path closed due to flooding...

Back in August, we had some fairly heavy rain in the north-east of the state. Usually, this means we end up with a lot of water draining through the Esk Rivers, and ultimately the Tamar. Richie's Mill, which sits a few metres above the high tide level of the Tamar & South Esk confluence, looks fine. This time, it was probably a tad close for comfort, as the sign & debris indicate the water came up over this section of boardwalk.

We have things in place in Launceston to avoid widespread damage from flooding, however eagle-eyed locals will have noted there are a few buildings that exist on the other side of the flood levees...

Water

 

It doesn't happen often - usually the water trickles, rather than flows through - but when we've had a bit of rain in the north-east, the South Esk beats a furious path through Cataract Gorge. In a month or so, they'll contrive such conditions for a white-water kayaking event, by letting more water over Trevallyn Dam.

Whether by nature or by design, it's always a fearsomely jolly sight when the Gorge is "in flood".

Dolerite in the Gorge

Dolerite is rife in Tasmania. Rampant. Come to Launceston, and pick up a rock - chances are good that it's dolerite. In fact, an eminent geologist once wrote an entire book about it which he titled "The Rock Which Makes Tasmania". It's not mere hyperbole - dolerite caps our mountains, dominates our soils, and is quarried for our roads. Tourists come from all over to take photos of columnar jointed dolerite at the Cataract Gorge (as above), on Mount Wellington, and along the Tasman Peninsula. Some of our best rivers and waterways are flanked by the stuff.

It even describes the geological history of Tasmania - this is a rock that was born from the moment when Tasmania and Antarctica finally said goodbye to a united Gondwana, and the fact we can see so much of it is mostly because glaciers in the last few ice ages scraped all the overlying rocks away.

Yes, dolerite is awesome. It's not unique to Launceston or Tasmania, but we do the stuff better (and in larger quantities) than anywhere else in the world. True.

wishing well

Wishing well at the cliff-grounds side of the Gorge. This side of the reserve is heavily modified to resemble a "traditional" English-style park - lots of big trees, grassy areas, and rhododendrons. Oh, and peacocks.

I've never felt the urge to throw money into wishing wells, but there always seem to be a few coins in the bottom of this one.

The Gorge

Barely a 10 minute walk from the city centre is the entrance to the Cataract Gorge. Almost declared a national park many years ago, it's the natural centrepiece of town. As well as this, it's a popular recreation area, and I have been known to spend some time walking there myself...

Lots of water in the Gorge

This was taken a few months ago, when the Cataract Gorge was in one of it's infrequent flooding phases. It's happened quite a few times in recent years, thanks to some heavy rains in the north-east (the headwater of both the North and South Esk Rivers).

If memory serves correct, in this instance residents of Invermay (a former swamp barely above sea level) were told to be prepared in case the city's flood levees failed. In the end, it was a bit of a fizzer, but I assume it was a bloody relief for those living in Invermay.