After the flood

 On Friday, January 7 2022, the remnants of cyclone Seth crossed the coast near where we live in Hervey Bay. We only got about an inch of rain but the cyclone stopped moving and dropped 26 inches of rain near the Dickabram Bridge which we visited recently. That's a lot of water which then had to flow down the Mary River. Naturally, the river flooded and if you look briefly at the blog entry for the Bridge, the water rose to just below the level of the bridge.

A few days later, the flood water arrived at Maryborough and the usual low spots in town flooded. Roads were cut and eventually opened again so we decided to drive to Maryborough to see how the cleanup from the floods were progressing.

Most of Maryborough is built on land above the typical flood level. However, the banks of the river go well underwater. The high point is usually just a few feet down the slope. My father took me to this spot back in 1955 to see the water go past during the biggest flood since 1893. It made a major impression on me.

The building with the solar panels on the roof was almost submerged with only the roof above water. The building houses a very nice cafe but the owners have now decided to close permanently. You may notice the old rusty building behind the cafe. It was a major shipyard when I was a child. This side of the river used to be lined with docks.

Cleanup at the Sailing Club building was progressing. 

A photo from the Mayor's Facebook page taken at the height of the flood. Fortunately, Maryborough residents get a few days' notice of flooding about to occur and valuable items can be removed and stored on higher ground. The Mayor, George Seymour, is an American who came from California.

The bridge to Granville was submerged as usual in a flood. Residents have plenty of time to prepare to be isolated.

The Rowing Club was also submerged.

A sea of mud at the bottom of the hill. Yes, they are railway lines.

Mud still on the lower leaves.

A huge old tree had toppled over.

This is a wonderful old tree. Maryborough is lucky to have such a beautiful old park.

My sisters might remember the building that used to stand on this hill. It housed a number of cockatoos but it was removed decades ago.

Mud everywhere.

The mud cracks as it dries.

The ground under the grass was still soggy.

Marianne climbs the hill to the War Memorial area. With all the rain, the grass is very green but it's still soggy underneath so tough to climb.

There is a new statue representing the women who lost loved ones during the wars.

We tend to forget the heartache of those left behind.

Again from the Mayor's Facebook page. He has received a lot of positive comments about his handling of the flood. The City tried a new flood barrier to keep the floodwater out of the business district.

It did not work as well as anticipated because a valve failed allowing water to rise behind the barrier but they had huge pumps as a backup. We drove along this street and there were no visible signs of damage.

We subsequently drove to Teddington Weir since the causeway was now open. That is foam in the foreground. The weir provides drinking water for Maryborough.

There is a webcam next to the weir at the top of the hill. Next to the road up the hill is a fish ladder. Below is an image I copied during the flooding.

Somewhere under all that water is the causeway and the fish ladder.