The Todd is flowing.... - Page 2

Outbackjack · 18-01-2007, 01:14 PM

Sorry to dredge up an old thread. But, since the Todd has almost cut the Alice in half, I thought that another picture of the Todd might be of interest...... Cheers all, from a very water logged outback.

MO · 18-01-2007, 09:32 PM

And its even higher now.

Ringo · 19-01-2007, 12:52 PM

Wow....interesting pics....never been to the Alice, or Darwin or anything like that.

Outbackjack · 19-01-2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ringo

Wow....interesting pics....never been to the Alice, or Darwin or anything like that.

The Alice and Darwin are both quite unique places. But sadly the Alice is, not so slowly, going down the toilet.

pennybrain · 19-01-2007, 02:01 PM

Whys the Alice going down the toilet?
I have been to Darwin, Katherine and Kakadu but never made it as far down as Alice. Would love to do it one day though.

Outbackjack · 19-01-2007, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pennybrain

Whys the Alice going down the toilet?
I have been to Darwin, Katherine and Kakadu but never made it as far down as Alice. Would love to do it one day though.

Why is Alice going down the toilet? I will answer this as diplomatically and as honest as possible, as many people dont like nor want to hear the truth.

The Alice has around 23,000 people living here. These are the people that are on the electoral role and are living in proper houses. These are what we would call working families (you know what I mean, Mum and Dad a couple of kids and a cat and dog). Then there are about 5 to 6 thousand illiterate, itinerate, un-employable people with serious health and drinking problems. That makes for a rather un-safe and un-pleasant situation for everyone. To make it worse the local mayor has said that she has plans to bring about 6000 more of these people into town. She wants a 50/50 town by 2010. Great. This is what I mean by going down the toilet not so slowly.
I hope this answers your question.

Cheers.

MO · 19-01-2007, 09:58 PM

Time to get out mate..or change the political scene..seems Fran has lost the plot or is cowtowing to pressure from Claire.

Outbackjack · 19-01-2007, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MO

Time to get out mate..or change the political scene..seems Fran has lost the plot or is cowtowing to pressure from Claire.

Both would be true.......

In that picture that I put up of some people sitting in the Todd, its a bit hard to make out, but the guy on the right is holding a baby. If this was happening in Sydney there would be hell to pay.

TUF514 · 19-01-2007, 10:23 PM

i havent been to the alice in a long time.

just a question, where do the aboriginies sleep when the Todd is up?

Outbackjack · 19-01-2007, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TUF514

i havent been to the alice in a long time.

just a question, where do the aboriginies sleep when the Todd is up?

Parks, the Todd Mall, people's front yards, humpies in the bush. But never too far from the two main pubs. We usually have an emergency or two when the Todd rush's down. Those that have seen the Todd fill up will know how fast it goes from a sandy bank to a raging torrent. When you have "sleeping" people in the river and rain in the catchment area (out Arltunga way) it can lead to some tragic out comes. Luckily this didnt happen this time.

Powdered Toast Man · 19-01-2007, 10:37 PM

My old man took a pic of the no swimming sign when we were up there 10 years ago. Should have sent it into funny photos or something. Where were you supposed to swim, in the sand lol.?

rodderz · 19-01-2007, 10:45 PM

Last night when nothing was on telly I got stuck channel flicking on a show on either ABC or SBS about the making of the movie "10 Canoes", which is about a particular tribe of aborigines up in central arnhem land and how they lived the start of last century. I havent seen the movie but the doco was very interesting.... the community were a bit similar to the ones in Alice with the usual problems but when the film maker asked them about making a movie about their heritage and being actors in it they really got involved, for thei kids and to show others what their relatives did.

Maybe this sort of thing could help other communities out to keep their tradition alive so people know about it, and would help them out too

TUF514 · 19-01-2007, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

Parks, the Todd Mall, people's front yards, humpies in the bush. But never too far from the two main pubs. We usually have an emergency or two when the Todd rush's down. Those that have seen the Todd fill up will know how fast it goes from a sandy bank to a raging torrent. When you have "sleeping" people in the river and rain in the catchment area (out Arltunga way) it can lead to some tragic out comes. Luckily this didnt happen this time.

