‘It smells like a swamp’: Inside the sewage-soaked home of a flooded family in Currajong

The stench hits first but the health risks could linger far longer. See why experts say exposure to raw sewage after repeat flooding could be putting vulnerable Townsville residents in danger.

Fiona Wilkinson’s family home in Currajong was transformed into a sewage-filled disaster zone during the flash flooding on Wednesday morning. Picture: Natasha Emeck

The unmistakeable stench of raw sewage hits you the moment you step into Fiona Wilkinson’s flood-ravaged Currajong home – and that’s before you see the soaked mattresses in her kids’ rooms still reeking of human waste.

At 3am on Wednesday, Ms Wilkinson’s life was turned upside down yet again as flash flooding swallowed her home, filling it with knee-high water laced with filth.

“It smells like a swamp,” she said grimly, standing among the wreckage of her living room.

“We can’t even stay here anymore. We can’t return here. We’ve been dealing with this repeatedly and there’s just not much left now.”

This is the third time this year her home has gone under – after being hit on January 31 and again on February 6. But she says this latest deluge was the most devastating yet.

“It’s just me and my kids and my pets. We’ve lost so much. It’s just us now and lots of mess.”

Fiona Wilkinson's home in Currajong had raw sewage in the floodwater the rushed through on Wednesday.

The flood didn’t just destroy their belongings. It wiped out the family’s four cars too, none of which can be started.

“That morning is just a big blur, we didn’t even go to sleep,” she said.

“We were just wading through water and the rain wasn’t stopping. The water just kept rising. We just got out, I got the kids out and we just had to go.”

Ms Wilkinson believes much of the damage could have been avoided – and she’s pointing the finger at Townsville City Council.

The road in front of Fiona Wilkinson's home in Currajong on Wednesday.

She says the council-owned land behind her house is meant to be for drainage, but it’s been left to overgrow, choke with dirt and clog with debris from large trees – causing a backup every time heavy rain hits.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” she said. “I’ve reached out to the council about this so many times, but nothing’s been done. I’m beyond disappointed.”

A council spokesman said they were aware of the issues on the council land that were impacting Ms Wilkinson’s property.

Fiona Wilkinson's home in Currajong had raw sewage in the floodwater the rushed through on Wednesday.

He said they recently completed works to increase the drainage in the area but after the recent floods they plan on completing further works including tree pruning in the months to come.

Experts say the Wilkinson family’s situation is far more than an inconvenience – it’s a serious public health hazard.

Dr Stephen Donoghue from the Townsville Public Health Unit warned that people should always assume floodwater is contaminated with sewage and treat it accordingly.

He said raw sewage with various bacteria and viruses can put you at risk of contracting things like gastrointestinal infections, diarrhoea, and potentially hepatitis.

The flooded council land next to her home Currajong on Wednesday

“If your own toilet overflows at home, that includes a lot of the germs that are already within your own household but if you’re dealing with flood contaminated flood waters that’s worse because it’s the general population, and it could be all sorts of bugs that are not already in your intestines,” he said.

“We’re in an era where there are a lot of drug-resistant bacteria that we used to be able to treat easily, and it’s getting harder and harder to treat them.”

Meanwhile, Professor Jeff Warner, a microbiologist at James Cook University, said long-term exposure to raw sewage could have dire health effects – especially for people with chronic conditions like diabetes or kidney disease.

And as severe weather becomes more frequent in North Queensland, he highlighted the need to look at more long term solutions.

“We obviously need sewage systems that are going to be robust enough to deal with potential increases in rainfall and flooding events,” he said.

“How can you have a sustainable sewage system when the water table is so close to the surface in places that constantly flood?”

Originally published as ‘It smells like a swamp’: Inside the sewage-soaked home of a flooded family in Currajong