#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Australia & New Zealand Travel Forum >  >  I'm flooded in

## MeMock

It's been raining here for the past 4 days and yesterday the rivers started to rise with them peaking last night.

I went out this morning with my camera to get some pics for my paper. We are cut off both north and south and there is no food left in the supermarkets (fresh food). After driving around as far as I could get around the valley and not really getting any good shots I called my mate who owns a chopper and he came and picked me up in my brothers drive way.

These first view pics are of a river just out of town that is dry for 11 months of the year.



It is the main highway, well its the only road that links us with the rest of Australia. We put the chopper down on the road to get this shot.

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## MeMock

Same road but different river on the other side of town.

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## MeMock

This is a friends farm, his land borders onto my brothers property.

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## MeMock

Here is part of my brothers land. this shed isnt used so he had parked up his beloved 1969 Holden Monaro. *excuse me while I shed a tear*

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## aging one

Damn Memock has this ever happened before there??  Hurricane in Queensland, and then flooding in Memock land?  How many centimeter or inches have fallen during the storm?

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## hillbilly

Excellent photos...

And BTW, good luck!

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## MeMock

This first pic is Ivanhoe Crossing. Its the old highway and as you can see you can still drive across it.



This is ivanhoe today.

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## MeMock

Flooding washes out Kimberley roads

Saturday, 25 March 2006. 16:36 (AWST)
Emergency services in Western Australia's northern Kimberley region say the Victoria Highway between Kununurra, Wyndham and Halls Creek will remain closed until tomorrow morning.

Overnight flooding has washed out many roads around Kununurra, including part of the Great Northern Highway near the town on Doon Doon.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) has asked motorists to be patient while Main Roads restores roads.

East Kimberley district manager Graeme Down says there is large amount of debris that needs to be cleared before roads can be reopened.

"We're also keen to make sure that essential supplies that have been backlogging get through on priority," he said.

"So other motorists will need to be patient so that Main Roads can get the essential stuff through first."

Nearly 300 millimetres of rain has fallen in Kununurra over the past 24 hours.

This afternoon water levels dropped by a metre.

But a tropical low is expected to bring more rain and emergency workers have started evacuating station residents.

Erica Hutcheonson from Parry Creek Farm near Wyndham says she was reluctant to leave her homestead, but the threat of a cyclone developing forced her to go.

"Few trees have come down, big trees, just missed our fuse box," she said.

"I think as we were leaving the power was sort of on and off, so we just thought while we can get out, while people are willing to get us out, we'll get out."

The tropical low is currently centred near the coast, about 95 kilometres north-west of Wyndham.

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## danbo

Great shots MM - Take care and keep dry.  If things get desperate we'll organise an emergency drop of Mama noodles.

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## MeMock

Cheers Danbo, that might keep this missus happy, you can drop me off a roast lamb with mint sauce thanks.

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## klongmaster

Cheers for the pics MM

Take a while for the farms and roads to recover from something like this...

amazing country Oz...and the outback is awesome...but only a special breed can survive the rigours



> that might keep *this* missus happy,


Do you mean you're not so sure about the other missus!!

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## MeMock

Woops! Caught out big time  :Smile: 

Obviously should have read 'the' but hey lets leave it like that - will give the dog something to talk about.

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## Marmite the Dog

Good pics mate - stay safe.

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## mad_dog

I thought you lived in Chiang mai mockers?

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## Thetyim

Well if you are flooded in, I don't think I will look at the arcade, it must be taking a right bashing.

Great piccies BTW

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## MeMock

I visited Chaing Mai once or twice Mad Dog, thats about it, not sure where you got that idea.

Thetyim, I generally don't set foot inside the arcade except for when I am at work so it's safe until Monday! 

Just got back from the pub having dinner, place was packed with all the people who are usually out fishing and trucj drivers who are stuck in town.

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## kingwilly

awesome pics - aus is a great country !

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## Dougal

Keep well Memock.

I take this is not a seasonal occurence. Is this La Nina or just incidental freak weather?

Believe it or not we are facing a drought in the UK.

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## poolcleaner

> Keep well Memock.
> 
> I take this is not a seasonal occurence. Is this La Nina or just incidental freak weather?
> 
> Believe it or not we are facing a drought in the UK.


Knowing MeMock, the drama queen that he is, his missus prolly left the tap in the laundry running!

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## MeMock

I was wondering why my wtaer bill was so high!

Dougal - i wouldnt say that it is usual, probebly happens every 20 years.

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## poolcleaner

Top pics MeMock!

What do your brother and friend grow on their farms?

Has the missus got any rice paddies going yet?

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## MeMock

With the amount of rain rice is the only thing that could grow at the moment.

The valley has horticluture and the surround areas are massive cattle properties.

In the valley(where my brother has land) mainly sugar cane is grown along with sandlewood and melons (rock, water etc)

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## poolcleaner

> With the amount of rain rice is the only thing that could grow at the moment.
> 
> The valley has horticluture and the surround areas are massive cattle properties.
> 
> In the valley(where my brother has land) mainly sugar cane is grown along with sandlewood and melons (rock, water etc)


Sugarcane??  Doesn't the world have an excess of sugar?

Why not plant durian?

What do you do with sandalwood?  and don't say make sandals!

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## MeMock

A mate just emailed me these pics. he works on the other side of the river at the Argyle Diamond Mine and was on shift change over but as he couldnt get back to town to see his wife and baby he went to the river and took these pics.

This is the river that is usually bone dry 11 months opf the year.

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## MeMock

Apart from making sandals sandle wood is used as incense - extremely popular in India and extremely expensive.

The MeMock self managed super fund only last week bought 2 hectares. If all goes according to plan in 15 years I could retire on the profits.

