| [ Total Views: 903 | Total Replies: 15 | Thread Id: 88058 ] |
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 Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 06:18 PM |
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Flooding in Rocky
Hey everyone.
As I'm sure you're all aware Queensland has been really copping a flogging with all the rain, bad weather and flooding.
I hope that this hasn't affected too many of the dubbers on here.
I currently cannot attend work as it is a lovely little island in the middle of a swamp on the outskirts of Rockhampton.
Here's a few pictures of work.
The main slab area where all the sheds are built is raised up around 2-3m above the level of the surrounding land. As I said above, work is built of a
swamp 
You can see stacks of off highway truck tyres in the middle of the picture. These are 3-4 high. There were a few single ones left sitting around, I
have been told that they have floated  , not sure
how far, but I certainly wouldn't want a 3m tall tyre floating through my front yard 
Another shot where you can see some slightly smaller wheels have floated away, two have crossed the street and are near the house at the bottom right
The water tanks in the foreground give an indication of the depth, only the tops are just poking out of the water.
The water is only a few inches deep in the workshop, with some sections being over a foot deep.
Our brand new parts warehouse (you can tell by the roof)
is one of the only places that's high and dry, just.
Because work is literally the only high spot for kilometres around I've been told that the sheds are full of hundreds of snakes, in the last flood
that was this height in 1991 Steve Irwin came up to the workshop and caught most of them. Perhaps Bindi is due for a visit in a few weeks time?
And now here's some pictures of Rocky.
This is Depot Hill, the area of Rocky that has been hit the worst.
Callaghan Park Horse Racecourse.
The river.
Here's a shot of the barrage, this image to me really show the sheer quantity of water that is flowing down the river. I've been trying to find a
comparison shot with the river at normal height but no luck so far.
Normally the water flows through the barrage and drops a few metres into the river. At the moment it's flowing pretty well straight through with no
change in level.
Smiley 
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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Trendy
Commited Dubber
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 06:28 PM |
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You know what they say about water. If it's brown drink it down. If it's black , send it back. I consider my self lucky. I am surrounded by water
and have been for quite some time. Though i am living on an island. I can still get to work by ferry. My boy is in Townsville and says some foods
running out in the shops. I have a old mate in Rocky but is lucky his hostel is high and dry. Pictures say a lot words cannot!
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donn
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 06:28 PM |
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Bloody hell mate you are sure coping it rough up there, hope all comes out ok.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
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11CAB
Compulsive Aussie Vee Dubber
If ya got it....Baja it
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 06:36 PM |
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So Smiley, does this mean you have more buggy building time?....... :P
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 helbus
A.k.a.: Pete S
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 07:03 PM |
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In the second picture, is that a real life size TONKA truck that is under water with just the top of the tip tray poking out of the water?
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Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 07:09 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by 11CAB
So Smiley, does this mean you have more buggy building time?....... :P
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All of the workers are meeting at one of the local sports clubs. Hastings Deering has set up offices in the conference rooms.
We have all been volunteered for community service to help with the flood. So far we haven't really had any jobs at all. Just a couple of small
things that only required half a dozen or so people.
The floodwaters at currently at their peak, and there's not much to do but wait for it to start dropping.
The river peaked at 9.2m on Wednesday-Thursday of last week. And was still up at 9.1m this morning. It is very slowly starting to drop away.
Once the waters recedes I can see us getting very busy very quickly with cleanup beginning around the city.
And to answer your question yes. So far when we've met in the mornings we've gone straight home afterward. But I've been working on my Baja.
Putting it back together.
I had a bearing collapse and lost a front wheel on one of the local forestry tracks in the middle of nowhere.
Took us 4 hours to get it out far enough that a tow truck could take her home.
It's a story for a different thread, but here's a little teaser.
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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Pumba
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 07:10 PM |
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Wow its hard to believe thats rocky,i lived in gracemere for 2 years and worked in rocky,my sister inlaw still lives there and works for highway 1
truck centre,hope all works out better soon thanks for sharing the pictures,have you got any of gracemere i would be keen to see it looks???
cheers shane.
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Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 07:19 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by helbus
In the second picture, is that a real life size TONKA truck that is under water with just the top of the tip tray poking out of the water?
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Not the whole truck, that's just the tray sitting on the ground.
Because they are too big to be transported on the road with the trays we never fit them. There's no point. They are transported separately to the
truck.
