This time of year is not meant to be our rainiest season.  Summer in Canberra (Australia) is normally quite dry.  We usually get most of our rain in winter.  But as you know, the climate is changing and Canberra may yet turn out to be a tropical paradise to rival sunny Queensland.  And if sea levels rise significantly, we may even become relatively coastal!

We missed the worst of the recent flooding in eastern Australia, but the deluge was enough to flood local rivers and close some roads.  We went for a little outing last weekend, but were forced to retreat when one of our favourite backroads was closed due to flooding.  We are warned not to drive into floodwaters, but inevitably some people think they’ll give it a go anyway.  Water depth and flow rate can be deceptive.  The depth gauge shows that there is 1.2 metres of water above this bridge; too risky to cross and good reason for closing the road.  I love an adventure but not that much.  Still, it was paradise.  The birds loved it.  The air was filled with a cacophony of chimes and whistles.

Under water

Wherever you are, drive safely.

Regards
Tracy

Response to the Ragtag Daily Prompt — Bridge.  Click on the link to join the challenge.

31 thoughts on “Bridge Under Troubled Water”

    1. Thank you, dawn bird. We were a little nervous when we were making the return journey because we weren’t sure whether the rivers we had to re-cross were still rising. But we had a thermos of water in the car and a full box of cherries so we were set to wait it out if needs be. 🙂

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  4. Be safe, and never underestimate the depth of a “puddle”. Global warming is with us. It’s suppose to be an el-nino winter in the States but it has been so so cold!

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  6. Some parts of the west coast had one day totals of up to 150 mm. This is our rainy season with streams over their banks. Is there a silver lining to the deluge of rain in your area. I must be perverse but I like to see creeks in flood.

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    1. Wow, that is a massive amount of rain, Sid. People do unfortunately get caught out when it is delivered in such a short space of time.

      I love flooded streams too. The rain has been great. The drought here has taken its toll on farming communities. Unfortunately decent rains seem to have been confined to within a couple hundred kms of the coast line. They need some decent rain out west too. We are still eating their dust.

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      1. Is it true that the monsoon irregularly comes to Australia? Here on the West Coast most of our summer was very dry which made our forests tinder dry.

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    1. As regular visitors to the back country, we know not to cross that bridge when it is in flood. Without the depth meter, it could look do-able to tourists. I hope visitors to your area haven’t been caught out, Linda.

      Shame your rain couldn’t be spread around,
      especially to areas like California where they badly need it.

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  11. I can’t help noticing that when floods are shown on the news, there are usually cars being driven through the water despite the fact that we are constantly being told not to do that very thing. No wonder idiots think it’s ok.
    It’s been unusually humid here too (and hot), and we’ve had decent rain arriving in thunderstorms. The country is looking very green. It’s a long time since we had summer storms like this.

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    1. It was too hot for me outside today, Jane. My garden is already gasping for more water, at least the veggies are. It is all very surreal with the dust hanging around though. I’m glad you got some rain too.

      The photo really shows why it is important for drivers to heed the advice of Emergency Services. It was impossible to tell the depth without the flood gauge. I was surprised by the depth of the water over the bridge.

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