Category Archives: Weather

Future-Proofing

2 Comments

Well, it is 3 days since my last post in which I shared our concern for the residents of north Queensland who were in the path of Cyclone Debbie.  What a 3 days it has been!

In 72 hours Cyclone Debbie has flattened the island resorts of the Whitsunday Islands and the adjacent mainland towns of Airlie Beach and Prosperine as a Category 4 cyclone before being downgraded as it moved inland.  Most of these areas are still without power or water and this situation is likely to continue for several more days, at least.

As predicted, the system then turned south east and headed towards the densely populated south-east corner of Queensland, including Brisbane.  For almost 24 hours we experienced substantial rainfall and some high winds – but of course, nothing like the conditions endured by those who were in the direct path of the cyclone.

2017-03-30 01.JPG

This is a view of part of our backyard this morning during a break in the rain.  The water in the background is not normally part of the landscape.  The ‘lake’ develops as the run-off from the mountain behind us pools in the low-lying part of our property.  It is not as extensive as some other occasions and will drain over the next few days.

The area where we live lost power about 2pm today and do not expect it to be restored until at least midday tomorrow.  There are currently thousands of consumers in Brisbane and the surrounding areas without power.  We are fortunate to be reaping the benefit of our decision to install a grid-connected battery system almost 18 months ago.  You can read about it here.

While it is great to be able to use our stored power each evening, the real benefit of the system is that it provides us with a power source in the event of a power failure from the grid.  Whether it is extreme weather or any other reason it is reassuring to know that we are not reliant on the grid for power.  This experience has confirmed the importance of a degree of self-reliance and we are extremely glad to be in this position.

 

Stay Safe

Leave a comment

My internet has been somewhat unreliable over the past few days, hence the lack of posts.  I had several ideas but have shelved them for tonight as I would simply like to say to everybody in north Queensland who is in the path of Cyclone Debbie, “Please take care and stay safe.  We are thinking of you and praying that you will be safe”.

2017-03-27 01

 

Not Tree-Hugging Nonsense

Leave a comment

For too long investment in renewable energy, electric cars, sustainable agriculture and a swag of other activities has been seen as the preserve of alternative individuals in our society.  These people are often derogatorily referred to as tree-hugging greenies by those who do not share their values or see the urgency in transitioning our communities to more sustainable practices.

2017-02-21-02

The Australian government continues to refuse to accept that exponential economic growth at the expense of environmental protection is not the key to our future.

However, I believe the tide is turning.  I have read several articles in the past few days in which the impact of climate change is of concern.  Doctors are identifying health issues, global banks are withdrawing funding for coal mines and an Australian private health fund has announced that it is divesting itself from fossil fuels on the grounds that it cannot reconcile supporting an industry which harms the health and well-being of its members.

This one from APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation Authority) is close to home and should be a stark warning to the government that they simply cannot continue on their current trajectory with regard to action on climate change and support of power generation from non-renewable sources such as coal..

As the support for the coal industry wanes and associated funding options begin to evaporate, the government is determined to push on with its agenda of coal at any cost.   The latest idea is to use the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to fund the establishment of more coal-fired power stations using ‘clean coal’ technology.  This is an absolute disgrace and should be stopped.

2017-02-21-01

 

A New Tank

Leave a comment

Our property is in a semi-rural area and we do not have access to town water.  This is not a problem as we have 2 large rainwater tanks.  The combined capacity is almost 100,000 litres and since we live in a high rainfall area we have never even gone close to running out of water.  However, we have also lived in a low rainfall area as well as in the city when there was a significant drought so we know what it is like to be careful with every precious drop of water.

Well, you can never have too much rainwater storage so today we bought another tank.  I discovered that a work colleague wanted to sell a rainwater tank due to new landscaping plans.  I checked out the details and found that it would be perfect for our plan to have another small tank under the verandah.  We will use this for watering out vegetable garden which is close by.  This will be much easier than dragging the hose all the way from the main tap which is at the other end of the house.  Additionally, a tank which is close to the house will give us the option of being able to access water relatively easily if we are without power.

