Supplies dropped to isolated towns

SES volunteers Johnathan Muller, Noel Gooderham and Bill Roberts return from a supply drop at Juandah Creek. Below, a sign shows water over the road at Taroom.

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PROPERTY owners isolated by floodwaters in small Central Queensland towns received emergency supplies and mail drop-offs by the SES rescue boat yesterday.

As river levels continue to rise, grazier Ian Williams, who owns a cattle property north-west of Taroom, said he was one of the luckier ones.

While Mr Williams hasn’t been able to muster or truck cattle to sell, his animals are safe and on dry land and he’s hoping to truck them out next week. He and his family have been isolated since Saturday.

Yesterday SES crews re-supplied isolated property owners at three different locations with necessities by boat as the Dawson River levels climbed.

The Dawson River at Taroom reached major flood levels at 7.09 metres and was steadily rising, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s 3pm report yesterday.

Mr Williams, who received bread supplies and mail yesterday, said they were well stocked up with supplies.

“We’ve seen it before so most people are well prepared. I feel sorry for the grain farmers,” he said.

Further north in Theodore, the auxiliary urban brigade Captain Donald Dale (pictured pointing out river levels right) said Palm Tree Creek at Taroom was flooded and access to the area was cut.

“We’re holding our breath. The ground is so saturated but we are hoping for the best. At this point no-one is completely isolated (in Theodore),” Mr Dale said.

Meanwhile, the message from the Central Highlands Regional Council mayor at noon yesterday was simple – do not panic.

Mayor Peter McGuire said council and emergency services were monitoring the flood situation carefully.

However, based on current weather forecasts, the local disaster management group was not concerned about widespread flooding affecting Emerald.

“We would not flood unless inches of rain fell in the Fairbairn Dam catchment area, and that is certainly not predicted,” he said.