Queensland floods - so helpless.

I've been following, with growing horror, the news of the floods in Queensland, Australia and especially Brisbane.  I have family in Brisbane and it's very, very  hard to know that they're caught up in such an event and there's absolutely nothing you can do to help.  Their street is at high risk of flooding so they've evacuated and are waiting to see what happens. They seem to be in good spirits considering the situation they're in, so fingers crossed...


I fell in love with Queensland & Brisbane when I was in Australia in mid 2009.  I felt that this was the Australia I'd travelled half way across the world to see - the Barrier Reef, the rainforest, the breathtaking beaches, the colonial architecture with the wrap-around verandahs and the friendly, weather beaten people.  There's a magical quality about it. 


Brisbane, (the capital of Queensland) is a gorgeous city. It somehow manages to combine ultra modernity with a relaxed living-with-nature vibe.  This picture below was a street in central Brisbane but it felt like you were in some outpost just hacked out of the bush.

Photo is my own.

My favorite part of Brisbane was the boardwalk along the riverside that, at times, goes through the mangrove swamps.

Image via http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/Travel/Default.aspx

  
I loved strolling along there in the fine weather, stopping occasionally to watch the wildlife in the swamps.  So it was heartbreaking this morning to read that Brisbane City Council has decided to demolish it because they're worried it's going to break loose and act like a deadly missile as it's swept along in the flood waters.