As for the sugae i would have agreed with you for the last 5 years as the farmers have all been making a lost but in the past 6 months sugar prices have doubled and my brother has rediscoverd his smile and sense of humour thank goodness.

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## danbo

> What do you do with sandalwood?  and don't say make sandals!


 Spoilsport.


What has happened to the cattle MM?  Have they all been moved to the 'high ground' as they say in the movies?

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## mrsquirrel

Did I see Nessie in one of those photos

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## MeMock

Nessie is fine, actually my favourite cow is called vegemite.

Danbo we have basically got out of cattle now, 90% of them went on the ship bound for asia last year.

The surrounding cattle stations are too big to move the stock 'to higher ground' so they are basically left to fend for themselves.

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## danbo

> The surrounding cattle stations are too big to move the stock 'to higher ground' so they are basically left to fend for themselves.


In the UK the _poor_ cows would have been on the front page of every newspaper by now, having been given cute names.  We have this strange attitude to animals - we love and care about them even when we are planning on slaughtering them.

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## MeMock

I'm sure that the same would probebly be happening if we were near a capital city. I read today that 80% of Australians live on 1% of the land.

We are so far isolated by the rest of the country the media really doesn't care all that much. I rang the Sunday times offering them some pics and they were mildly interested, I dunno if they used it as we will never see a copy of it up here. Hey Geecee (Butch) did you get a copy today, I would love to know so that I can get paid for it.

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## MeMock

Even if they wanted to move them to higher ground they need helicopters to do so and there would have been none available as they were all invloved in human rescues (or flying me around  :Smile:  )

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## dirtydog

So what do you do for water then if the river is dry for 11 months of the year? or is there a big water pipeline from some major city?

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## MeMock

There are 5 rivers within about 150kms of here. The closest one is called the Ord River, it was damed 30 years ago to supply a constant water supply for the horticulture farms in the valley.

By daming it lake argyle was formed which is the biggest man made lake in the southern hemisphere. It has up to 50 times more water then Sydney Harbour.  They say it could stop raining tomorrow and we would have enough water for everyone including the farms for 50 years.  Our capital city perth is running out of water and many people are wanting a pipeline from here down to them but it is 3,500kms away and will be a tad expensive.  :Smile:

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## hillbilly

So has does a "falang' like me help in this type of situation?

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## poolcleaner

> Apart from making sandals sandle wood is used as incense - extremely popular in India and extremely expensive.
> 
> The MeMock self managed super fund only last week bought 2 hectares. If all goes according to plan in 15 years I could retire on the profits.
> 
> As for the sugae i would have agreed with you for the last 5 years as the farmers have all been making a lost but in the past 6 months sugar prices have doubled and my brother has rediscoverd his smile and sense of humour thank goodness.


I gotta say MeMock you are one of the *nicest* people I've ever met.

Not saying that being nice is all it's cracked up to be but, shucks you are the dictionary picture of nice.

Buy a couple of acres of incesne for me! retiring in 15 years would be graet (if I could manage to live that long!)

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## MeMock

crikey pooly, I dunno what buying sandlewood plantations has to do with being nice but I will accept your kind words  :Smile:

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## MeMock

> So has does a "falang' like me help in this type of situation?


What situation?

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## hillbilly

That is the spirit my friend!!

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## MeMock

hillbilly, u on the moonshine again as I have no idea what so ever what you are on about.

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## hillbilly

i know that you are not underwater, but you are where the action is.
*burp*

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## MeMock

I give up  :Smile:

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## hillbilly

Well, damn I thought you were almost under water?

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## klongmaster

you okkers are a great bunch...

correct me if i'm wrong MM:  it looks like the two signs say 

"no overtaking or passing"

if that's correct please enlighted me - as your poorer neighbour - as to how they are different?



>

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## Lily

Well, if it is a causeway or a bridge, and there are two cars coming in opposite directions, one car has to wait while the other crosses.

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## MeMock

Well done Lily, straight to the top of the class  :Smile: 

The bridge is indeed only one lane wide.

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## Lily

I am an Australian country girl.

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## MeMock

Where do you usually lay ya swag lily?

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## Lily

I am from the NSW Hunter Valley but now have a house about thirty miles north of Newcastle, on the coast.

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## MeMock

Very nice.

So whats your link with Thailand?

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## SiamCutie

She is Poolies friend Memock

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## Lily

> So whats your link with Thailand?


 
I have been here for almost three years.

I probably will give it one more then go home.

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## SiamCutie

why one more year?  I can never look ahead and say something like that

I usually just up and go when it is time

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## MeMock

> She is Poolies friend Memock


Oh I see... say no more, say no more  :Smile:

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## Lily

> why one more year? I can never look ahead and say something like that


 
Well, having said that; I have been saying that for two years.

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## Butch

Do you teach with a lot of other Novacastrians Lily?

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## Lily

No, I don't. We have one other Aussie from Perth, one Kiwi, two yanks and the rest are poms.

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## Butch

Thanks. I worked with a Newcastle bunch that's all, thought you may have taken over there.
I'm from Perth too.
 :Smile:

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## Propagator

> you okkers are a great bunch...


Not wanting to appear thick - but I am, what the hell is 'okkers' slang for?
Never come across that before :Confused:  .

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## MeMock

uncultivated Australian man; someone who is a true blue, fair dinkum Australian who adores this country; speech pattern (includes lots of slang)

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## klongmaster

> uncultivated Australian man; someone who is a true blue, fair dinkum Australian who adores this country


well i would have been more polite in my reply...but I bow to your excellent definition...seeing as you're an okker in the finest tradition

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## MeMock

Takes one to know one Klongy ya old digger  :Wink:

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