"lesue" Toowoomba to Home the Flood Run

Wet Camp at Dam

Our next adventure was to try and get to Bejelke Petersen Dam Lake Baramba rained all the way . We got a nice site and intend to stay 2 days. A tropical low has formed off Yeppoon and has dumped 300mm on the Gympie area now they are in flood ,we have been cut off to the north and south so will have to stay put.

Bejelkie Peterson Dam

Lake Baramba or right

Road cut to Murgon



Both Ways

 It is now Sunday 9th Jan 2011 and we have run out of eggs and milk so can't make a cake,took a run towards Nanango to find road flooded so too risky they might close the road leaving us stranded and cannot get back to the van so we went up to Goomeri but no eggs or bread, we got some egg mayonnaise and sue is going to try and make a cake out of it,and I will cook a chook for tea, got back to camp and it is still raining.The cake was a hit with custard.

We have just heard that there was a flash flood in Toowoomba which then flooded down the mountain to Murphy's Creek and onto Grantham where it hit very hard and 16 people were lost. That water eventually flooded Brisbane what a mess.

Monday 10 Jan 2011

Bejelke Dam Full

Woke to find the dam had risen two and a half meters overnight . A meeting of all the campers was called were they told us that because the water had flooded the power plant the power ans sewerage were to be disconnected so they would have to evacuate all campers be helicopter within an hour . After the shock had settled down we decided that we would just leave and go out on the road as we were in no danger and were self contained , after a couple of hours they told us it was all off as there are no helicopters available they were to busy with the disaster unfolding in the  Lockyer Valley
Tuesday 11 Jan
A very sleepless night as there were big storms all around us . Tuesday ands Wednesday were restful days just sitting around waiting the word had got put that we might be able to escape on Thursday so we went for a drive in the late afternoon and found all the water had dropped so we returned to the van and prepared for our escape the next day.
Thursday 13 Jan 2011

Cania Dam Full

Headed to Murgon and onto Ban Ban Springs  along roads that were litted with potholes and debris, water over road in several places. Damaged fences irrigaters turned upside down and all the problems a major flood brings with it. We finally got to Cania Retreat at 4.00 and set up camp . Reality was the only van in the park, we must be the first to bring a van through the maze of closed roads. I cooked a chook and we settled down to a peaceful night in our own caravan park .

Cania Retreat

Friday 14 Jan 2011
We went up to the dam to have a look at the 100% capacity for the first time since it was built, and also to get Mobile phone coverage to ring home ,the news  wasn't good about sues mum so decided to break  camp and head for home. We had heard that the road may be opened into Rockhampton either today or tomorrow it had been closed since we left at Christmas so we headed up to get in the queue, about 15 minutes out from Rocky they broadcast on the radio that the road was opened to all traffic so we just drove straight in which completed our Christmas trip 2011 Floods run a very wet Christmas to remember.
We covered 3727 km and cost $803.49 in fuel.