We do have a few trucks in the floodwater though.
Two of which are Caterpillar 797F dump trucks. They are brand new from America, and have been getting put together at work down the back. These trucks
haven't even been started since being in the country, are brand new and are worth around 4-5 million dollars apiece. The 797F is the largest dump
truck in the world with a 400t rating and 4000hp on board.
If you look very closely at the 7th picture down you can see them right off in the distance at the top of the picture slightly to the right of center
just up from the row of trays.
Imagine the insurance claim on that!!
Though the water being a few metres deep they won't go underwater. That are a truly massive piece of machinery the center of the hubs with the
wheels fitted is probably around 2-2.5m off the ground.
Once things dry out I might be able to get some picture to post up.
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 07:23 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by vwmad
Wow its hard to believe thats rocky,i lived in gracemere for 2 years and worked in rocky,my sister inlaw still lives there and works for highway 1
truck centre,hope all works out better soon thanks for sharing the pictures,have you got any of gracemere i would be keen to see it looks???
cheers shane.
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I don't personally, but if you jump on The Morning Bulletin's website ( http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ )and have a look through the gallery's I'm sure there'll be some on there. Rocky
and Gracemere are currently cut from eachother, the big roundabout and the highway are all underwater.
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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65standard
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 08:25 PM |
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I didn't think that much rain could pour down in one hit. I know the damage and losses wil be great, but hopefully over time (not too long) that the
clean up gets underway and normality (whatever that is) sets back in.
I'm sure all here and everywhere else send their best wishes to all of you guys (even though you're Queenslanders) and hope for a speedy recovery.
[size=4]If it ain't broke, fix it till it is![/size]
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beetleboyjeff
A.k.a.: Jeff Walsh
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 08:49 PM |
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It's all not surprising realy - I haven't seen a drought yet that didn't end in rain.
From your ole' mate Jeff
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beachbuggy61
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 08:55 PM |
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Amen to that 65, hope it comes good eventually Smiley.
By the way, ouch that musta hurt when the front wheel came off!
Cheers, Marc.
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helbus
A.k.a.: Pete S
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 10:33 PM |
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I looked up Utube and a search for
"797 tire changing" shows just how big these tyres are.
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Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on January 9th, 2011 at 10:46 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by beachbuggy61
By the way, ouch that musta hurt when the front wheel came off!
Cheers, Marc.
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Luckily I was only doing about 1km/h, it was very slow and gentle.
| Quote: | Originally
posted by helbus
I looked up Utube and a search for
"797 tire changing" shows just how big these tyres are.
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These are the first ones that we've ever had on site at Rocky branch. It's truly staggering to stand in front of something that is so big in every
proportion.
I'll definitely do a thread with some pictures and specs in the future.
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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The_Bronze.
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| posted on January 10th, 2011 at 05:37 AM |
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Thank Smiley for the photos. Truly amazing indeed.
Bugger about the snakes. I'd be happy to catch them for you but I now live in Lake Macquarie (NSW).
My Mum and Step Dad live at Alton Downs NW of Rocky near the Airport and have been stranded for about three weeks now. They can access Gracemere but
its an 80k drive. The first couple of times they drove it they got lost because its all back roads and through private properties.
My Dad is a Beef Farmer at Emerald, 3 1/2 hours drive west where I grew up. He has also been cut off for three weeks but he has choppers to get him
around they use for mustering. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of floods. Gives him time to read instead of dealing with day to day hassles.
The Fairbairn on the Nogoa River has been running for three months now and isn't going to let up anytime soon. They just got another 14 inches above
the Dam and it now running harder than ever before. This then flows into the Dawson and then the Fitzroy which means a drop than flows over the Dam
today will pass through that barrage in the last week of February.
I call my parents, and brother, also in Rocky and they have some fairly interesting stories. I remember as a kid growing up in Emerald my Dad used to
make me swim our round trees in the swollen river so he could lay fish nets. Nothing else to do but catch fish to eat. I don't think we ate red meat
for about 7 months. He bought and filled 4 freezers. Ah, memories.
B.
[size=4]Bronze.[/size]
Rathmines, Lake Macquarie, NSW.
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Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on January 10th, 2011 at 10:10 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by The_Bronze.
My Mum and Step Dad live at Alton Downs
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So does the owner of the local VW shop.
I want parts!!! 
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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