1. the main four bridges in and around Bellingen – in town, Thora (if this one’s under no-one can get in our out of the valley and/or Chrysalis and Orama schools), Glennifer and Kalang
2. what river height they close at, and
3. live river height data from the Bureau of Meterology website (click the small picture to see full size graphs)

Locality	Bridge where it is/river	Closes	Live Data from BOM
Bellingen see on map	Lavender’s Bridge in town Bellinger River	about 4.9 metres
Thora see on map	Hobart’s Bridge near Chrysalis School Bellinger River	about 3 metres
Gleniffer see on map	Gleniffer Bridge near Gleniffer Hall Never Never Creek	anyone know?
Kalang	Moody’s Bridge Kalang Rd Kalang River	about 3 metres on the Kooroowi gauge

Any feedback or corrections welcome, please leave a comment below.

If the little graph images in the table above look urgghy you need to update your web browser (try Google Chrome or Firefox. If you must use Internet Explorer get IE8 or above).

Bridge locations on the map

Click the little blue markers on the map for more information on each bridge

View Bridges around Bellingen that flood in a larger map (in new window on Google Maps)

The Australian Government is providing financial assistance to people who have been adversely affected by storms and associated flooding that commenced on 5 November 2009 affecting the Mid-North Coast of New South Wales.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/emergency/nsw_mnc_nov09_claiming.htm

For the November 2009 floods you can claim up to $1,000 per adult and $400 per child if your home was damaged or you were isolated either in or away from your home for more than 24 hours

a person was seriously injured; or

a person was isolated in their principal place of residence for a period of 24 hours or more;

a person was unable to return to their principal place of residence for a period of 24 hours or more;

a person’s principal place of residence has been destroyed;

a person’s principal place of residence has sustained major damage;

a person is a principal carer of a dependent child, and

• the dependent child is seriously injured; or
• the dependent child was isolated in their principal place of residence for a period of 24 hours or more; or
• the dependent child was unable to return to their principal place of residence for a period of 24 hours or more; or
• the dependent child’s principal place of residence has been destroyed; or

the dependent child’s principal place of residence has sustained major damage.

For the March/April 2009 and May 2009 floods financial assistance is available for home damage but not if you were isolated or unable to return home.

Average is around 1500mm.

And there’s still seven more weeks to go before the end of the year…

Extreme weather can’t come much more extreme than this. Another 14 inches of rain (350mm) in the last couple of days makes for soggy feet again.

Sure, we expect a bit of a flood around late summer/autumn every year or two but five times in one year?

Not whinging, just wondering…

Third ‘one in a hundred year’ flood so far this year for Bellingen.

The atmosphere around town has shifted from Excited What Fun (February flood), How Odd So Soon After The Last One (April flood) to a resigned We’re Over It Now Please Go Away Now – lots less people even bothering to wander around and look at the damage this time around.

School and work evacuated on Thursday, Lavender’s Bridge in Bellingen well over ‘major’ flood level again, Bellingen Show cancelled.

There’s always lots of photos of a flood, not so many of the aftermath. He’s a few from around Bellingen (and a couple from Urunga) as the floodwaters recede.

1. Listen to the helicopters

Proposed by Tim for the things to do list last time. Even more of them the last two days.

2. Listen to the trailbikes

No cops = teenage boys go wild on their two strokes.

3. Wonder at people who insist on driving their cars through raging torrents

See the price they pay afterwards… (see update in comments below)

4. Drink beer

I know it was on the list last time but, hey, it still works…

Seems like only a matter of weeks ago when Bellingen last flooded. Oh, it was.

Well this time it’s looking like we’re going to go one better.

Day started with the 6.30am phone calls to let us know school’s off.

Tried to go to work but the bridge through town was about to close which would have stranded me on the wrong side so came back home to work from there instead.

Power went off for a few hours.

When it came back for me the power at the office went off killing the development server.

Acacia had some friends visit. The first one left when floodwater started coming in under her house.

I just took her other friend home. Couldn’t get the car to her house because the street was cut and there were a crew of people trying to sweep water out of and away from two houses at the low point in the street. Bolted up the street in the deluge with the kids. Those guys had moved all of their downstairs furniture before the water came in but their neighbour hadn’t so I went over and tried unsuccessfully to help float/manouvere a waterlogged dresser up the stairs there.

The rain’s still hammering down and the river’s still rising.

Bureau of Meteorology river height data for Bellinger River at around 5.30pm

Flying Foxes and middle class hippy tree-huggers

IL Johnson of Lake Cathie adds to the debate on flying foxes with some words of wisdom. IL notes with incredulity about people who like living with flying foxes

They also object to suggestions that the trees which harbour these filthy animals be cut down to move them away from the area. These middle class hippy tree-huggers may well have a more enjoyable existence if they erected their yertzes (sic) in close proximity to the sewage treatment works.

“Who are these people?” IL wonders.

Cameron’s Corner flooding cripples businesses

Gary Bryant has more on the RTA’s proposed works at Cameron’s Corner. After the flooding last week the shire was in disarray and all because the Waterfall Way was cut at Cameron’s Corner

My business could not open and many others including the NAB Bank because their staff could not get to town.

Without sparing the exclamation marks Gary breathlessly continues

It’s only the working taxpayer that pays for it! Wake up Bellingen! Including our council, get RTA to fix this for good and stop workers losing wages and businesses losing income!

What about the time spent by Council workers, opening and closing the roads! More expense!

I couldn’t get to work that day either but that was because Lavender’s Bridge was underwater. Other people couldn’t get places either because half the roads in Bellingen and across the shire, including several spots along the Waterfall Way, were cut too. We did have 15 inches of rain after all.

And that’s not all. People who oppose the RTA works through the wetland at Cameron’s Corner

don’t care about anyone else’s livelihood or the local business economy, because they don’t work themselves…

The place to be. Make sure to bring your dog, camera and war stories.

2. Queue at The Prov

Most popular items : bread, ciggies, beer

3. Be glad you don’t live in Black Street

And have half of your house underwater.

4. Take photos of the same things as everyone else (like me)

Look, the street sign is under water.

(2009 option: post on Facebook)

5. Check out the coverage on online news sites

See what they get right and wrong and who’s being quoted.

6. Check out the weather and river heights online

Obsessively, about every 10 minutes.

There’s rain forecast for another four days…
Ohh, the river height at Thora is 5.2 now….
Looks like there’s more rain coming from up north on the radar…

7. Wonder whether the bridge is under/still under

Better go down and check again…

8. Dig drains

To divert water from coming in to your house. Remember to do some ‘proper’ drainage work when the weather’s better.

9. Conduct an umbrella audit

Remind yourself to get an umbrella that works/doesn’t have holes/is big enough. So you can forget until next time it rains.

10. Reassure your anxious relatives

Yes, it’s rained a bit. No, we’re not going to drown. No, the river has never reached even close to the level of our house, ever.  No, the world is not about to end. Hold the food parcels. As above, we’ve got The Prov anyway.

and a bonus…

11. Drink beer

If you ever needed an excuse this is it…

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Any other suggestions welcome – add comments below. Is there an alternative list for South Bello or Thora/Kalang?