Thread: A bit wet

Bored out of our little brains yesterday what with all the water lying around and drizzling down, so we took a little trip out to Wivenhoe (along with half of Brisbane I reckon) to watch some water spraying out of the dam. Hard to realise that this dam was down to a critical percentage only a couple of years ago. The water Resources Board (or whoever they are this year) even had staff on duty to direct traffic around the lookout area and I might add, they did a very good job of keeping traffic flowing without upsetting too many!
Somewhere in my archives (new name for an unsorted mess) I have a couple of shots that I took the last time this happened more than ten years ago. Until I find them we will have to be satisfied with yesterdays shots of the partial opening of one gate on a full Wivenhoe Dam.


To top it off, last night we recorded a further 84mm.
Regards
Glen

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

"We'll all be rooned" said Hanrahan "if this here rain don't stop".

Mate at Dalby said this morning that lynching parties are out up there searching for the silly bugger who is doing the rain dance. Crops being ruined by the wet weather after years of drought and not getting a crop. His place is black soil plains and you can't get out on it for at least a week after rain stops.

Another mate up near Proserpine reckons small children up there get frightened when the hot yellow thing appears in the sky, they have had so much rain this year. He has been flooded twice this year and had the place blown about by a cyclone. Last month crushing stopped for seventeen days with the rain.Started raining again last night.

There is so much water about in Western Queensland that people in Winton tell me that trips of any distance require a bit of planning as to which roads are closed and which creeks are up.

when I lived at ANDAMOOKA it was that dry for that long that even the kids wouldn't grow




(for those who don't know about "hanrahan" (theres one in every town!) see poem below...its a cracker!


SAID HANRAHAN

"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, In accents most forlorn, Outside the church, ere Mass began, One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about, Coat-collars to the ears, And talked of stock, and crops, and drought, As it had done for years.

"It's lookin' crook," said Daniel Croke; "Bedad, it's cruke, me lad, For never since the banks went broke Has seasons been so bad."

"It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil, With which astute remark He squatted down upon his heel And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran "It's keepin' dry, no doubt." "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out.

"The crops are done; ye'll have your work To save one bag of grain; From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke They're singin' out for rain.

"They're singin' out for rain," he said, "And all the tanks are dry." The congregation scratched its head, And gazed around the sky.

"There won't be grass, in any case, Enough to feed an ass; There's not a blade on Casey's place As I came down to Mass."

"If rain don't come this month," said Dan, And cleared his throat to speak-- "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "If rain don't come this week."

A heavy silence seemed to steal On all at this remark; And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed a piece of bark.

"We want a inch of rain, we do," O'Neil observed at last; But Croke "maintained" we wanted two To put the danger past.

"If we don't get three inches, man, Or four to break this drought, We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out."

In God's good time down came the rain; And all the afternoon On iron roof and window-pane It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still, And lightsome, gladsome elves On dripping spout and window-sill Kept talking to themselves.




It pelted, pelted all day long, A-singing at its work, Till every heart took up the song Way out to Back-o'Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran, And dams filled overtop; "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "If this rain doesn't stop."

And stop it did, in God's good time; And spring came in to fold A mantle o'er the hills sublime Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet, With harvest-hopes immense, And laughing eyes beheld the wheat Nid-nodding o'er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face, As happy lad and lass Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel Discoursed the men of mark, And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed his piece of bark.

"There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man, There will, without a doubt; We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out." John O'Brien