You call it a tragedy. I call it progress!

My old man lives there. I hope i never have to go there again.

Outbackjack · 19-01-2007, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodderz

Last night when nothing was on telly I got stuck channel flicking on a show on either ABC or SBS about the making of the movie "10 Canoes", which is about a particular tribe of aborigines up in central arnhem land and how they lived the start of last century. I havent seen the movie but the doco was very interesting.... the community were a bit similar to the ones in Alice with the usual problems but when the film maker asked them about making a movie about their heritage and being actors in it they really got involved, for thei kids and to show others what their relatives did.

Maybe this sort of thing could help other communities out to keep their tradition alive so people know about it, and would help them out too

That movie is very well done indeed. I dont know what the answer is, but these people have to "want" to change. White Australia can do nothing to help.

Outbackjack · 19-01-2007, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TUF514

You call it a tragedy. I call it progress!

My old man lives there. I hope i never have to go there again.

Thats a bit harsh. These are human beings after all. But I do get angry when I see little kids being introduced into the never ending cycle.

r8response · 20-01-2007, 01:03 AM

We need a government that will stand up and take responsibility, and try and make change. unfortunately i don't think that'll ever happen as long as claire is in office.

Outbackjack · 20-01-2007, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r8response

We need a government that will stand up and take responsibility, and try and make change. unfortunately i don't think that'll ever happen as long as claire is in office.

I think that there nothing that any government, or you or me can do. They must to it themselves. They are consenting adults. They must take responsibility for them selves.

Interceptor · 20-01-2007, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

I think that there nothing that any government, or you or me can do. They must to it themselves. They are consenting adults. They must take responsibility for them selves.

so speaks the father of all optimists!

The Lone Ranger · 11-01-2015, 05:29 PM

Eight years must be some kind of record for a thread mine....but so it is again. The Todd is flowing.

Darren

Simple6 · 11-01-2015, 07:34 PM

It sure does! Apparently the highest rainfall and flow since 1988.

Here's a picture I took a few nights ago now.

The next night after this was worse for the CBD area, but the river didn't flow as high at the point where the above photo was taken. Only 1 of the 5 ways to cross the river were open that allow travel between the eastern and western side of town. At the moment 2 of the 5 are open, but it'll likely be a couple more days apparently until the other 3 can be opened (river bed roads).

It's great because most people in the town comes out to watch so it's a big attraction for the town.

Just remember the rule - witness the river flow 3 times separately and you're a local!

4stanger · 11-01-2015, 08:25 PM

Where does that water in the Todd flow to?
(I know it has to eventually ends up in the sea, But via where?)

Simple6 · 11-01-2015, 10:01 PM

Well according to Wikipedia it'll snake down through the Simpson Desert then jointhe Hale River before becoming apart of Lake Ayre.

To be honest I just thought it joined the Finke River and just sort of distributed itself through the land and sunk down seeing as the water source only lasts a couple of days.

bobthebilda · 12-01-2015, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simple6

Well according to Wikipedia it'll snake down through the Simpson Desert then jointhe Hale River before becoming apart of Lake Ayre..

And if it makes it to Lake Eyre, there it stays, since Lake Eyre is below sea level.

Bushbasher · 12-01-2015, 11:30 PM

I lived there for 18 months in the late 90's and saw it flood 3 times. I lived on one side of the river and worked on the other and used the causeway on Schwartz Cr. to commute. I remember one day on my way home for lunch pulling up in the middle of the causeway and watching the head of the water flow creeping down the creek bed till it passed under my car. 45 minutes later on the way back it was 10m wide and 15cm deep and by the end of the day the road was closed and it was flowing fast and nearly a metre deep. By the next morning it was up to the underside of the roadway at the bridge at the Todd Tavern and roaring along. 2 days later it was gone and the roads were open again.