Not So Gorgeous?!

Creeks Flowing Through The Property …

Another gorgeous aspect of the property we purchased are the creeks that run through it, or so we thought. 

The February floods washed away our driveway down the creek leaving us unable to leave the property by any other means than walking the kilometre from the house to the street as our cars were one side of the ravine and the street on the other. It was some months before we could actually drive there. Meanwhile we improvised by using our ride-on mower to cart the groceries from the car to the house. Hubby cleverly devised a plan to winch my Mazda 3 up the steep soggy slope in our backyard and through the neighbour’s property and then they used their 4WD to winch it across their broken driveway, caused by the same creek, and to the street. It was quite an adventure, and we will be forever grateful to Nyssa and Shane for their assistance. 

The likelihood of another big flood is huge as the time frame between the “big ones” is reducing. The time between the floods in 2004 to 2011 was 7 years. From 2011 to the floods of 2017 – 6 years and from 2017 to our recent flooding in 2022 was 5 years so, based on that pattern, the next one should be in 2026 or earlier. Hopefully we will be more prepared next time. 

Despite all that, the creeks are gorgeous and embrace every sense: the sight of waterfalls, the sound of the burbling water over the rocks; the pure cool taste, the soft and clean feel of the water and the earthy smell of the mud surrounds and topsoil washed down the creek from Mount Tamborine gardens. 

The creeks are fed by Tamborine Mountain, and the water is so pure and delicious that companies bottle it for sale in supermarkets. We are so blessed to have it on our property. 

Steele Creek is the main creek running through our property. According to the March 2019 edition of the “Tamborine Bulletin”, the Creek was originally named “Tamborine Creek”. 

Steele Creek is fed by water from Cedar Creek on Tamborine Mountain then joins the Logan River at Alberton and flows out into Moreton Bay at Rocky Point. I have read that 60% of the creek’s corridor is protected by conservation agreements between Tamborine Mountain Landcare and private and public landholders. It is definitely worth conserving.

Stay tuned for the next edition: Cockatoos

By Vanessa Rhind (Tamborine Resident)

Rural Living … Thus Far!