Just incase you're wondering...

[Duchess]

Some of you may know that I and another Myswag member live in the town of Wee Waa.

I just thought I would check in with everyone and let you all know that we are all good here. Mozz has got water under his house and in his shed but his boat works fine and they're enjoying not only water frontage but water underage and in the shed. Thankfully, he's well flood prepared and would have moved his cars and the CT to higher ground not far away.

For me, I am in town and am protected by the town levee bank. So far, it seems to be doing its job. However, one of the flood gates on the northern end of town leaks and so my RFS brigade were there today pumping water out. The town pool also has been inundated and turned to brown, thanks to a slight problem with new management not shutting off the out let valve properly. So, no swimming carnivals next week!

Today, we sold over 200 loaves of bread. This evening, our coffee supply arrived by helicopter (thank goodness someone got their priorities right!)

I will put up some photos soon but for a good idea of what is going on here, check out the ABC news website. There are some great photos being put up by local Wee Waa people there.

However, photos just do not do the whole situation justice. There really is no way to describe what all this brown water, rushing past at a high rate of knots is truly like.

Anyway, we're all good here and life goes on as best it can, considering the circumstances. We are Wee Waa Island and should be for a few days yet.

Thanks to those who have sent PM's wondering how we're coping...

[Manjimike]

Glad to hear all is well on Wee Waa Island



Mike

[CRW]

Glad to see you are both safe, hope all stay well for you Duchess

Cheers

Carl

[bullfrog]

Good to hear you & the old bloke are OK Tam  . yep, know what you mean about lots of brown river moving in a hurry 

[CRW]

Good to hear you & the old bloke are OK Tam  . yep, know what you mean about lots of brown river moving in a hurry 

How are you fairing Bevan

[bullfrog]

Gday Carl
All good up here with us mate, we're high & dry up on the hill in Sth Grafton. We got more of a PITA flood, just big enough to be a bugga & cut some roads, not a big flood by any means. Mind you, now that everything is saturated & the feeders are full the next rain depression might make things a bit more exciting. Thanks for asking Carl.

[crackacoldie]

Glad to hear you are all well Duchess, even better that it sounds like the spirits are still high.  Enjoy the "Island Retreat" and know that we are all thinking of you.

Cracka

[speewa158]

Do you have to charge extra to have the coffie flown in by chopper  . Thanks for the check in  Stay safe ,  mabey damp but safe 

[noel_w]

Hi Duchess
Hope all is well. heard on the news up here that Terry Hie Hie was inundated. That was my closest metropolis when I grew up and what a huge place it is!!!!!
Anyway we are still thinking of you at the island and hope all goes well.

[Wandering Tassie]

Hi Duchess, heard on the news this morning that the peak has now passed in your area.
How you got through it ok.

Trevor

[Camping Grant]

Glad you're both safe and doing well...stay safe!

Cheers
Grant

[Bushman]

Was only thinking of you guys up north this morning glad to here your all safe and copeing well, heard that the lower New England is preparing for it also aound Tamworth etc, Outback QLD around Roma etc has gone under,
Spoke to my sister-in-law last night at Murwillumbah they are high'n'dry as they are on a hill, just some minor nusiance flooding around town.

[Paul Mac]

Good to hear you are all doing fine. The news had Wee Waa only millimetres away from the levy banks being breached.

It will certainly be green up that way in the months to come.

Cheers

[GU_Thomo]

Good to hear you are OK Duchess.
How did you go overnight?
Stay dry and safe.

Cheers
Parry

[Snow]

Glad you posted up Tam, Pam and I were thinking yesterday about PMing you to see how things were. I hope it improves up there pronto.

Looking forward to jamming with Moz again....soon.

[POD]

Thanks for letting us know that that BEAUTIFUL coffee machine of yours is safe and protected by the levee bank!

[WaituiRob]

Hi Tam,

I was about to send you a pm when I noticed your thread. Pleased to know you are allright and the levee is holding.

Robyn and Frank.

[Duchess]

Hey all...

Another check in from Wee Waa Island. (haven't had to vote anyone off yet!)

Weather is stunning here today. After having to work this morning (bread sales were down, yes!), I have only had a chance now to get back on and let you know how the situation is going.

We're still well surrounded by brown water and judging by the peak upstream of us at Gunnedah this morning, I daresay we'll be an island for the week to come.

I've just come back from taking some photos and will let you all see our perspective. Sadly, what I can't show you is just how much water there is, how fast it really is flowing (I'd be guessing at about 7 or 8 knots) and also the most amazing sight of all is the spider webs that are floating hundreds of feet up in the sky!! I tried to photograph them but I just couldn't get them! The best I can do is one of them on the ground, where they were just waving in the breeze. It really is just incredible to look up and see all of this white wispy web floating at all heights on the breeze. The dogs came back from our walk, their heads covered in web!!

Anyway, we're all doing ok here. Plenty of aircraft buzzing about and the sound of helicopters is now being joined by the sound of lawnmowers trying to beat the grass back into submission. I'm about to go out and see how much I can tackle without leaving big burnouts in the grass!

From Mozz's standpoint, the water dropped enough and is now out of his shed. It came within an inch of the tailgate on the campertrailer, so I guess he's thinking that it was all ok there! Whilst he still has the boat in, people are able to wade down their street with it only being up to their knees!

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and words about our predicament! We're doing quite well really, there are certainly many who are not as well off as us. Especially as it has stopped raining for now and it is a lovely sunny day!

So, the pictures and what they're about...

Flood peak was about 7am and reached 7.28mt at the Glencoe gauge on the river (which is about 7kms up the road from here.)



The Lagoon Bridge, heading out to the southern side of town, this road normally takes you to Yarrie Lake and back to Narrabri. Today, it was not taking us anywhere! This was also taken around the time of the peak of the flood.



This is Vera's Leap road. Last year, I photographed this and I think I had actually had the FJ parked near to the 80 signs. Not this time!!



This is to try and give you some perspective on how high the levee is and how much up the levee the water is today. You can also see the high tide mark from yesterday.



It's hard to give you a good perspective of the sheer volume of water...this is the best I can do.

[speewa158]

Thanks for the pics , We cam=n see just how much water there is just by looking  into the distance 

[Foo]

Hope the water has continued to drop over night!

Foo

[HEM19X]

Good to see you are both Ok Tam.

After being isolated for 4 days we made it out, just in time for a few days at the GC for some well deserved R & R.

Regards

[Duchess]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

We're now expecting another peak tonight of 7.2 metres which could put it back up into Mozz's shed. He tells me that this flood just went over his mark on the shed for the 1998 flood. Not by much though.

We're still all pretty good here meanwhile. Even got out and mowed most of my place yesterday! Anything to try and reduce the mozzie potential.

School starts back today so it will be interesting to hear how many get to go. I am hearing that the SES can't help with getting kids who are stuck out of town to school due to some new rule about flood affected kids being exempt from school during these times. Go figure Child Protection laws...

[gonefishing]

Wow, mother nature sure can pack a punch when she want's to.  Things a tad wet out western QLD as well.  We live in an amazing country.  Glad to hear everyone out there is coping well.

[speewa158]

Wow, mother nature sure can pack a punch when she want's to.
When She Wants To  says it all 

[meimarocu]

Yes, stay safe and dry.........