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Friday, September 10, 2010

Hoping the drought has broken....



After 14 years of drought, we're certainly hoping it has broken.  We had non-stop rain last weekend and floods have been extensive in some parts of Victoria, forcing hundreds of families to evacuate.  In some areas the water has yet to reach its peak and, with another week of rain expected, the inevitable is very worrying for some.


See that row of trees at the base of the mountain?  They fringe the Goulburn River, which has temporarily been 'switched off'', so as not to exacerbate the plight of the flooded areas further up country.  It is the main irrigator to the 'food bowl' in central Victoria and has been filled from the man-made lake, Lake Eildon, since the 1950s.


We are a couple of metres above the flood plain here so basically high and dry.  Three little ponds appeared  last Saturday so I took a few shots for the record.



The autumn leaves you see in this pic are left over from autumn.  The tree is beginning to bud, so they'll soon drop off.





In two days we had 92ml in the rain gauge, which is just over 3½ inches.

Half an hour away is the little town of Bonnie Doon at the Northerly stretch of Lake Eildon.  A time worn catch cry from people in the big smoke is, "Is there water under the bridge at Bonnie Doon?"  We'd heard a whisper there was, so yesterday we drove up to see for ourselves.





A bit of a mess after the heavy rain.  This area has been dry for years and the rubbish has been pushed to shore.  Looks like a letter box lying there in the flotsam and jetsam!  The lake is presently at 54% capacity and is 45 metres below full supply level; the fullest it's been since 1996.



The swollen Rubicon River down the road broke the bridge!

18 comments:

Gwen Buchanan said...

Surely does look like a lot of water... I hope it sinks down into the earths aquafirs to build up the water table... You have waited a long time for this...surely don't want it all to run off..

Anonymous said...

Sorry the water has been causing you problems, but glad the drought is broken, for the time. Hoping good things for your future.

Unknown said...

It always seems to be famine or feast, with potential for both conditions to cause havoc! I hope the rain settles into a more regular, gentle pattern from now on. You seem to live in a miniature Scotland with the place names!

Mason Canyon said...

Hopefully these rains are a sign of good things to come. Enjoyed the photos. Beautiful area.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Sam Liu said...

I'm saddened to hear that there are problems in your part of the world, nature truly is a temperamental force. Hope things fix themselves soon, and I hope you're safe :)

alaine@éclectique said...

Gwen...It's all quite boggy at the moment; hope it does sink in!

alaine@éclectique said...

cassandrajade...it's great to see the rain but a lot of it can cause havoc! Thank you for visiting!

alaine@éclectique said...

Derrick....A Mrs Thom from Scotland lived down the road yonks ago and named Eildon. She probably had something to do with naming Bonnie Doon also.

alaine@éclectique said...

Mason...thanks, it is a pretty place.

alaine@éclectique said...

Sam...I don't know if you've read the poem, 'My Country' by Dorothea Mackellar; it describes this land perfectly. She wrote it at the age of 19 in England, homesick for home...a land 'of droughts and flooding rains'.

And thank you, we are safe; even though the bridge is broken, we can go around the long way.

Unknown said...

Alaine, I've just read the poem you mentioned to Sam. How lovely it is!

alaine@éclectique said...

Derrick...I knew you'd like it; we learnt it in primary school and I appreciate it more now.

Teri said...

It seems like there is always either too much or too little. Nothing is for sure anymore, with all the weather patterns being changed. I found it interesting that you have a Rubicon River too. We live just a few miles from the Rubicon River here in California! I guess names of places are quite common. I imagine there are lots of Victoria's around the world. We all have a commonality, don't we! Stay dry.

alaine@éclectique said...

Teri...yes, either a glut or not enough! I think our little Rubicon was named because it is easily crossed (wadable). I must ask hubby if he thinks of Julius Caesar when he's in the middle of it, flyfishing! :)

Lyn said...

A wonderful chronicle of nature..you must have loved those little ponds!

Betsy Brock said...

14 years...wow, that is a very long time! Those pictures certainly look like you have a lot of water now...hope it stays! the pictures are lovely!

alaine@éclectique said...

Lyn...We love the little ponds; wish they were there permanently but they're gone the next day if there's no rain.

alaine@éclectique said...

Betsy...it was a long time - we did get some rain but not enough to soak in. We've had so much recently that when I was pruning the silver birches and grape vines yesterday, the water was dripping from the wounds; the trees are loving it!