Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Clean Up






The river is back within its banks, and the flood clean-up has begun.  It's amazing how much there is to do.  Whole neighborhoods went underwater.  Entire households are now set out on the curb waiting to be collected, and a massive army of workers, aided by the army itself, is working 24/7 to pick up all that trash.

Even where the river went down rather quickly, it left inches of mud behind.  Last week I was running on the river walk, when it finally reopened a three days after the flood.  The beautiful parks were covered in thick, stinky river-mud.  The only reason I was able to run through was because the walkways had been plowed.  Plowed!  Just like Boston is plowing snow, Brisbane is plowing mud.

Some of the clean-up is taking a very long time.  In the city, buildings along the river had water in their basements, where all the electrical infrastructure is kept.  Nearly ten days after the floods, some hotels and office buildings are still without power, waiting for the equipment to dry out, and the electricity to be approved to be turned back on.  The Brisbane river ferry terminals - the quickest and most pleasant way to get around the city - have been ruined, and it will take at least three months to get them back up and running.  Of course, the longest clean-up is going to be for the thousands of families who have had everything they owned drowned by the Brisbane River.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Underwater


 From flood watch to flooded, Brisbane has had a pretty rough day.  Most workers had the day off as flooded streets kept people stranded in their neighborhoods.  In some areas, houses are under water up to the roofs.  Helicopters, including Army Blackhawks, have been providing background noise all day delivering supplies and assessing the scene from the skies.  

You really need pictures to get a feel for it, so here you go!

This car is parked on a road just down the street.  As you can see, the water moved in quickly all day.   The water is supposed to move up at least that amount again before the river peaks at 4 a.m., and even then it could stay high for days.  Brisbane is full of peninsulas, including Kangaroo Point, so the water is creeping up like this on both sides, meaning every inch the river rises can affect hundreds of homes.
9 a.m.


6 p.m. 



1 p.m.

















All day things were roaring down the river - we watched tires, refrigerators, docks and heaps of other trash rush by.  Boats without captains were a common sight, but by far the most amazing was the restaurant that floated by.  That's right, a restaurant broke off its attachments and careened down the river.  By the time it passed us it had already smashed into a bridge, which is why it's pretty flat here. 

The appropriately-named "Drift" restaurant.
Free-floating boat & Coast Guard











This morning sandbags were flying, the convenience store had a line out the door, and residents were running to get all their first-floor property into their cars and onto higher ground.  However, once all the sandbagging was done and people felt they had prepared as well as they could, they sat back to watch the day unfold.  These guys were just one group who bought a six-pack and headed to a place with a view.  Even people monitoring their boats were securing ropes with one hand and holding a cocktail with the other.  I guess it makes sense - you can only do so much to fight it, and despite the destruction this really is an awesome event, in the purest sense of the word. 


Now, the helicopters are still flying and the river still rising, but things have settled down for the night.  When we wake up we'll be able to see just how high the river has come.  For now we're sitting on the deck, looking at the eerily-dark CBD, where the power has been turned off to avoid electrical problems as the water comes.
Dark CBD
Normal CBD




Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Flood Watch


Until today all the record breaking floods have been well north of us.  However, now Brisbane itself is on a flood watch.  The river is already over it's banks, and it's supposed to rise for two days.  The flood is projected to by worse than the infamous 1974 flood, which put the entire city underwater.

It's amazing to see - there were literally "inland tsunamis" that swept away homes, cars, and trees as rivers overflowed.  From our apartment near the inner city, Mark and I have been watching the scene on the river all day.  Entire docks have been floating downstream - one pier rushed by with a boat still tied to it.   

The Australians have done a great job of staying on top of the crisis.  The news has been following updates all day, and although there is always some sensationalism, they've offered lots of useful information.  The State Emergency Service (SES), a group of rescue-trained volunteers, has been working non-stop airlifting people who have been cut off by water.  In general, I've really got the feeling that the state, federal, and local governments are working hard to stay one step ahead of the disaster, rather than responding to it after the fact, like we sometimes see at home.

Mark and I live right on the river, but we're up a steep hill, so we'll be fine.  Right now we've got the perfect spot for watching everything unfold - we saw the CBD (Central Business District, ie, downtown) empty out at noon as employees were sent home while the roads were still passable, and have been watching police boats patrol the river all evening.  If anything, the most threatening thing we should have to deal with is being confined to a studio apartment, but for some areas around us it could be a very tough few days.

