Carrara ‘waterfront development’ sign’s ironic double meaning as Qld site flooded

The Queensland floods have brought new meaning to the term ‘waterfront views’, with a Gold Coast development mocked after disappearing completely.

A site approved for a $2B village that advertises ‘waterfront development’ has ironically been submerged amid generational floods in Queensland.

The sign proudly boasts of a ‘25ha approved waterfront development site’, in Carrara, near the Gold Coast, while standing in a deep basin of water that resembles a lake.

Originally posted on Reddit, Australian users mocked the ironic sight.

“Drowning in your bed has never been less affordable!”, one quipped.

“Finally – truth in advertising for real estate”, wrote another.

This is not the first time the site has made the news for its flooding dramas.

A development application for the site that proposed eight buildings, the highest being 19 storeys, was met with a harsh response from Gold Coast City Council.

The 2013 document mandated there be two lifeboats, warning lights and three days worth of food rations for residents in order for the project to go ahead.

Deputy mayor Donna Gates told the Brisbane Times at the time: “We do need developments of this nature to cope with our growing population, but for my part the [2011] Queensland floods were a reminder to us all of the huge responsibility we have when looking at applications to ensure the community is protected.”

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A sign for a Gold Coast commercial development has been mocked for its 'waterfront' views after the site was inundated by floodwaters. Picture: Reddit

“I was against plans to develop that site from day one and I still am,” Cr Bob La Castra told The Gold Coast Bulletin in 2015.

“This proposal is just beyond comprehension.”

Southeast Queensland has been inundated this week, with unrelenting, heavy downpours overflowing the Brisbane River and putting tens of thousands of homes at risk.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Tuesday Brisbane had received 80 per cent of its average yearly rainfall in the space of just three days.

“In two to three days, 80 per cent of the rainfall that Brisbane would usually receive [in a year] was during that period and we have over 30 suburbs across the southeast that received over 1000 millimetres,” she said.

“That’s phenomenal.”

Rain has begun to ease across much of battered southeast Queensland, but major flood alerts remain in place, with experts warning of a new “peak” for Brisbane River.

Multiple towns and hundreds of Brisbane suburbs faced evacuation orders yesterday, as flood waters inundated homes and businesses.

More than 15,000 homes were estimated to be impacted yesterday and more than 51,000 people were without power.

Eight people have died in the floods, and several people are believed to be missing.

-With Ally Foster