1974 Brisbane flood

From ArticleWorld

The summer of 1973 – 74 in Australia was an exceptionally wet one. Rains drenched vast areas of the country, and most river systems were already at their peak at the end of 1973. There was no respite in the new year with floods in northeast Victoria and north Queensland in early January; then spreading to northern New South Wales, cutting roads and railroads with people affected being evacuated by helicopter. In the second week of January more rain fell in New South Wales and creeks in the Brisbane area burst their banks on the 11th.

On the 17th, even the dry northern areas of South Australia were affected, with the opal mines at Coober Pedy flooding. In the centre of Australia, desert was turned into inland seas, marooning cattle stations and drowning livestock. More than twice the average yearly rainfall fell within weeks in the southern area of the Northern Territory and South-East Queensland. And then, on top of it all, cyclone Wanda struck.

Cyclone Wanda

Cyclone Wanda came ashore to the north of Brisbane with low wind velocities but bringing even more rain to an already drenched land. From that point, the 1974 Brisbane flood was ineviteable. The Bremer River in Ipswich reached breaking point on Sunday, with the Brisbane River following suit on the Tuesday; both reaching their highest levels since the floods of 1893.

Damages

Fourteen people died during the flood, including a 2 year old boy swept from his father’s arms in the floodwaters. At least 6 700 homes in Brisbane alone were partially or totally flooded while in another 6000, the floodwater entered as far as their gardens. Some houses were washed away by the water and others badly damaged by the subsidence and land slippage. Many people found that, even though they were in possession of storm and tempest insurance, they were not fully covered in event of flood.

The event was a significant one in the sociological and economical impact it had on the state. Damage was estimated at Aus$200 million and led to series of measures for flood mitigation in Southeast Queensland. The area has remained flood free since their implementation.