Clermont, Queensland, December 1916

Floods are a fact of life in a Queensland summer. Some towns are particularly prone, as was Clermont in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This was due to Clermont's location on a flood plain between a lagoon and Sandy Creek, and just downstream from the junction of Sandy Creek with Wolfgang Creek. By the early 1900's, Clermont residents regarded flooding as a normal, if undesirable part of life in their town, following various floods since its settlement in the 1860s. The benchmark was set by one in 1870 when, legend has it, men drank in the hotel while up to their chests in water.

The flood that was to far exceed the 1870 event had its genesis just after Christmas 1916, when a small cyclone swept across the coast between Townsville and Mackay, bringing with it extensive heavy rain. In Clermont, torrential rain began on the evening of Wednesday 27 December, and though the rain gauge overflowed, some 460 mm fell. Flooding due to local run-off began overnight, but did not overly perturb the flood-wise population. What they didn't realise was that runoff from torrential rainfall over the catchments of Sandy and Wolfgang Creeks (over 600mm of rain over the latter), was on its way towards them. When this runoff arrived early next morning, water in the town rose with stunning speed. Blasé acceptance quickly turned to panic: many people were trapped on the roofs of their houses as the flood waters surged through. The debris-laced flood smashed many houses, and lifted others from their blocks to be carried downstream, often taking their helpless occupants with them. Though the rain stopped at midday, flooding continued into the night. The final death toll of 61 made this the worst flood in terms of lives lost in the 20th century, and the second worst in Australian history.

Telegraph and telephone lines were knocked down, so it was some days before news of the disaster reached the outside world and relief measures could be taken. The survivors had meanwhile started the arduous task of cleaning up the mess and burying the dead. The lower part of the town between the lagoon and Sandy Creek was never rebuilt, and settlement shifted to higher ground. For the survivors, the lesson had been learnt: settlements on flood plains must expect disaster in the fullness of time.

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