We live on the bank on the Brisbane River at Karana Downs just north of
Ipswich. Last week, the river rose dramatically to over 24m at Mt Crosby weir
a couple of kms upstream of us. So we had probably 20m of water through our
back yard. Fortuneately, our home was still 4m clear of this but land slips
are always in the back of your mind. Our electricity was cut for 3 days and
access to the outside world was cut for 4 days. However, we have an off-road
caravan with a solar panel and so only lost a small amount of food from the
freezer that wouldn't fit in the caravan fridge. As the water recedes, we can
see the devastation in the garden and adjoining Kookaburra Park. We lost a
small gazebo and a 3m tinny (we found it still chained to its tree in
Kookaburra Park but bent and holed) as well as many trees such as a large
Poincianna, Flame, Mango, palm and Macadamia trees etc. It looks a mess but it
is only a garden and is still the best one in our reach of the river. Compared
to many others in Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley etc etc, we were let off
lightly.
The silver lining - Bush-hens. We have caught fleeting glimpses of Bush-hens
near the river about 2 or 3 times in the past. As the river rose, we saw two
still on the bank of the river but a lot closer to the house. Everyday since
then, we have had good views of them as there is less vegetation (apart from
fallen trees) in which they can hide. Still they are very wary and difficult to
get close enough to photograph. A couple of days ago as I was coming up from
the backyard for lunch, one Bush-hen was beside the house but quickly went into
the front yard before circling around to get back to the river. Other birds
which we don't spot regularly but seen since the flood include a pair of Azure
Kingfishers and a White-browed Scrubwren.
Bob
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