Eleven campers in Queensland’s Scenic Rim have been cut off from the outside world by rising water.
The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter, usually used for surf lifesaving operations, has been deployed at the Canungra campsite to deliver fresh food and water to the stranded campers.
A Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) spokeswoman told the Brisbane Times that the group started camping at Canungra before the bad weather set in, but fortunately they had set up on high ground.
The SLSQ spokeswoman said the group navigated multiple water crossings to get to their campsite and all those waterways had since swollen and flooded.
“I think they just got caught out a bit, perhaps they just didn’t think that much rain was coming to the hinterland and would make the creeks run as high as they have,” SLSQ Gold Coast supervisor Nathan Fife told the Brisbane Times. “It was a tricky job for the pilot, the campsite was on a bit of a hill, there was muddy ground and a lot of trees and powerlines around … we dropped a fair bit of food and water to them yesterday, so they have enough for the next few days.”
The campers do have mobile phone reception.
The rainfall has eased across Queensland’s south-eastern corner but water levels are still high. Mr Fife said that the water was a metre over the gauges, and that the campers had crossed 11 creeks to get out to where they were.
We camped at Poleblue campground, Barrington Tops, NSW about 40 yrs ago 2 LRs, 4 adults, 7 kids, May school holidays, it was raining when we arrived, we enjoyed a week alone, only to be told by a Ranger that we would have to go home thru Muswellbrook as the road up from Gloucester was closed due to the bridge being washed away the day that we had arrived, luckily we had enough provisions as we had gone through stay a week but had no idea that the bridge was gone.
Camped in vans one Easter at a friends property near Brewarrina for a planned 7 days however due to heavy rain and the Darling River rising we were stranded for 21 days. Fortunately Yellow Belly bite on a rising river.