The sun shone, the water was warm, it was busy with people having a good time and I met a couple of interesting people. Mike was one of them... He'd sold his property business in Sydney a couple of years ago and moved to Noosa. The weekend was his 60th birthday celebrations and he'd flown family in from around the globe to join him. He was very genuine and very excited to be seeing all his family. He was great company for an hour and answered, indirectly, a couple of questions I had...
1. Before I left home a few people recommended visiting Noosa and described it as a "quiet hippy place" yet I found "Knightsbridge-on-Sea", albeit very relaxed. Turns out the place was 'gentrified' and transformed to its current state only a few years ago. Not a hippy in sight!
2. Surfers Paradise had also been described as a 'chilled', small place. Mike said he worked there a while back in a timber-clad house/office and would walk to the beach, along the high street, with surf board under arm. 5-7 years ago, Japanese investment money arrived and the place turned into the "Las Vegas" that it is today!
Amazing how places can change so quickly.
I left with clouds building and some rain expected. What transpired; wow...
A deep low/weak tropical cyclone (some disagreement as to what it was as, technically, it is sub tropical here) came in and dropped its rain on the Sunshine Coast! Above, is crawling along the freeway with the wipers on top speed!
I headed to Tin-Can Bay and then to Rainbow Beach (famous for the 74 different shades of sand colour on the beach that shimmer in the sunshine). Here it is...
I was, by now, wondering what to do. My plan had been to loop down to Brisbane but, looking at the weather maps, it would be hissing down there too and was forecast to be around for a week. I didn't want to be in the rain! The next hour or so was straight from a comedy with me tapping away at the iPad, looking for an escape route. In hindsight, I was very clearly focussed on getting out of the rain as the thought-process randomly went:
1. I'll take a little trip to Fiji. Ouch! Flights are v expensive so, no.
2. Looking at the radar, Townsville is dry. I'll go there. Oh! 1300km and it's noon now so, no.
3. I'll drive to Alice Springs after all... Several thousand kilometres so, NO!
4. OK, I'll fly to Alice... Only Qantas fly to Alice from Brisbane and they wanted over 500Ausd! (Qantas... You are rubbish! Poor service, often tired planes, surly staff and 200 dollars more than anyone else. And there's Virgin Blue! No wonder you are going bust... And you still haven't replied to my letter from December, pointing out these facts!)
So, after all, off to Brisbane it was to be!
... Roads were flooded. And then...
... Here's where I spent much of the rest of the day.
There were two major hold-ups on the Bruce Highway. First there was a crash. Inevitable as Aussies cannot drive and so as soon as rain is introduced to the equation, they start driving into each other. This is not a slur... Australians seem willing to admit their lacking skills on the driving front. Secondly, the highway temporarily flooded and so the traffic was stopped to wait for the water to subside. By now, a 2 hour journey had taken about 7 and it was dark so as soon as I was able to leave the highway, I did so and checked into a suburban motel.
Brisbane was obviously wet...
After a day there I concluded that I was right, initially, to skip Brisbane on the way up and I was having no fun in the rain so, having trudged around the major sights I got back on the road to head to Hervey Bay, the gateway to Fraser Island.
Out of the city, I realised the magnitude of the rains. New South Wales and Victoria to the south are currently having major flood issues with something like 75% of NSW either under water or at the highest risk of flooding. Thousands of people have been evacuated (8000 alone in Wagga which has been declared a national disaster zone) and now, Queensland had become the third state to succumb to major flooding...
... The White posts behind the KFC ad are on a footie pitch.
It rained hard, without a lift, for at least 36 hours. At times it was like nothing I'd seen and the reports were of 400mm (15"?) in that time. Everywhere was flooded or flooding! Really quite amazing to see. Every creek and river had burst its banks and trying to get north, this was a very common sight...
With lots of doubling-back and cutting from one road to another I very nearly made it all the way to Hervey Bay, although at a very slow pace, but the journey came to an abrupt end with just 40km to go.
This is a bridge over the Mary River, in a little town south of Maryborough. It was a few centimetres off covering the bridge and so had been closed. To my right was quite a gathering of the locals looking at the scene and waiting to see what machinery, vehicles or cattle would be washed down the river! The bridge is 'listed' so the Victorian railings and lamp posts had been removed. There was nothing to do but to check into the campsite and stay the night. The power in the town had been off all day so the only "shop" open was the pub that sold take-outs. I had bread so it was a "Beer & Bread" night!
Made it to Hervey Bay yesterday. The weather looks to be clearing and the travel restrictions to Fraser Island have been lifted so I hope to get there tomorrow. I suspect this post might be quite dull but it's very interesting to have seen how, even in heavily populated areas like Queensland, Mother Nature can still take the upper hand with ease! Not to mention what 36 hours of torrential rain is like...
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Location:Elizabeth St,Hervey Bay,Australia
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