Former Byron mayoral candidate Chris McIlrath reveals Main Arm flooding

An Upper Main Arm resident says he abandoned his car and trekked to his home in a desperate attempt to check on those he loved.

An Upper Main Arm resident dubbed “the original hippy” says he abandoned his car and walked kilometres to reach his home despite risks of deadly landslides.

One-time Byron Shire mayoral candidate Chris McIlrath was visiting Brisbane last week as a deadly weather system that wreaked havoc in the Sunshine State tracked south over the border.

Mr McIlrath soon realised the worsening situation would mean access into his hometown of 50 years could become an issue.

But never did he think it would become life-threatening.

His journey home from the city took the better part of a day as he was forced to detour out west through Murwillumbah and Uki in an attempt to gain access to the now-isolated area.

Upper Main Arm resident Chris McIlrath trekked for kilometres after his home was cut off by landslides.

“I think I was the only person who managed to come in over the hill just after the flooding,” Mr McIlrath, 71, said.

“It was a mess when I got here, there were huge piles of mud and massive piles of rocks, as well as all the cars that got washed away.

“I couldn’t get all the way in with my car, so I had to leave it and walk back in.”

He passed through streets lined with the flooded-battered vehicles of his fellow community members on his 6km journey.

With each step the sheer scale of the natural disaster became clearer.

“People are in shock, very great shock,” Mr McIlrath said.

The devastation across Upper Main Arm as cars remain littered across streets.

“These floods were much, much bigger than anything I’ve ever seen here, there are cars that have been washed away absolutely everywhere - there’s one behind us now,” he said.

His family’s caravan park was among the many properties to suffer severe damage.

“Several feet of water came through, one caravan washed into a tree, one campervan washed into oblivion, a guy woke up and there was water at his windscreen,” Mr McIlrath said.

“There were two people up the road up whose home was washed out in the middle of the night and they spent about two days up to their neck in mud.”

Car were washed away at Upper Main Arm.

“My neighbour whose car got washed away is a bit devastated, our local farmers are really concerned at the enormous clean-up required.”

His home still stands albeit covered in mould and with a few dozen holes in the roof.

His clean-up efforts will be hampered by his badly sprained shoulder, which is being supported by a sling.

Mr McIlrath sustained the nasty injury when his gumboots became caught in mud, causing him to trip and fall onto concrete.

“It wouldn’t of happened if there wasn’t this devastating flood, but I’ll get on with it,” he said.

The well-known identity said more support - physical and financial - was needed from the state and federal government.

“The community response, as far as I can perceive, has been far greater than any government response,” he said.

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Originally published as Former Byron mayoral candidate Chris McIlrath reveals Main Arm flooding