As we read about over 50% of Queensland being drought stricken, my heart bleeds for them...it is a tough and trying situation to be in and pray that their strength of character pulls them through.
After instagraming a photo of our Lake recently, a follower suggested I blog about it. In 2006, amidst ever increasingly dry conditions we began our business. My husbands parents retired and we felt very fortunate to be given an opportunity to buy into part of the family place.
However, like with all opportunities comes risk. Our crisis at the time was lack of water. Being so close to the ocean there is little to no underground water on the plain and very little in the hills (although what is there is very good water). My father-in-law drilled dozens of holes in the early 90s to no avail.
What we did have though was a couple of little dams, so increasing surface water was the only option.
The Springs Dam, aptly named because in its hay day there were free flowing springs feeding into it. That was when it rained every year and inches at a time. Historical averages were around 45 inches (1125mm). We had started calling them puddles, particularly since they had silted up over the years as well.
A site was planned out, below the Springs Dams. At the time it was our only surface water on the place in them so it was decided to go beyond them...the desire was strong to never be in this situation again. You can't make it rain but when it does you want to be able to capture and store it.
Col and and Paul Huntly were integral in building this Dam...there wasn't anyone we would have trusted more to do this job. They knew the country type and what we potentially might find as we dug deeper. Clay, sand, rock!
There was a fair bit of mud to begin with.
Now if you know nothing about machinery here is the lingo:
Dozer = Tractor
Scraper = Scoop
Elevator Scraper = Elevator Scoop
Open bowl Scaper = Open Bowler
Excavator = Digger
Dozer (wider than normal with big tracks ) = Swampy
They then started on the core trench of 200m x 80m was dug and filled with clay.
The boys and I would deliver food around 9...sometimes I would even get the call on the two way "I think we're ready for smoko Trude!" It was a great chance for them to get on the machines and have a little pretend play.
After the core trench was completed it was back to the hole.
I had really no concept of how big this Lake was going to be, how long it would take or how many men I would be feeding at any point in time...nievety can work in your favour in times like these!
We had an elevator scoop driven by Rex,
and then another elevator scaper when we gave Rex the flick driven by Andy,
and a D155 Tractor driven by Paul!
These machines make it look easy...
until you hit rock!
Fortunately blasting the rock was decided against with the boys working around the problem.
And of course Lachlan was delegated to the old open bowler!
The digger was gone by this stage and we had Greg on the open canopy tractor, whilst
Paul started work on the by wash.
It wasn't funny, but you would see the whip lash Lachlan copped every time the tractor would ram up the backside of the open bowler to fill it.
And I do forget how little these boys were at the time! Gee it was cold that year!
To get more dirt for the top of the bank they had to go around the side of the dam. This made it a lot easier than going deeper and made more sense cost wise.
The finished product.
I had been at playgroup for the day, it was cold and wet and the dam was virtually finished. Things were pretty dangerous by this stage, machines were slipping and with Lachlan suffering a type of vertigo from the scraper, all the boys were sick and tired of the mud and ready for home.
And then some rain came, just a enough to get us through.
On the 23rd of June, 2007 we called it a day.
The dozer had to be walked up to the top of the ridge...it went down in the boggy clay!
The scraper did too!
But more importantly we punched a hole in the old Springs dam and let the water into the new one. It was a pity I missed them doing this. The turtles floating out of the old dam into the new one was apparently an incredible sight!
I don't have the words to describe to you the relief...if I was a novel writer I could but to be honest I was just so damn pleased for him and proud. It had been a successful mission. About 12 weeks of me asking..."If we got rain tomorrow..." and the response was always "Now Trude we wouldn't want rain tomorrow...because...".
The boys were seemingly oblivious to the strain, although when your 2 year old screams out when hearing the first spots of rain "It's raining!"and the 4 year old responds with "now we don't have to sell the cattle" you know they have been absorbing their fair share of it!
That was the last time it rained until New Years Eve. We couldn't go anywhere, it was desperate. We had calculated approximately 2 weeks worth of water left...I would pray every night, because what else could I do...there isn't a thing anybody can do to help except support you...my brother, my Mum and Dad and a couple of really good friends would call me every other week! I am eternally grateful still for those phone calls.
And then over the next month or so it gradually filled up.
Just the way you want a dam to fill, slowly!
It's official name is "Lake Hun Hun".
Drewe used to call Paul, Hun Hun (Huntly). Every night he would say "Hey Hun Hun"!
In general conversations we call it "The Dam"...
Today it is a pristine environment, for birdlife, fish and turtles and of course it waters 90% of the place.
it is also a place for escaping pet dogs to cool off in those hot summer months!
The lotus lillies have a massive spread on now...they are like a water filter too. The water is so clean.
The 36km of poly, the 7 tanks and troughs and the two solar pump systems means that our budget on water was blown but it will continue to pay for itself over our lifetime anyway.
I leave you with a poem written by my son recently for English...it encapsulates the Lake beautifully!
On the massive,
important dam
In the searing,
summer’s sunlight
I can see:
Small waves whipping
over the water
The annoying flies
buzzing around (I wish they were shorter)
The birds chirping in
the nests,
The purplish-red lotus
flowers in bloom
Wood ducks stay here, I
assume.
I can feel:
Peacefulness in the
surrounding air
Feeling really safe
without a care
A perfect property of
which to be proud
Below each fluffy white
cloud.
I can hear:
Noisy birds chirping
crazily
Gleaming water running
rapidly
Gum leaves flying
through the air
Cool wind rushing
through my hair.