It is unlikely that we will be completely without power now that we have the battery system for our solar panels but is will be good to have a back up just in case.

003

Without power for the pump or a tank close to the house, it is a long trek to the main tanks to get water.  You can read about it in an old post from 2013.

Back to the new tank.  We collected it today and it was loaded into the ute with the help of the seller and a couple of his mates.  After a reasonably cautious drive home it was time to unload.

2017-01-15-01

This is the area we had chosen to position the tank.  In fact, the concreting was only done about 6 months ago with a view to getting the tank this year.

2017-01-15-02

With a bit of careful planning GMan and I were able to manoeuvre it into position.

2017-01-15-03

The next step will be to organise the plumber and electrician to get it all set up.  In the interests of efficiency we need to plan several plumbing and electrical jobs all to be done at the same time.

After the Storm

4 Comments

Today was hot and sunny until about 2pm when the cloud rolled in heralding the approaching storm.

We had a couple of hours of rumbling thunder and some rain but no lightning strikes, hail or wind damage which occurred just slightly to the north and west of us.

Most of the activity had gone and the sky had lightened up just before dusk when I looked out of the kitchen window and caught the most amazing view.  I grabbed my camera and captured this shot before the moment was lost.

2016-12-01-01

 

Business at Byron Bay

3 Comments

I have been away from home for a couple of days on a work-related trip.  Byron Bay is a beach town close to the most easterly point of mainland Australia.  This distinction is held by Cape Byron which, unsurprisingly, is marked with a lighthouse.

2016-06-10 01

This was taken just before dawn on the second morning of my visit.  There is quite an extensive area of beach which is designated for dogs and there were plenty of pooches and their owners taking advantage of the crisp, clear mornings.

I was able to witness the sun rise over the easternmost point of Australia, although the summit of Mt Warning, a little to the north-west, is actually the point that is first touched by sunlight.

A blush of orange heralds the sunrise.

2016-06-10 02

The golden orb clears the horizon.

2016-06-10 03

Keeping It Dry

Leave a comment

Like much of the east coast of Australia the weather has been quite wet here for a couple of days.  While the rain is very welcome, it brings its own set of problems.  Our heads are in the clouds – literally, the humidity is off the scale and everything is damp to touch.

The condensation of the door of the refrigerator has now created a pool of water on the kitchen floor.

The prospect of going to bed and climbing into a bed where the sheets actually feel damp was not at all appealing. So, I have put the portable dehumidifier in our bedroom for a couple of hours before we go to bed.

2011-10-15 01

It is easy to move around and is really efficient.  If you issues with damp rooms or live in an area with high rainfall and humidity I would highly recommend a dehumidifier.  We bought this one from Moisturecure in Port Macquarie.  We had quite a bit of trouble sourcing one about 8 years ago, however, they are much more readily available now.

Do you have a dehumidifier?  Is it worthwhile?

Death and Destruction

3 Comments

No, it was not Nepal, Fiji or any of the other natural disasters that have happened all around the globe.  This was in our own little corner of south-east Queensland.

For a couple of hours last Friday a small area, including where I live was hit by torrential rain and significant flooding.  5 people lost their lives as they tried to drive through flooded roads.  Cars were washed away, people were stranded and public transport was disrupted.  Our road was almost impassable in places due to driveways that had washed away leaving large rocks and piles of gravel on the road.

2015-05-05 01A retaining wall collapsed and at least one residence was inundated with mud and water that cascaded down the mountain with unprecedented speed and force.  The lake which forms in our backyard formed and reached capacity within 2 hours whereas it usually takes a couple of days of steady rain to fill.  The force of the water moved large concrete blocks several metres and washed our recycle bin from its regular position.

The next morning was perfect – blue sky and not a breath of wind.  So strange.

2012-08-05 01