes have been tiled over since.”
Luckily the power is still on, but if the water rises significantly in the next couple of days, there are other worries.
“We’re a little bit concerned because it’s (less than a metre) to go until the water level goes over the water tank and the water will be contaminated, which is a concern,” Mrs Garvey said.
“The water is rising very slowly, and unless something major happens, I don’t anticipate the dam bursting, so it’s just a matter of watching the rises and being prepared.”
The Burdekin River at Inkerman Bridge was at 11.05m and rising as of noon yesterday, with the river level expected to reach about 11.2m by last night.
The Bruce Highway at Plantation Park was still cut off by floodwater between Ayr and Home Hill, with only trucks being escorted through.