Heavy rainfall and flash flooding associated with ex-tropical cyclone Jack.has brought brought chaos to the Exmouth region in Western Australia.
Grey nomads heading north are among those caught up in the drama. The ABC reports that a local caravan park was swamped with flash floodwaters and some caravans were washed away. Campers in nearby Cape Range National Park were also evacuated as more than 250 milimetres of rain fell in a 24-hour period.
Millions of of dollars damage has been caused to the park’s roads, campgrounds, recreational sites, park infrastructure and the Milyering Discovery Centre.
The park will remain closed until further notice.
“It’s at least a one-in-30-year event and probably longer than that,” said Arvid Hogstram from the Department of Parks and Wildlife. “We’ve had stories of people who’ve had two or three feet of water flowing through their caravans.”
Shire president Turk Shales was shocked by the damage and said the rain had totally devastated the west side of the cape.
“Once we get front loaders around there and we start cleaning up everything, there will be active camping places in the park once it’s open for people to go to,” he told the ABC. “There are other camping places that are just out of action, they will never be used as camp sites ever again.”
Grey nomads and other tourists are now able to leave Exmouth after part of the Minilya-Exmouth Road was re-opened. Travellers are being asked to exercise extreme caution when travelling through the area.
