The sky was clear at dawn, there was virtually no rain on the radar,
and the news indicated that the Brisbane River had peaked at 4.5
metres - so I hopped onto my bike and cycled into town with the
camera. The streets were quieter than usual as motorists had limited
options and the public transport was closed down.
I pulled the camera at when I reached the top of the cliffs at
Kangaroo Pt. There were a lot of people there keeping the TV crews
company. I noticed a prominent southern commercial TV personality in
a striking pink shirt set up beside the cliff top coffee shop [no
doubt to ensure he had access to a hot expresso during the ad breaks].
The river current was very stong. At times it sounded like a
waterfall. The Coast Guard / River Police boats were labouring to go
upstream, while many large items were bourne downstream. Later as I
was crossing the Victoria Bridge a derelict yacht was caught in the
current and floating out to Moreton Bay. There was a clang as it went
under the bridge and it emerged without its mast.
I made my way around under the Story Bridge at Kangaroo Point - there
appeared to be relatively little property damage there. The ferry
terminals were under water and Jazz Club was flooded. There was also
a car with its roof top poking out of the water - someone must have
been unable [or neglected] to move it in time. I noticed that others
with more foresight had parked their motor scooters on their 5th story
balconies.
I trundled over the Story Bridge and into the CBD. While the waterside
walkways were well under, the CBD was virtually unscathed including
properties around Eagle St Wharf. I guess it would have been a
different story if Wivenhoe hadn't done its job. There was a bit of
flooding around the aptly named Creek St and at the bottom end of the
CBD near the Botanic Gardens.
It was pleasant cycling through town as there were virtually no cars
on the streets. I crossed over the Victoria Bridge [the bus way was
flooded below the Cultural Centre] and made my was past the Art
Gallery to the William Jolly Bridge onto Coronation Drive [both
pedestrian precincts]. Coro Drive was cut after the Wesley Hospital
[very quiet - I guess the place had been evacuated] and I chugged over
the hill and across the rail line at Auchenflower. I noticed four
passenger trains parked on the tracks and then passed a turkey
nonchalantly strolling along the footpath. Milton Road was quiet -
because it was also cut.
I returned back over the William Jolly Bridge and found a way through
West End [many streets were cut]. A pair of fig birds flying past at
knee height seemed strangely out of place.
Southbank was closed, so I made my way over Highgate Hill and across
the Eleanor Schonell Bridge to the University of Qld. I received a
text message from Andrew Stafford as I was crossing the bridge - he
lived nearby and had been fortunate that the flooding had stopped at
the level below his top floor unit [another beneficiary of Wivenhoe].
The chain of duck ponds had become a vast lake and the circuit road
was under water. It was time to click my ruby shoes [well black
Dunlop Volleys if you want to be pedantic] together and head home with
about 300 images on the memory card.
Summary: the real impact of the 2011 Brisbane Valley floods is in the
rural, residential and industrial areas. It is not in the inner city
where the TV broadcasters are based.
Regards, Laurie.
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