donderdag 25 maart 2010

Sue in Hospital

On Tuesday night, the night before she was due to leave I took Sue (my cousin) to hospital as she had severe abdominal pains. She was admitted to the Royal Brisbane Hospital the same night and is now waiting for a keyhole operation to remove a blockage in her small intestine. So I was quite busy rebooking her flight, speaking to the travel agent and insurance company and taking everyone to visit her in hospital.
Fingers crossed all goes well. I rebooked her flight until 3 April but that may have to be extendeed again based on her recovery.

zondag 21 maart 2010

Cyclone damage

Here's a link to some more photos of the Cyclone and the damge which resulted

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/gallery-e6frer9f-1225843212680

Cyclone Ului hits north Queensland



A MAJOR cleanup of parts of Central Queensland will take days as dozens of communities work around the clock to recover from the devastating affects of Cyclone Ului.

Many homes, businesses and farms had trees, powerlines, parts of buildings and signs that came crashing down in the winds that reached more than 200km/h.

But less than 24 hours on, conditions in Mackay - one of the worst-hit communities - remain calm with minimal wind conditions and clear skies.

SES workers and emergency services have worked around the clock to clean up the mess after ripping winds and heavy rainfall hit the region.

More than 50,000 homes in Mackay remain without power.

North Queensland residents cleaning up damage from Cyclone Ului now face the prospect of flooding with up to 450mm of rain reported in the area.

My cousing Sue was up there a week ago, she was really lucky going when she did...

zaterdag 20 maart 2010

Swimming in the freshwater lakes on Moreton Island





These are the freshwater lakes on Moreton Island that you can swim in. The dark lake was like swimming in tea, said Sue. Nice and cool in the heat, it was 29C that day.

Vist to Australia Zoo






Here's our visit to Australia Zoo, home of the ex-crocodile hunter. Crikey!

Rainforest walk and visit to a farm




Here's a few photos of a day trip we did to the rainforest. The views of the countryside are near the Scenic Rim.

Further views of Moreton Island




Here are a few more views of Moreton Island. We did a 4WD tour of the island.

Sand boarding on Moreton Island






Here's a few photos of Sue, me and Patrick doing the sandboarding on Moreton Island. Great fun! Wow was it fast going down the dune..

zaterdag 6 maart 2010

Dams at highest level in 10 years

South-east Queensland dams are at their highest level in a decade with all but one overflowing after heavy rain.

The combined Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine dams are at 84.4 per cent up more than 10 per cent in six days.

It's expected they'll be further topped up by more rain over the weekend.

The Gold Coast's Hinze Dam has been overflowing for more than two weeks.

Lake Baroon Pocket on the Sunshine Coast is overflowing after received 328 millimetres in the past week while the region's irrigator dams have also been boosted.

When we came to Brisbane they were at 24% so a lot has changed in 18 months...

dinsdag 2 maart 2010

Yet more "lovely" rain in Queensland

On Tuesday, a woman and child were rescued after their car flipped on its side in fast-flowing waters near the Warrego Highway near Charleville.

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning people in the state's southwest and coastal communities from the Gold Coast north to Hervey Bay to be prepared for flash flooding and damaging winds.

Two low pressure systems are responsible for the rain, which has set new records in some communities.

Other inland communities have been left isolated by the rain. They include Birdsville and Bedourie.

Charleville received 145mm in the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday, while other parts of southwest Queensland, including Mitchell and Quilpie, received up to 165mm.

Parts of Brisbane received more than 100mm of rain, with flash-flooding closing a number of roads and heavy winds bringing down trees.