Drop in with Daniel

Hello Hinchinbrook,

How nice is it to see some blue skies? Watching the community start to reconnect, people start to move around town and the overwhelming support people are giving each other has been incredibly heart-warming to witness.

At the end of last week, I went on my own journey of reconnection. Before accepting the position here, I used to live in the Whitsundays and worked for our sister publication Whitsunday Life Newspaper. While I was there, my grandparents (who live in the UK) booked tickets to visit me . . . in the Whitsundays.

Obviously, this would not usually be a problem, in fact I was looking forward to the scenic drive down the coast. But with recent flooding events impacting the whole coast, I had a difficult decision to make.

Knowing that the road between Ayr and Home Hill was closed to all traffic, other than semi-trailers – if I started the journey south – would I actually make it to the Whitsundays?

The previous week I had been worried about Ollera Creek Bridge, and when it opened, I was thrilled. When the Burdekin flooded at Plantation Creek, it was yet another setback for me!

On Wednesday afternoon, however, I learned that trucks were ferrying cars across the river so I made the decision to leave as soon as I could. I rushed to Ayr, arriving at 6pm, just as they closed the crossing for the night! I was too late! But fortunate to get a hotel room locally.

Up early the next morning, I was down at the crossing at 6.30am to begin searching for a truck to take me across Plantation Creek. Almost four hours later and $300 poorer, I made it across the floodwaters.

Later that morning I had made it to the Whitsundays and, I am pleased to report, I spent a wonderful weekend with my family and I miss them all already.

Tomorrow I will return to the region, and I am looking forward to being back on the ground continuing to bring you full coverage of the flood recovery.

Daniel