Since we couldn’t get the roof sheeting on last week due to poor weather, we returned to complete the task. However the wind speed was too high and just plain unsafe so we confirmed the internal wall placement, sliding door cavities, location of fireplace while Chris continued the mammoth task of completing the deck.
Friday 29th January 2016
We arrived at 9pm to a cold wind but managed to get all our tents up and pegged down. It had rained 22mm earlier in the day but the ground was still firm. The wind soon died down not long after arrival.
Saturday 30th January 2016
A day we won’t forget in a hurry….The day started like any normal day. Woken by sheep in the early hours, multiple coffees, brekky, talk shit and work as usual. It was a very warm morning not unlike previous summer days. Simone and I went for a walk to the dam looking for turtles but found something else.
At around 1230pm Simone and I left the property to get some ice from the service station and some chocolate bars. We turned the first corner and was met with black clouds. We hadn’t received a storm alert on the Weatherzone App but felt we needed to urgently return once we got ice. After our transaction I said to Simone “I think we need to hurry back and beat the storm”, the sky was angry!
On the 3km route, we were met by carnage, huge chunks of hail, storming wind and flying trees. I immediately put my hazard lights on and drove 30km/hr max! I pulled into our unsealed road but decided to park in an open section, the trees were swaying in the wind and were too dangerous to approach. Once the wind died we slowly made our way to our front gate. Huge chunks of hail covered the ground and our valley had been hit quite hard.
We drove down to the campsite where the boys were having drinks. They were ok thankfully and shot off a few target rounds while the storm passed.
Johnny installed my rain water guage on a post for me and we were lucky to be able to test it out almost immediately as another rain cloud passed.
We had our ice creams and chocolate bars and all went back to work. Simone and I had our went back to the Camper trailer for cold drinks and sit down and talk while the boys worked on their different sections of the cabin.
The sky had been looking cranky all afternoon up until about 2pm… when all hell broke loose. Simone and I were taking shelter in the Camper trailer awning constantly pushing large amounts of rain water and hail pooling off the roof. It was a calm storm at this point with just heavy rainfall and mild wind. When all of a sudden one of the annexe sidewalls blew out and was flapping around. The trailer door flung open and was flapping in the breeze, the other annexe wall flew up and I watched the poles turn into deadly spears. I launched myself at the left side wall to stop it blowing away eventually wrapping myself in it but my hat blew off and I started getting hit in the head with hail. Simone ran for help but the rest of the camper was picked up and demolished. I cut my losses and ran, I knew we couldn’t do anything more against this storm. I caught up to Simone and said “lets get under the cabin”. But as we crawled under the wind was howling through so hard the hail was like bullets. Sideways rain and hail! Our heads were protected by the bearers and lucky so because the wind tore pieces of rock off the boulders and flung them in the wind. I could see the boys under the carport which only has overhead protection. They were holding onto the metal sheets on the trailer as they had been unstrapped to install on the roof. As soon as I felt a break in the wind I told Simone we will make a run for the container, and just like that the break came and we bolted. I heard the boys saying something but I just kept running. I had to reef the container door open because the boys had closed it with the impending storm. Simone ran in with the Nail Gun and we were both drenched. Seconds later, Chris appears at the door yelling “first aid, first aid”, one of the steel sheets blew up and came down on Johnnys wrist, he had a purple golf ball injury on his right wrist. We fixed it with a trauma bandage then waited out the storm.
At 220pm we were finally able to leave the container and the sun had appeared down the bottom of the hill. Water was flowing over every surface of the property. Besides Johnnys wrist the only other casualty was our camper trailer…. Picked up and twisted and moved 4ft from its original place. A wheel lock the only mechanism that stopped it going further. The Waeco was wet through, everything had blown over, the bin tipped sending all our rubbish to as far as our gate.
We reset up the camper to find it was completely dry inside. However the main support struts were bent 45 degrees and the poles went through the canvas and flyscreens. We had a torn zipper on the feont window and the electrical junction box was smashed when the tailgate swung. We have been so meticulous with our canvas it was disheartening to see the damage.
Both boys were in the open during the storm and their arms resulted in huge red welts similar to a paintball gun. Chris’ shirt saved some of his skin but Johnny only has a singlet shirt and took the full force.
After fixing everything the best we could, Chris and Johnny went back to work. At about 4pm another gust picked up and blew the awning up over the camper. The ground was far too soft for the pegs to hold anything down, so we made the decision to pack it up and sleep in the Swag.
Dinner was cooked in the container as another storm approached. I was somewhat worried that the Swag wouldn’t hold out the water as it hadn’t been seasoned, so I grabbed out the bedding and threw it in the car. Good decision because water trickled into the swag. Hopefully it has had its first season however I will still be seasoning it again and adding some Scotchguard water repellent.
Chris and I slept in the car. I was surprisingly comfortable but Chris took the front passenger seat and I don’t think he had the best sleep ever.
Sunday 31st January 2016
Up at 730am for Coffees and a beautiful clear day. The storm took out the Optus network tower so we were unable to monitor the weather. Our neighbour who didn’t fare to well in the storm appears to have gone home overnight.
So our weekend progress looked like this:
It was definitely unsafe to be putting any roof sheets on this weekend but always other jobs we can complete.
Internal Walls in place, they will have sliding cavity doors to maximise space. Bedroom dividing wall still needs to be installed.
Chris has nearly finished the deck, he ran short of screws even after we all went for a search in the grass to locate more.
After the weekend, we are considering window protection for the main door and windows. Plus enclosing the deck railings – the original plan was stainless steel but now its looking like wood pickets or the like.
The cabin name: Worldsend, has become more appropriate than ever. I must say, while clinging on for life under the cabin, it did not creak, move or shudder at any point.
The local SES told us that we were hit by a Supercell and they don’t come around too often so hopefully we have seen the worst case scenario weatherwise and can make our changes to suit the conditions.
Driving home we saw the carnage left by the storm. Trees down and the vegetation blown off the hills. The grass had been flattened where the storm passed.
Creeks were full and flowing.
Hills bared of pasture