In fact, even the New York Times has taken notice of Brisbane, with this front page article on their website: Australia's Third-Largest City At Risk From Floods

An ocean tug to help boats pull out against the current.
Mark where a walkway should be.

Resolution Run


Sunday morning I ran my first 5k of 2011, the "Resolution Run."  The course was along the river walk only about ten minutes from our house, so I thought it would be the perfect way to jump into the running scene for the new year.  Last time I did a 5k I followed a training plan, which I certainly wasn't doing through December, but I figured that doing this right off the bat would give me a good benchmark to compare to.
 
Sunday morning I awoke up to pouring rain.  I had mentally prepared myself for drizzle, but it was raining buckets, even as we drove to the beginning of the course.  For some reason though, the rain was on our side.  It stopped (or, nearly stopped) just before the race began, and about five minutes after I crossed the finish line the skies opened up again.  It poured for the rest of the day, but the one hour that counted was clear - perfect timing, Queensland clouds.

Overall, I was quite happy with the race.  I'm definitely not someone who loves running,  but I think I can trick myself into thinking I at least like running by doing races.  It's great motivation, and the race itself such a fun environment, full of positive, motivated people... an environment I'll definitely be spending some time in this year. 
About to Cross the Finish Line

The Resolution Runners

Friday, January 7, 2011

Red Sky At Night


...sailor's delight.

It was my delight last night when I looked up from my book because the light in the apartment had changed. Outside, I saw that the whole sky was on fire. Because we're close to the equator in Brisbane, the sun sets faster than at home - it goes from light to dark in a matter of minutes. Despite this, I've seen some great sunsets - and yesterday was by far the most amazing sunset I've seen. These pictures are just from pointing and shooting with the camera on normal settings.

The Brisbane River
Brisbane CBD, in Pink

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Flooded!


See, I haven't just been whinging about all the rain (there's an Australianism for you! Definition: whining). It's serious!

As you may have heard, Queensland is having some terrible flooding. So bad, in fact, that the story has been picked up by the BBC and The Wall Street Journal, to name a few. Now, I know you're all booking the next flight to come save me from the flood waters, but fear not - I am safe and dry in my third floor apartment.

The severely flooded portions of the state are to the north of us - about eight hours north. However, up there, the flood is causing major issues. Rockhampton, one of the largest cities in Queensland, is nearly completely shut down. The airport and highway are closed, and supplies are being brought into town on the one road that still connects Rockie to the rest of Australia.

Living in a flooded city is bad enough. However, many Aussies live in "rural" Australia, literally hundreds of miles from the nearest city. Some of these homesteads, set on fertile flood planes, now sit in the middle of a sea. As you can imagine, getting supplies to and even communicating with all these isolated homesteads is a huge challenge.

I am living here, and even I have trouble grappling with just how vast Australia is. To put the flood in context, here's a great comparison courtesy of the BBC: the flooded area, in Queensland alone, is larger than France and Germany combined. A lake, larger than two major countries.

All of this is even more amazing when you consider that for the last few years, Queensland has been in drought. Rivers literally dried up, and the dam that supplied the region's drinking water was depleted to only 16% of capacity. Washing cars and watering gardens was prohibited, and showers were only two minutes long as each house was allotted a certain amount of water. People here said that it was a once in 100 years drought, and now it's been matched with a once in 100 year flood. The poor farmers just can't catch a break.
This will give you an idea of the size of Queensland!
Rockhampton, under water


Lake McKenzie


Anyone who knows me knows I love lakes - one in particular.   However, I think on Fraser Island I found a lake that could rival my love for Winnipesaukee.

Lake McKenzie is located about an hour's drive inland from the coast on Fraser Island. The lake is unique because it has no springs feeding it, or steams running in. Instead, it's filled entirely with rain water. The sand and "organic matter" on the bottom of the lake form a seal, which keeps all the rain in the lake. When you combine crystal clear water with the white sand that makes up Fraser, the result is stunning. Even with clouds in the background you can get a feel for how beautiful this lake is.

