xenith: (Steps)
[personal profile] xenith
You're seen this before. Wait! No. you haven't. I haven't seen it quite like this.

Reading the Examiner today, it seems the Bureau of Met guys were expecting a 1 in 50 year flood (water levels were similar to that of a 1969 flood, until just before the city) which I guess explains the evacuation warnings, but then the Meander didn't flood so the flows in the South Esk had somewhere to go .

(See the South Esk starts up in the north east, curls around and comes in to the meet the Tamar from the west, so most of the rivers in the north/north east/northern Midlands flow into it, except the North Esk with flows straight into the Tamar just above that junction (and it is on the plain where the three rivers meet that our little city lies) So the rain from any and all of that area comes rushing down to this one point. The Meander comes in from the west, and it didn't rain as much out there.)

Water

So here it our lovely river in all its spectacular, almost-50-year-flood level glory. Also rainbow water.

(Insert usual grumble about still photos reduced to web size not being worth putting up. Maybe you can imagine yourself as being equally reduced in size?)


People for scale

People for scale.

River

Rainbow water!

To city

Looking back towards the CBD.

Swimming sign

Hmmm.

Swimming

Care for a swim?

Wet

This is where I got wet. Actually, the second time. The first was downriver a bit and it soaked the back of my jeans. This time, it went all over me and camera. But it was sunny so I dried quickly (except for the back of my jeans.)

First Basin

That's the First Basin, the usual swimming hole. My plan is to walk around to the Alexandra (Swinging) Bridge on the other side there, and see if there's anything interesting over there.

Path - 1

But probably not this way.

Path - 2

Strangely enough, it's closed at the other end too. Sign says No Dogs and No Bikes. I don't think either would be too happy about going along that path.

Signs

Those yellow signs are new. The other one temporary.

Skink

Distracted from water by a posing skink.

Bridge closed

End of the road.

Swinging Bridge empty

There's even a guard on either end of the bridge. So I'll go up to the lookout above for a photo.

Swinging Bridge from above


Back to people

And one more shot on the way back. (That guy on the edge did seem to be having fun with his camera.)

Date: 2011-03-29 01:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dsmoen.livejournal.com
Amazing pictures!

Date: 2011-03-29 07:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] monissaw.livejournal.com
Thanks :)

Date: 2011-03-29 03:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] madwriter.livejournal.com
BTW, I've been doubly enjoying these pictures because my just-post-Arthur book The Matter of Camelot was set in this neighborhood, and I wrote a fair bit about the Tamar.

Date: 2011-03-29 07:42 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] monissaw.livejournal.com

That'd be the one in Cornwall?

Date: 2011-03-30 01:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] madwriter.livejournal.com
That's the one. Though it also had brief excursions to Winchester and Tara.

Date: 2011-03-30 01:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] monissaw.livejournal.com

Ah. The other side of the world then.

Date: 2011-03-30 01:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] madwriter.livejournal.com
Erk--and so I'm now ashamed to admit that I didn't know that there was another Launceston and River Tamar!
Edited Date: 2011-03-30 01:31 am (UTC)

Date: 2011-03-30 01:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] monissaw.livejournal.com

You've no reason to.

(That could be an interesting topic for an actual post: two places, same name.)

Date: 2011-03-29 08:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] green-knight.livejournal.com
Thanks for sharing - exciting times!

Date: 2011-03-29 11:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] monissaw.livejournal.com

I hope that's as exciting as it gets though :)

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