The following letter to the editor left on the cutting room floor at the Sydney Morning Herald...I guess it's a little long, but it could have been much longer! Passing ABC Journalists please take note and perhaps refrain from use of the word "unprecedented" unless it actually is.
Dear Editor,
In this age when point and click research is available 24/7/365 it is surprising that Dean Driscoll (Letters 20/1) needs help with his history. A search for flood on the National Library's online Newspaper archive produces over 600,000 results, while the word drought, 300,000. This seasons disastrous and widespread floods are not unique but have occurred numerous times. Of note are the following headlines from the Sydney Morning Herald February-March 1893: "Trememdous downpour in Toowoomba" "Terrible Floods in Queensland", "Floods in the Tweed District", "Flood in the Clarence", "Floods expected in the Hunter", "Grafton Flooded", "The flood in the Richmond", "Another terrible flood in Brisbane", "Lismore Flooded", "A flood at Bowral", "Heavy Flood at Bega", "Great Flood at Branxton", "Disastrous Flood at Maitland", "Great Floods in New Zealand".
For February 1928 the following headlines are notable:
“A tropical Downpour streets converted to rivers” The Adelaide Advertiser Thursday 2 February 1928
“Heavy Storms in Riverina” The Sydney Morning Herald Monday 6 February 1928
“Floods in New South Wales. Stock and fencing washed away” The Advertiser Monday 6 February 1928
“DANGER OF FLOODS. Yea and Goulburn Bridges.” The Argus Tuesday 7 February 1928
“RAIN IN QUEENSLAND. SHIPPING DISORGANISED. Floods in Some Areas.” The Argus Thursday 9 February 1928
“STORMS IN THE COUNTRY. ARMIDALE” The Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday 7 February 1928
“Rivers rising. Deluge in South Queensland” The Brisbane Courier Wednesday 8 February 1928
“FLOODS IN QUEENSLAND MUCH DAMAGE REPORTED” Barrier Miner Thursday 9 February 1928
“Queensland Storms. Low lying country Flooded” The Advertiser Wednesday 8 February 1928
“Brisbane floods warnings issued” Barrier Miner Friday 10 February 1928
“Yarra in Flood. Nine Feet rise.” The Argus 17 February 1928
“Cyclone at Tweed Heads” The Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 15 February 1928
“Floods in North and South” The Sydney Morning Herald Friday 17 February 1928
“Phenomenal Rain, Narrandera” The Sydney Morning Herald Friday 17 February 1928
“Water over banks. Position at Maclean” The Sydney Morning Herald Friday 17 February 1928
“One Huge Lake, Breadalbane Plains. Goulburn” The Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 18 February 1928
“Terrific Storm. Damage at Glen Innes” The Brisbane Courier Wednesday 15 February 1928
“Grafton’s Plight” The Brisbane Courier Thursday 16 February 1928
“Casino Flooded” The Brisbane Courier Thursday 16 February 1928
“Landslides near Lismore” The Brisbane Courier Friday 17 February 1928
“Tropical Storm. Victoria suffers heavily” The Mercury Wednesday 15 February 1928
“Floods in many parts Brisbane” Cairns Post Wednesday 15 February 1928
“Ármidale Flooded” Barrier Miner Thursday 16 February 1928
“Serious Heavy rains. Broken Hill isolated from South Australia” The Advertiser Friday 17 February 1928
“Condamine in Flood” The Brisbane Courier Friday 17 February 1928
“Rivers Rising In high flood” The Brisbane Courier Saturday 18 February 1928
“Capital Territory Flooded” The Brisbane Courier Saturday 18 February 1928
“Deluges and Floods in Queensland and New South Wales” The Brisbane Courier Saturday 18 February 1928
“Victoria – rivers Still rising” The Sydney Morning Herald Monday 20 February
“Orange Flooded” The Sydney Morning Herald Monday 20 February
A DOWNPOUR. 7 INCHES IN FOUR HOURS PHENOMENAL FAILS ON DOWNS. TOOWOOMBA The Brisbane Courier Monday 20 February 1928
GRAFTON FLOODED. CLARENCE BREAKS ITS RANKS. HUNDREDS OF ACRES SUBMERGED. TREMENDOUS DAMAGE. The Brisbane Courier Monday 20 February 1928
“Bundaberg Wharves Covered” The Brisbane Courier Tuesday 21 February 1928
“Rains in South Australia. Pastoral country flooded” Western Argus Tuesday 21 February 1928
“The Series of storms in four states” Cairns Post Monday 20 February
“In South Australia much damage is reported” Barrier Miner Monday 20 February
“Central Kempsey Flooded” Barrier Miner Monday 20 February
“Maryborough Flooded” The Canberra Tines Wednesday 22 February
“Water through windows, West Wyalong” The Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 22 February
How about 10 days in January 1934?
Lismore deluged Kyogle in darkness The Courier Mail Tuesday 2 January 1934
Tweed Flood Feared The Courier Mail Tuesday 2 January 1934
Queensland Storms Floods delay trains. Bridges under water The Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday 2 January
Thunder Storms cause damage. Lithgow The Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday 2 January
Floods in Melbourne Suburbs Western Argus Tuesday 2 January
Heavy Thunderstorms damage in South Australia Western Argus Tuesday 2 January
Floods wreak havoc in California The Courier Mail Wednesday 3 January
Storm ravages border areas, shops flooded in Kyogle The Courier Mail Wednesday 3 January
Flood in Burdekin The Courier Mail Wednesday 3 January
Floods in Queensland The Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 3 January
Melbourne Streets resemble canals The Mercury Wednesday 3 January
Queensland Rivers in flood The Advertiser Wednesday 3 January
Canberra Isolated by Road The Courier Mail Tuesday 9 january
Wangaratta suffers large flood expected The Argus Monday 8 January
It's not called the land of drought and flooding rains for nothing, maybe there's something to this history caper afterall!
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