Floodwaters

Submitted: Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 17:00
ThreadID: 9976 Views:1642 Replies:5 FollowUps:12
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Here is the first post on the water arriving in Birdsville. Lunchtime today the water is about one foot below the old crossing on the Diamantina - from hereon in known as the causeway. This will be a very unscientific report. One of the reasons being that the Weather Bureau does not have automatic recording below Diamantina Lakes (amazing really) , and Monkira readings are if someone is home to answer the phone. Durrrie and Roseberth are the same (and Roseberth is still in feet and inches), and there is an automatic gauge just up river from the old causeway in Birdsville. For those with your maps out - Monkira (up north on the Diamantina) was 5 metres this morning and holding. Durrie reported yesterday that the water from the Farrars Creek had arrived there (Farrars being east of the Diamantina). Still got your maps out - well there won't be any water in Browns Creek at Betoota because these has been no rain in that hilly section on Cordillo Downs.
The plan is that at 5:30 a.m. Saturday we are going with green prawns to start to catch Yellowbelly on the rising tide. The serious thinkers are saying a flood as good or better (in Birdsville) than in 2000 which was 7.3 m but maybe only a short flood, not weeks and weeks and weeks. Keep you informed.
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Reply By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 17:36

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 17:36
Sounds like the everyone will be going Tropo or Loopy or whatever you 'go' up there. Must be a buzz for the whole town. I have Jen's arm pretty high up her back at the moment so a trip to Birdsville around Easter is on the cards - though it is not a 'fait accompli' (what is that stupid saying anyway).

I hope the country will still be looking good by easter. Keep those reports coming. Must be a hell of a lot of water and is hard to imagine so much coming down when you look at the pics of Birdsville on the websites and it looks dry and sandy!! Hope that you get a few yellow belly.

Keep those reports coming..

Andrew2001 Landcruiser 100S Turbo Diesel
"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"
AnswerID: 44130

Follow Up By: Ruth - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 19:09

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 19:09
Hey guys, I will borrow a digital camera and take before and during shots of the water coming up into town, well, lower level of the caravan park - that's where we tie the boats and windsurfers up! IF it gets any higher than that we will all have to camp up the water tower. Just joking.
As for you Eskimo - come up and get your own Yellowbelly! A & J the place should be looking wonderful at Easter (bring your tennis racquets for the Annual Tennis Tournament on Easter Saturday) - then you'll whinge because you thought you were coming to the Desert. Fishing & water reports Saturday.
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Follow Up By: Member - Eskimo - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 19:24

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 19:24
whens easter...i might take you up on that offer if i can get the missus to do the fishing...
sssshh but she only likes sleepnig out under the stars....no less than 2 and no more than 5...
will have a hard task in front to get her to go or should i say come!!

tennis ? cant fish but i try hard at it! Wow! am I cute
If yer ain't fishing, Yer ain't livin
Richard
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Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 21:14

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 21:14
Don't mind a spot of tennis and I reckon that after watching Andy Roddick demolish Taylor Dent I have a few new tips on how to play. Hat a hit with my ten year old on Sunday - great fun....
If you get some good shots (photo's not tennis!), I would love to seem them if they are on email. If you click on my picture of the car in the water,at the bottom of that written list is my email address. Is it safe from those spider thingys David talks about in there??
Andrew2001 Landcruiser 100S Turbo Diesel
"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"
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FollowupID: 306384

Follow Up By: Ruth - Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 at 15:43

Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 at 15:43
Hey Mr Mo, Easter starts Friday 9th April - tennis is on the Saturday. Fish could still be biting. Plenty of stars out here.
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Reply By: Member - Eskimo - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 18:35

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 18:35
Ruth my address is
eskimo C/- sth pole (yep south)
post code 0000

will expect several yellowbelly ...frozen of course...within the weekWow! am I cute
If yer ain't fishing, Yer ain't livin
Richard
AnswerID: 44137

Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 19:08

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 19:08
Mr Mo

You should be sending us some fish. Big hole in the ice - stick down your pole and whammo....2001 Landcruiser 100S Turbo Diesel
"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"
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Follow Up By: Member - Eskimo - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 19:11

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 19:11
i'm protecting my habitat by not catching them...
missus says i cant fish!!!!Wow! am I cute
If yer ain't fishing, Yer ain't livin
Richard
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Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 21:16

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 21:16
Jeez - that's a fantastic thing to do - I must be the worlds greatest habitat protector when I am fishing...... in fact, I have fed the buggers heaps of pilchards and whitebait and squid.2001 Landcruiser 100S Turbo Diesel
"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"
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FollowupID: 306385

Reply By: Ruth - Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 at 15:41

Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 at 15:41
6:00 a.m. today the water has risen another 4 inches and is almost to the top of the old causeway. Hit the fishing spot south of town - 5 miserable and very small black/boney bream - felt like a 5 pound yellowbelly when it sucked all the prawn in and then knocked over my pot of tea when I landed the dratted thing. Nice gentle flow in the water. Got a bit hot on the western side of the river so we'll go back down late this afternoon for another go - with the Esky. But I'll put a lamb roast on first (not confident the big ones are there yet - water has to be a couple of inches over the causeway). Everything is very scientific here as you can tell. Did discover today that the automatic flood gauge starts at 2 metres but we have two flood markers at the main bridge and then several flood markers up at the grid as you come into town. The reason being that the floodwater comes into the four mile channels BEFORE the actual river, and the channels are between town and the river. Check the front page of The Australian today and see Windorah's floods - our paper just flew in from Port Augusta - bit late for the races though. Socially, very busy here. Happy hour last night and then Tennis - tonight is a big poker game I hear. Only 47 C on my front verandah (facing east) at 2:45 p.m. Keep fishing.
AnswerID: 44209

Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 at 22:00

Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 at 22:00
Surely you can't play tennis when it's been 47C2001 Landcruiser 100S Turbo Diesel
"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"
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Follow Up By: GOB member vic - Monday, Jan 26, 2004 at 20:42

Monday, Jan 26, 2004 at 20:42
hey andrew you didnt say what your young bloke beat you by when you had a hit with him
ps thats why the locals win there used to 47c temps

steveimagine a 03 gu 4.2tdin the picture
as i am having trouble sizing the picture
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Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Monday, Jan 26, 2004 at 20:54

Monday, Jan 26, 2004 at 20:54
Hi Gob - I was out having a bit of a bowl and bat playing cricket with my 5 and 10 year old boys today. Bloody hot too here in Melbourne - I reckon it was nearly 30 and I was sweating like a pig. 5 year old bowled one at my body, I ducked out of the way and it knocked over my stumps, then the 10 year old yorked me. Too hot for cricket so tennis when it is 47 is just unbelievable. And our tennis scoreline - can't remember!! lol I reckon that we will make it up there, the five of us, at Easter in our car and we are trying to get camper...
Andrew2001 Landcruiser 100S Turbo Diesel
"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"
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FollowupID: 306603

Reply By: Ridgy - Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 at 17:51

Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 at 17:51
G'day Ruth - you do live in interesting places and times - will get back there one day but for the meantime I'm stuck here. Fish activity sounds great - I remember a few years ago the YB's all ended up in a lake down near Clifton Hills I think... someone cleaned up harvesting them and sending them off to market. Not sure about your recent record temperatures though - that might test this old carcase a little. Re the photos of the rising water with the digicam....any chance you could take some and email them out ? I would be happy to run a page with them on display for all to see ....could link off the VKS737 National HF Radio Network that I maintain.
[ www.vks737.on.net ]
Whatever....Cheers for now (webmaster@vks737.on.net)Drag me away from this keyboard.
AnswerID: 44215

Follow Up By: Ruth - Sunday, Jan 25, 2004 at 18:23

Sunday, Jan 25, 2004 at 18:23
Hi everyone - yes you can play tennis when it's 47 but at night it's usually about 39 and the humidity may only be 21%. Difference between the dry heat and that moist coastal heat. The time is not 5:30 p.m. and the temp is still 47 - bit more humid today and stormy clouds about. You have to go play tennis because you fell like a caged lion stuck in the house all the time - or you go check the river heights or swimming at Pelican Point or fishing. Last night's fishing report - pre-lamb dinner drinks were at the fish hole - more small black/boney bream. Was almost too much for the "bloke" when one of the Elders (female) fishing just upstream pulled in a 6 pound Yellowbelly, then another one. Thank goodness for the lamb dinner, cause we didn't get any BIG fish.
River is running nicely over the old causeway today - not that anyone cares today, the grapes in the wine with the lamb dinner were OFF and all crook as chooks today. The 5:30 a.m. fishing trip was abandoned.
Ridgy, will certainly start taking some photos and putting them up. One of the biggest worries is that officials tend to forget about Birdsville and by the time the waters gets here it has cleared everywhere else - that's fine but with the River 4 klms east of Birdsville there is always the problem that out of staters can get all the way to the eastern side of the River and be unable to get through. No-one here knows they are there and they probably have not enough fuel to go back and you can't go around. It's an interesting problem.
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Reply By: Member - Oskar(Bris) - Sunday, Jan 25, 2004 at 18:59

Sunday, Jan 25, 2004 at 18:59
Ruth
Keep up the reports they are very interesting.
We can't get back out there this year but 2005 might be a goer.
How's the weather at Easter time?
Cheres
OskarThe real oskar
AnswerID: 44291

Follow Up By: Ruth - Monday, Jan 26, 2004 at 09:30

Monday, Jan 26, 2004 at 09:30
Hey Oskar, our two chocolate puppies say hello to the real Oskar. Good to hear from you - thought you would be having an adventure this weekend not at home playing on the keyboard. Now, 2005 is going to be very interesting. Not sure when Easter is next year but Anzac Day is going to be bigger here than usual - the SA Vietnam Veterans are coming up to run the Parade again (they did in 99) and VV's from all over Australia appear. We now have our lovely especially dedicated Park. A few days later - the May Long Weekend (Qld holiday only) will be the start of the 2nd Cattle Drive from Birdsville to Marree. Quite a few of us (local people) are hoping to do the first stage of this trip, some of us in wagons. I think though you have to stick to the Easter holidays?? Yes?? Anyway over that May weekend no doubt there will be Bronco Branding and hopefully a big concert and other festivities. Something to think about. Keep in touch.
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