Queensland Flood Clean-up Begins

The floods have come and gone.  They've swirled, stormed and streamed through parts of Queensland, leaving their mark.  Homes have been underwater, lives have been destroyed and some families are left with nothing more then the clothes on their backs.

We spent an agonising few days at the beginning of the week wondering and waiting...not really knowing how we would be effected and hoping that our little town wouldn't be one of them.  But it was.  High on the Bellbowrie Chase, we were one of the lucky ones and it's been heartbreaking to see our friends, many of whom lost so much.

These images are just before the peak of the floods, in our suburb, Bellbowrie.

Roads were unrecognisable and water was up to the tops of the trees.

Power was turned off due to power lines being submerged and we had a few days of 'sink bathies', candlelight and boiling cups of tea on our BBQ gas ring.  Low food supplies meant a bit of improvisation but going back to the basics helped opened 'little eyes' to how much they have now and how blessed we all are.

Today, the clean up began.  Hundreds of people coming together to help out, deliver food, cook meals, clean out houses, sift through the debis, shelter the homeless, and lend a hand in whichever way they could.  It was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.  

This is Birkin Rd, where Poppy went to Kindy, where we used to go to buy our food before our gorcery store suffered floods up to the ceiling, and where a lot of our friends live.  Houses coated in mud, inside and out, furniture lying in soaked and stained piles on the front lawns, people with brooms, gurneys and sheer will-power to do whatever it takes to help out.  

The people of Queensland certainly know how to pull together, it's a pretty amazing place when disasters hit.

As for my lot..it's back to a bit of normality.

 And if they take anything at all from all of this, it has to be to count their blessings and be thankful and grateful for all that they have in this unpredictable world.  It's an awful lot compared to some.

I'd like to say a special thank you to Paula and Tom, our friends who helped us so much this week when we were without power and supplies.  And another one to Andrea - thanks so much honey for your constant support and info. xx