After the flood: legacy lives on three decades later

On this day 30 years ago, a rapidly rising Warrego River inundated Charleville. When it came time to pick up the pieces, restoration efforts left a legacy which lives on today.

George Balsillie's boat moored in front of the Charleville Police Station. Saturday, April 21, 1990. Charleville 1990 flood.

IT WAS the disaster which forever changed Charleville, leaving no home or business unscathed in its wake.

On April 21, 1990, the Warrego River hit a record peak of 8.54m after heavy rainfall lashed the west for a month straight.

Its rise was unprecedented, and many were caught out by its speed, forced to wait to be rescued on rooftops before being evacuated to the airport – the highest ground in town.

Nearly 1500 homes were hit by the flood, along with 150 businesses.

Three decades later, the memories of the 1990 flood remain clearly etched in locals’ minds, and their photos remain to tell the story.

A couple cling to a helicopter's rescue lifeline. Charleville 1990 flood.

Former state MP Howard Hobbs vividly remembers when the floodwaters came at a frightening pace.

“It really hit home for us when we hard reports from upstream around the Nive River, when as much as six inches had fallen up there,” he said.

“It came through both Bradley’s Gully and the Warrego River at once, and when that happens, there are catastrophic circumstances – and that’s what it was at the time.

“Charleville had a lot of water, and it was devastating; there were a lot of people sitting on roofs … there were people in boats, and some were even walking to get out.

“It was really traumatic for all of those people, because they weren’t expecting it – the bridge in the middle of town was cut, and when the other bridge over Bradley’s Gully was cut, that sort of locked people inside.

“After that, the only way to get across was to swim, get a boat, or be picked up (by helicopter).”

A group of people on top of the Victoria Hotel kitchen, waiting for a rescue helicopter. Charleville 1990 flood.

This week, a commemoration of the flood and the town’s recovery would have gone ahead if not for COVID-19. Instead, we should remember not only the devastation, but how the community came together in recovery, with the help of a volunteer army, and another unlikely source.

“People came from everywhere to help; they brought their tools and brooms and mops to give people a hand, and it was a really wonderful thing,” Mr Hobbs said.

“We even started the first work camp: the prisoners were sent out from Brisbane to help. There were a few rows (politically), but everyone tried their best and I think we ended up with a good outcome.”

Charleville became the blueprint for the work camps in Queensland as they exist today; in total there are 14 statewide, including the original in Charleville, which continues to make contributions to the community three decades on.

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