After finishing our work for Campbell Soup's mushroom farm in Australia, we flew from Melbourne to Sydney, where our mushroom friends picked us up.
We stayed with our Mushroom related Australian friends in their newly built home on the rocks, overlooking the Hawkesbury River...
The dark rooftop in the form of a cross more or less, is where we were staying...
We had previously spent the day in Sydney and they took us to Centre Point, Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise & Opera House, see post about it below.
Next day on July 3, 1988 we went to the BLUE MOUNTAINS with Hawkesbury Valley Heritage Tours.
Visited the Katoomba & Jenolan Caves, all arranged and carried out by our great Mushroom friends! Again you find those two previous posts below...
July 4: We enjoyed a dinner together with 58 mushroom farmers + spouses. John Miller had organized that.
It was almost overwhelming...
July 5, on Tuesday I devoted my time to giving harvesting training while Pieter met with 3 compost makers. A relaxed evening at home with our friends, watching the movie of The Man From Snowy River.
July 6, Wednesday we got an urgent wakeup call with the mention: HURRY! We must leave NOW—look out of the window and you know WHY!!! We heard and saw a foaming and roaring river; already 3 m (9.84 ft) above bridgelevel!
A large flood of the Hawkesbury River.
We hurried packing up and grabbed a bite and started our journey north through the mountains, for reaching the ONLY high enough bridge to cross this Hawkesbury River Monster, then going South to the Sydney airport for our flight back to San Francisco, USA on Qantas Airlines...
Our friends still had to drive home and IF LUCKY, could cross back over the river!
We all were fortunate that no fallen trees were blocking the road...
The place our mushroom friends lived was Ebenezer and you can see the Hawkesbury River winding like a snake through the mountains...
We arrived at Sydney airport around noon for our 14:00 o'clock flight.
What an adventure, I was so car sick from the windy road through the mountains at a rather high speed, since our friends had to make it back again for reaching home themselves!
After vomiting and not much eating, we arrived in 13 hours + 25 minutes non-stop in San Francisco with tailwind.
Our suitcases did not arrive... and we drove home and got there around 22:00 o'clock with 14 hours time difference!
On July 7, our suitcases got delivered by 18:00 o'clock...
A most memorable trip home!
~
It will flood again ← short 5.59 min. video
Five of the 10 largest floods since the record flood of 1867 have occurred since Warragamba Dam was completed in 1960. The last major flood was in 1990.
One of those 10 was the one we dealt with in 1988...
The Monster Hawkesbury River got 12.2 m (40 feet) above normal...
It can be so devastating...!
February 17, 2013 in the Sydney Morning Herald
Pushing for Warragamba solution, flood protection campaigner John Miller in Windsor. Photo: Jacky Ghossein ←click link
Our mushroom friend John Miller has always been so active in fighting the flooding!
February 16, 2018 in the Hawkesbury Gazette
New proposal for river crossing ←click link
Second crossing: John Miller and floodplain committee member Maurie Smith on the corner of Kurrajong and Chapel Roads, Richmond, where there has been a proposal for a second bridge. Picture: Geoff Jones.
John Miller received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his exceptional contributions!
In 1986 John Miller had become the Hawkesbury State Emergency Service chief warden, enlisting 250 others with local knowledge to establish an early flood warning network.
Of course, Mr Miller was also well known as a driving force behind a third river crossing from Richmond to North Richmond...
John Miller was very active in this and surely deserved receiving this OAM!
Both of us owe John Miller the idea of also installing a quiet bathroom heater fan with lights! We got 3 installed and LOVE this 'warming' luxury during the cold season.
Having to travel all the way down under for learning about that!
Related links:
Sydney Centre Point Tower, Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise & Opera House | previous post about great time spent with friends
With Hawkesbury Valley Heritage Tours to the BLUE MOUNTAINS Australia | previous post about great time spent with friends
Katoomba & Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains Australia | previous post about great time spent with friends
Beautiful
ReplyDeleteDearest Regine,
DeleteA flood is not beautiful but I guess you refer to Mr. John Miller receiving his OAM.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dear Mariette - you had a lucky escape from such a dangerous situation which must have been fraught with danger for you both.
ReplyDeleteI looked up an OAM out of interest and also discovered that John Miller died this year on the 12th March aged 91.
There is a tribute video about him given by a Hawksbury MP Susan Templeman on Facebook here:-
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2535732010065694
Dearest Rosemary,
DeleteYes, we were very lucky for making it out of that area.
We both know about John Miller's passing and my next scheduled post will be about him.
The tribute video did not reveal more than I've already mentioned in that post.
We both have been so blessed with very special mushroom related friends!
Hugs,
Mariette
What a harrowing experience!!! Glad you all survived, Mariette. :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Dearest Martha Jane,
DeleteYes, at the moment it was no fun for all four of us...!
Shows once more that we always have had a good Guardian Angel and he/she has often been on heavy duty.
Hugs,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, It was inspiring to read about John Miller. He is such a caring person on so many levels, wanting to help the area he lived in as well as the local people. I admire his method instead of just abandoning a flood-prone area, he controlled the water as well as created safer crossing and escape routes. I love hiking around small creeks and rivers, but when it is raining or flooding, I stay well away from them!
ReplyDelete--Jim
Dearest Jim,
DeleteYes, John Miller was quite an icon and next post will tell more about him.
Oh, both of us have always been attracted by creeks, rivers and bridges but as you mention, with heavy raining or flooding, move far away from them. Living half a year in Pennsylvania we often had to make quite a detour as one underpass got always flooded and we avoided it by all means. You never know IF there is a sink hole...
Hugs,
Mariette
Buenas aventuras, se os ha presentado , en un largo peregrinar.
ReplyDeleteBesos
Querida Antónia,
DeleteEse fue un final aventurero de nuestro período de trabajo, seguido de algunos maravillosos días de turismo con amigos de hongos. Me alegro de que nos llevó al aeropuerto y lo hizo de vuelta a casa de nuevo para tratar de rescatar cosas en su granja de hongos, etc.
¡El agua puede causar estragos!
Abrazos,
Mariette
What an amazing experience. Worthy of making into a film. You did live dangerously. Thankfully you were safe in God's protection.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Dearest Victor,
DeleteThank you and it was above all our mushroom friends who risked so much for getting us out! Yes, we have been in very special protection many times and we both are certain there is a Guardian Angel!
Hugs,
Mariette
These are amazing stories that stay forever. Australia's wild side must be overwhelming.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Coisas de Feltro
Dearest Christina,
DeleteYes, those will never ever get off our retina and memory.
Australia is an adventure in itself with lots to see and explore.
Hugs,
Mariette
buon inizio settimana Mariette!
ReplyDeleteCara Olga,
DeleteGrazie e voi altrettanto!
Abbracci,
Mariette
You were lucky to escape with the help of your good friends. And the Hawkesbury had some bad floods again in March this year, due to very heavy rains, and the river went up over 12 metres.
ReplyDeleteDearest Sami,
DeleteYes, we all were very lucky at that time. Good thing that they now have better bridges for being able to cross safely.
Like in Europe, such terrible floods recently. Mother Nature is powerful and can cause a lot of damage and grief.
Hugs,
Mariette
That was quick action on everyone's part Mariette, what a rush. Floods are so frightening, we've had a few here in Perth lately, thankfully not too serious. John Miller was an amazing man, I see he passed earlier this year aged 91, he certainly had a full and eventful life 💜
ReplyDeleteDearest Grace,
DeleteThat indeed was a rush for getting out in time!
Yes, John Miller was a remarkable man of action.
Hugs,
Mariette