I think its started!

[Kody]

I think its started, our long awaited wet season. We have had over 2 inches of heavy rain today and it looks like a huge amount is still to come. The wet season is late this year and when it's late, it is often a short one. The rain will help so much in putting out the fires as long as it will reach those fire-torn areas. Some of the fires are still burning in the outback and will continue to burn for some weeks to come. At least we have rain in Qld. What a wonderful blessing. The rain up north has created heavy flooding and all the roads are closed.

Kody

[Kody]

It's now 7:00 am Thursday, the rain has been falling all night. I just checked the gauge and we have had a total of 4 inches and it's still coming down. How great is that!. The ground has sucked it all up and the air has the aroma of the eucalyptus as it oozes from the trees. Joy-joy-joy. We certainly thank God for the rain. The top priority now is to get a new engine for our ride on mower as the original one has seized up and you can feel the grass growing as you stand on it.

Kody

[S. Heisley]

A little rain to put the fires out is good news!
If it keeps on raining, will you have trouble with floods and mud slides because the vegetation has been burned away?

[Kody]

Australia is the land of flood, fire and drought. If the rain floods the burnt out areas there will certainly be mudslides. The worst of the fires have been inland somewhat away from the major coastline areas. However, it's along the coastline where the rain is falling, not sure how far inland it has spread. The rain has already flooded major areas in the north and I expect to see very bad flooding on the coast and hinterland. Sometimes we have good seasons, other times, we don't. This is one of those times. The majority of Australians (90% or greater) live within one hours' travel from the coast so flooding causes major problems and damage in the coastal areas. Many people moving here from overseas don't understand "Australia" and soon return to where they came from. Australia is the same size as the US but it consists mainly of desert and semi desert, our country is the driest country in the world and can be hard to adjust to.

Kody

[Kody]

Total rain at 5:00 pm is 10+ inches. From 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm we had 3 3/4" come down. Our property is now saturated and the water is running down the slope 2 inches deep. I will post photos soon. Kody is bored out of her brain and longs to go out and play. The only fun she has had was to chase some 'roos off the flooded portion of the land. Many places have not had rain like this for ten years. There is still much more to come. Not all the fires have been extinguished by the rain, there are at least two that are still raging infernos.

Joe and Kody

[indycamper]

Glad you're getting the rains, Joe, and hope that the flooding doesn't do any damage to you and yours.

[Mary C]

Kody, how is the weather and how are the fires. any updates?

Mary C.