When Meg and Greg Fallon signed up to be caretakers at the Murwullimbah Showgrounds campsite in northern New South Wales for 12 months, they felt like the luckiest grey nomads in the world … and then it started to rain!
Having previously enjoyed a happy stint at the same venue, the couple who travel with dog Banjo in a 25’ Jayco Sterling, were understandably looking forward to organising communal Happy Hours and enjoying the glorious sunsets with like-minded travellers.
That was in late March, just before they felt the sting in the tail end of Tropical Cyclone Debbie.
Although the site was pounded by torrential rain on March 28 and there was a bit of water about, the couple were still not fully aware of just how bad things were going to become although they did take some precautions.
“In the morning there was a lot of water and we still had about seven vans in so we told them to all hook up and head up the hill,” said Meg. “We started moving stuff and putting it up and 10am we took our van up to the top of the hill, as well.”
The entire camp spent the next few hours putting stuff up as high as they could.
“Last year when it flooded we put our van up behind the two-storey pavilion and we had been okay,” said Meg. “This time we had a couple of cars up there out of the way and Alan the trust secretary said ‘Meg I think you need to move those cars. I think it is going to be a bit higher this time’ … that sent alarm bells ringing!”
All of the drenched campers slept well knowing they were safe but the next morning when they went outside and looked down the hill, all they could see were roofs.
“It was quite scary,” said Meg. “We put a couple of gazebos up and called it our command post where we ate and socialised as we were all stuck up there together and couldn’t go anywhere for about three days.”
As often happens when adversity strikes, the crisis brought out the best in human nature and helped forge some special bonds.
“We had a lovely little community up on the hill and although none of us really knew each other to begin with, we all became the best of friends,” said Meg. “It is amazing in time of emergency how people pull together and we worked socialised and ate together without any problems … it was fantastic.”
There was so much water, no one could get down to start cleaning for about a week and a half.
“Everyone pitched in and helped and boy did we need help … there was just so much hosing scrubbing and then hosing again as the mud just stuck,” said Meg. “We all worked damn hard and I believe that, after we leave here, we will still have these wonderful people in our lives … we have been very lucky to have known them.”
