Karalee saw a new flood level in 2011

FIVE years sounds like a long time, but for residents of one of the worst-hit areas of the 2011 Ipswich floods, that rotten taste of mud and water-logged floorboards is only just starting to die.

FIVE YEARS ON: Steve McCartan with his son Tyce. Picture: Contributed

FIVE years sounds like a long time, but for residents of one of the worst-hit areas of the 2011 Ipswich floods, that rotten taste of mud and water-logged floorboards is only just starting to die.

Situated near the junction of the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers, residents of Queensborough Pde at Karalee were different from many other 2011 flood victims in that the water level exceeded that of the infamous 1974 disaster.

Residents like Steve McCartan described being able to see the water rising from either end of the street on the night before their houses disappeared underwater.

There was little time to pack up belongings before the water got so high that a boat would have been the only way to escape.

"We had no idea what was coming," Mr McCartan said.

"We knew that the '74 flood didn't even come up to the house, but the morning before it flooded, you could see it was going to be bad."

Mr McCartan, his wife and two children were faced with packing up and leaving their home of three years.

They filled a couple of trailers with their belongings and put some items up on top of tables.

Later they would find out that the flood went up almost to the tip of their roof.

"We just had a new-born child - Tyce was only six weeks old then," Mr McCartan said.

"We ended up spending six weeks with the in-laws, then someone gave us a caravan and we lived in our backyard for a while.

"When I look back on that time it was all just a blur. Tyce's childhood was all absorbed into that time."

Like many other families affected by flood, the McCartans were left out in the cold by their insurance company.

They used an initial state government flood grant to rebuild their bathroom, then waited on more financial assistance to get their laundry done.

"The government sent some people around to assess the place and they ended up giving us just enough for materials to rebuild the house," Mr McCartan said.

"We were just lucky that I am a chippy and I know some other tradesmen. I don't know how half the other people got by, because we just scraped in by the skin of our teeth."

Although they considered trying to sell the property, the family decided they had invested too much blood, sweat and tears into the old girl.

It has taken time, but they are just starting to feel like they are at home again.

As it was in most flood-affected areas across Ipswich, the recovery in Karalee and Barellan Point was characterised by the way the community came together in a time of crisis.

A stranger rebuilt the McCartan family's outdoor pool table for free, while there was no shortage of volunteers offering food and setting up barbecues during the clean-up process.

"The Aussie spirit just kicked in," Mr McCartan said.

"People were trying to make it a bit of fun instead of all doom and gloom."

The flood clean up begins at Queensborough Pde, Karalee. Picture: Sarah Harvey

A HUNDRED metres closer to the Bremer River, Rahman Deen's family home was another to disappear under water in January, 2011.

Mr Deen and his family sheltered in the North Ipswich Mosque while they waited for Queensborough Pde to open up again.

"We could see the water was coming towards us very quickly," he said.

"We grabbed a few things - we grabbed what we could - and went to our local church.

"The next day we heard that the water went right up over the roof. I didn't want to believe it."

It took several days before enough mud was cleared from the street so that residents could get back into their homes to assess the damage.

For the Deens, it was a scene of utter devastation.

It took 12 months for the family to rebuild the home.

Despite the heartache, Mr Deen said he took some comfort from the way the community came out in support of flood victims.

"There certainly were positives," he said.

"Everyone helped one another. We saw the community effort and we saw the good in people."