Gold Coast landslides: 2005 rainfall destroyed Currumbin street

Heavy rain caused a significant landslip that heavy damaged a southern Gold Coast street, causing residents to fear their hillside haven would become “another Thredbo”.

THE Gold Coast yet again has endured another walloping in the past week courtesy of the weather.

Residents and holiday-makers last weekend woke up to the sights of water cascading down suburban streets like inland rivers.

There was even the stunning vision of some adventurous people piloting their tinnies down streets where cars would normally be driving.

Flooding at Keebra Park on January 18. Picture: Andrew Potts

It was just the latest in a series of weather events the Coast has witnessed over the decades.

Who could forget the 1974 flooding event or ex-Tropical Cylcone Oswald which hit seven years ago next week, devastating parts of the Hinterland.

But in the fallout of this event Gold Coasters were also warned the danger of landslips continued to be a major issue.

The 1974 flood at Labrador.

The Bulletin revealed this week that almost 53,000 properties on the Gold Coast were identified as having landslide hazards.

The properties were included on a confidential attachment given to councillors at a planning committee earlier this week.

The proposed landslide hazard overlay map is similar to those used to determine bushfire and flooding hot spots.

Previously, 38,129 properties were deemed to be a moderate or higher landslide susceptibility risk.

The flooding saw much of the hill fall away.

These findings came 15 years after the Coast was hit by another wild storm which brought with it the danger of landslips.

A “one in 100 year” storm event occurred on June 30, 2005, bringing with it devastating flood waters which claimed two lives.

The surprise midwinter storm was notable for the destruction it wrought on the houses at Currumbin’s Lansell Ave.

The flooding caused significant damage to the area. Picture: Michael Ross

A major landslide occurred there, where two of the four homes were initially believed to be a great risk after rain washed trees, decks, fencing and even a spa down a 20m ravine towards the back of the Currumbin Sanctuary.

Residents were evacuated and feared the area could become “another Thredbo” referencing the 1997 landslide in the NSW ski town.

Homeowner Roger Bell said he was worried the problem could become bogged down with insurance companies and the Gold Coast City Council putting it in the “too hard basket”.

Roger Bell in front of his Lansell Ave home at Currumbin where part of house fell down the hill.

``This could become another Thredbo. We have no idea how safe our homes are now and one of my neighbours has lost a great deal of earth from under his house, which must be a huge worry to him,’’ he said.

The landslip led to a row between the council and State Government over who was responsible for the damage.

Premier Peter Beattie said the State Government would not pay compensation because affected homes were repairable and the slip damage was the responsibility of the council and insurance companies.

Damage to the back of the properties. Picture: Michael Ross

But then-city planning chairman Cr Ted Shepherd washed the council’s hands of the issue, saying it was for residents and their insurers to sort out.

A Brisbane geotechnical firm employed by insurers of residents said the downside of the destroyed Lansell Ave was “fill”, cut from the hill to fill the council road, and more prone to slippage.

A report from Morrison Geotechnics Pty Ltd to insurers will also say stormwater pipes were inefficient, some sewerage lines were not properly connected, and roof water played a significant role in the landslide.

The clean-up took nearly a year.

In the aftermath of the floods, a report to the Gold Coast City Council from May 31, 1959 was uncovered, showing it was dangerous to build houses on Currumbin Hill because of the possibility of landslips

Then-Mayor Ron Clarke agreed later that houses should never have been built on the hill.

But just a month later, in August 2005 the council again approved developments on the hill.

Finally, in 2007 the council spent $2 million to build a retaining wall in the hopes of preventing further landslides.