Floods, Farewells and Grandma Bonding

Throughout the last year I have written long and frequently about the impact the weather has had upon our trip round Australia – particularly the rain. We have occasionally felt that the rain gods were being particularly cruel as we were relentlessly sought out regardless of the route we took. However, if truth be told, the rain we encountered was, in most cases, little more than an inconvenience and my approach, especially in the blog, has been mainly tongue in cheek. However things in Australia, and Queensland in particular, have taken a serious turn for the worse as unrelenting rain in the north has led to extensive flooding with loss of life and scores of people missing. Many of the places Sandra and I visited on our trip are now under water and worse is expected.

It is difficult, when viewed from Scotland, to actually comprehend the sheer scale of the disaster - the area of Queensland currently under water is larger than the combined landmass of France and Germany. Following flooding in 1974 when the state capital Brisbane was badly damaged, a large dam was built to the west of the city intended to prevent any repetition of that disaster. The dam, which is considered operationally full at 1200 billion litres is now holding 2100 billion litres i.e. 90% over normal maximum capacity. To relieve pressure on the dam and make space for the additional inflow from the swollen rivers upstream, the authorities are having to release 500 billion litres a day into the already overflowing Brisbane River – thus adding to the already serious flooding problem.

Even to the south there have been problems with flooding as experienced by Johann and Stretch when they pitched their tent at a place called Huskisson for a few days. The campsite was underwater and Johann said it was like sleeping on a water bed - they did get slightly damp, as can be assumed from the photograph!

On a slightly pleasanter note Sandra and I spent last weekend in Toronto on the shores of Lake McQuarrie saying goodbye to my second cousin Cath, her husband Alan and various other relatives and friends – it was exhausting!

People were invited to pop in throughout the day to meet, or say goodbye, to Sandra and I whilst being fed royally by one of Cath’s famous running buffets. The first people arrived at 10.30 and there was a constant stream of visitors throughout the rest of the day. I was particularly pleased to see my cousin (probably several times removed) Paul from Brisbane who did such a good job on the electrics of the Nissan and lent us his inverter (for charging phones, computers, cameras etc) which was invaluable on our trip. I was wondering how to get it back to him when, out of the blue, he turned up.

Cath is very involved in our Douglas family history and I left with several envelopes stuffed with family trees, photographs, letters, books and other papers which will no doubt keep me busy when I get home. The photograph shows Sandra and I with Cath and Alan to the front, Linda (Cath and Alan’s daughter) standing in the middle next to Paul (who looks uncannily like my father)

Our way back to Sydney took us through the Hunter Valley (wine country) and down a long, winding road known as the Putty Road – recommended by Paul from his motorcycling days. This was nice country and we half thought of spending the night in a hotel but instead made straight for Sydney where Sandra had arranged to have a day out with Steven’s adopted son Lex – a grandma bonding session.

The front of the Sydney Opera House was the setting for an inflatable plastic construction which, once shoes were off and entrance made, developed into a multi-coloured light experience. This was followed by the highlight of the day – a trip to the Sydney Aquarium. Like all small boys Lex has a fascination for sharks of which the aquarium has an abundance. I missed out on these cultural experiences as I was honing my carpentry skills making shelves for Steven and Ana.

For our last week we have rented a house from friends at a place called Pearl Beach for hopefully a relaxing end to our year. We will be joined for a few days by Steven and Co and Johann and Stretch will be putting in an appearance.