February 27, 2013
This week’s heavy rain has created history for Wooroolin residents … the swamp has burst its banks, with water raising higher than anyone has seen it for at least 70 years.
The water level in the wetland is higher than 1974, 2011 or even the recent Australia Day weekend floods.
Rosey, from the Wooroolin Post Office, says she’s never seen it this high.
And Ken Dalton, one of Wooroolin’s oldest residents, agrees.
“No, I’ve never seen it like this. Nobody has,” he told southburnett.com.au today.
“It cut all the roads around it. Water was about three foot deep on the road but it’s gradually going down now.”
But Ken is worried that another storm – even a small one – could send the water back even higher.
“What’s going to happen if we get another downpour? It will cut the main highway,” he said.
Lawrence Malouf, who lives in the old Wooroolin stationmaster’s house perched right on the edge of the swamp, has rigged up a battery-powered horn just in case the water does rise any higher.
He hopes the alarm will be loud enough to wake him if the water rises during the night, giving him enough time to shift items from under his house and move his car.
Both men have been surprised by the number of fish they’re seeing in the floodwaters.
Lawrence said he had seen perch and crayfish swimming along his driveway.
And Ken said there were fish everywhere … in fact, he had picked up fish stranded on the roadway and tossed them back into the swamp.
Council has been promoting the wetlands as a birdwatching area – and there were plenty of birds there today – but twitchers will have to be extra patient if they want to use the bird hide.
There has been a few feet of water through it at least since the Australia Day weekend (locals had been using it has a fishing spot), but the level is even higher now.
NB. South Burnett Regional Council yesterday afternoon announced that East Wooroolin Road, between Spencers Road and Corndale Road (ie to the east of the wetlands) has been closed because of a “major pavement failure”.
