Local flood knowledge captured on film for future preparation

Goondiwindi Regional Council presents a series of six short videos capturing detailed local flood knowledge from primary producers across the Goondiwindi Region. The project aims to help rural residents and businesses hear firsthand from those who have lived through flood events in their area and help them to prepare for future events.

Will Ramsay one of the presenters in the series of six videos.

Each video captures locality-specific experience and advice from Bungunya, Talwood, Texas and Toobeah/Lundavra.

The Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM, chairs Council’s Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) and noted that the release of this information leading into summer was important.

“Flood events remain a significant risk, and capturing local experience plays a vital role in strengthening community preparedness.”

“We are extremely grateful to the locals who have generously agreed to take part in this project to record their own flood experiences and share real, lived-through advice with other Goondiwindi Region residents,” Cr Springborg added.

“Our region is no stranger to flood events. A slow-moving flood event out at Talwood in the west of the region unfolds very differently from the flood risk in Yelarbon, which is different again to Texas or Inglewood.”

“This project is about trying to capture and preserve some of that on-the-ground, sometimes generational knowledge of the different river systems and catchment areas that affect our region, and how those systems usually behave during a flood, and how people can best prepare for the future.”

Cr Susie Kelly, Councils portfolio holder for Community Facilities and Rural Services, and Deputy Chair of LDMG said the videos are a valuable practical tool for landholders and anyone working in rural areas.

“The knowledge shared in these videos is incredibly useful for anyone living or working on the land,” Cr Kelly said. “It’s real, lived experience that can help people make informed decisions and better understand the flood risks in their area.”

The five-minute videos provide specific, contextual advice about how flood events typically unfold in one locality, and how to prepare for a flood event in that area. The featured primary producers share varying information, such as which river gauges they monitor, the apps or social media pages they use to monitor upstream rainfall, how long an area is typically cut off from town, and more.

“This kind of information is so valuable - especially for those new to the region, farm workers, or those simply looking to further their knowledge about their locality,” Cr Springborg said.

“I think people can wrongly assume that every rural resident has lived where they do for generations and know the country inside-out, but of course, there are always new people moving to the region as well as hundreds of people from outside the region coming here for work,” he said.

“This project preserves that knowledge for the future while helping people take responsibility for their flood preparation.”

Council received Queensland Government funding to record and produce the six videos.

A two-page flyer with key takeaways and specific advice for each featured locality accompanies each video. The videos further complement a suite of available Council resources for primary producers around disaster preparedness, including a Farm Flood Readiness Kit with a checklist of actions to prepare for floods in rural locations.

Council encourages property owners and farm managers to share these free resources with their staff, seasonal workers and contractors to help build a more flood-ready workforce across the region.