In fact, all the rain this spring probably has the lake looking its best.  It was certainly well-worth the four-wheel drive through the jungle to get there!
Lake McKenzie
Enjoying a Swim

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Dingos


This guy is one of the purest dingoes you'll see. When his ancestors arrived in Australia over 5,000 years ago, hitching a ride with Asian seafarers, they quickly had run of the land, since there were no natural predators for the dingos to compete with. Like many conquers, they also bred with whomever they wanted. Because of this, most dingos in Australia are actually interbred with dogs, just like coyotes in New England are interbred with with wolves and dogs.

However, the population of dingoes that swam over to Fraser Island was isolated from the start. Because of this, they are very closely related to the Asian Wolves that they descended from. The pure dingo population is part of the reason that Fraser Island is World Heritage Listed.*

Despite American folklore about dingoes snatching babies, there aren't many historical incidents of dingoes bothering people.* However, when more tourists began coming to Fraser Island in the 1990s, they began feeding the Dingos in order to get close to them for photo opportunities. Once the dingoes thought they were entitled to human food, they became aggressive with campers.*

To combat this, the Queensland Government implemented the Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy. Now, it's against the law to feed or even interact with a dingoes, and huge fines apply. One woman was recently fined $40,000 for repeatedly feeding the dingoes**. With the plan, the government claims it has reduced the dingoes' dependence on humans, and returned them to a more natural lifestyle.***

We saw quite a few dingoes, and they were all around the camping areas. One even managed to sneak up to a trash bag sitting only a few feet from us. All the animals we saw mostly ignored people, and ran away as soon as we made noise. They're adorable (and skinny!), so I understand why someone would want to feed them, but the park rangers have proven that the ones that are fed are the ones that attack people in the future.  In that case, I'll take my dingo photo ops from afar, thank-you very much!

*fido.org.au
**http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/03/3056420.htm
***http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/fraser/dingo-safe.html

Seventy-Five Mile Beach


Appropriately named, this beach stretches along the eastern coast of Fraser Island. Believe it or not, the beach is actually a registered highway in Australia, and by far the quickest way around the island. It's not an entirely reliable highway though - two hours on either side of high tide parts of the beach are completely impassable, and you have to just hunker down where you are.

Most of the camp sites on the island are along 75-mile Beach, just behind the dunes. I use the term "camp sites" loosely - other than regeneration zones, you just pick where you want to camp, and rough it. No water, no electricity, and certainly no toilets - hopefully you have everything you need in the back of your truck.

The sites are perfect - beautiful views, and a great breeze. All that water, however, is just a tease - you can't swim in it. In fact, it's a bad idea to even put your toes in. Why? Well, pick your reason: there are the rip tides that will sweep you right out to sea, the jelly fish that can cause a nasty bite (or, if you're up near the top of the island in the more tropical waters, can kill you), or the sharks. Seventy-five mile beach is some of the best fishing on the east coast of Australia, but the men aren't the only ones taking advantage of that. The waters are notoriously shark-filled, so much that it's officially against the law to swim in them.
Mark collected a lovely bunch of coconuts.
The road stretching before us.

Happy New Year!


This is what I woke up to to greet 2011. It goes without saying that it was amazing - it certainly beat desperately searching for water with a pounding head.

Mark and I braved a dodgy weather forecast and set out for Fraser Island for the weekend. Fraser is about three hours north of Brisbane, and stretches just over 75 miles to the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. The whole island is a national park and a world heritage sight. There are no paved roads, and the only electricity comes from solar panels at the ranger stations.

The whole place was amazing! Fraser is the largest sand island in the world. However, over its 70,000 year lifespan, trees have grown and died, leaving nutrients for future generations. Now, the island is incredibly fertile. Driving around over the course of the day you passed through beaches, massive sand blows (think Saudi Arabia), swamps (watch out for the salt-water crocs!), brush, eucalypt forests (Koalas!), and rainforest.

We camped right on the beach, and spent the two sunny days we had exploring some of the natural treasures on the island. Everything was slow going, bouncing through rivers, mud wallows and swamps in four-wheel drive, but we did get to see a lot. On the third day we woke up to blue skies, which unfortunately promptly turned to downpours, so our trip was cut a bit short (shucks, we'll just have to go back!).

To avoid having the longest post ever, here are some shorter posts about all the amazing sights I saw this weekend.
Last Sunset of 2010
Happy New Year!