Floods in South Australia 1836–2005 David McCarthy Tony Rogers Keith Casperson Project Manager: David McCarthy Book Editor: Tony Rogers DVD Editor: Keith Casperson © Commonwealth of Australia 2006 This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and no commercial usage or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those indicated above, requires the prior written permission of the Commonwealth available through the Commonwealth Copyright Administration or posted at http://www.ag.gov.au/cca Commonwealth Copyright Administration. Attorney-General’s Department Robert Garran Offices National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 Australia Telephone: +61 2 6250 6200 Facsimile: +61 2 6250 5989 Please note that this permission does not apply to any photograph, illustration, diagram or text over which the Commonwealth of Australia does not hold copyright, but which may be part of or contained within the material specified above. Please examine the material carefully for evidence of other copyright holders. Where a copyright holder, other than the Commonwealth of Australia, is identified with respect to a specific item in the material that you wish to reproduce, please contact that copyright holder directly. Project under the direction of Chris Wright, South Australian Regional Hydrologist, Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology ISBN 0-642-70699-9 (from 1 January 2007 ISBN 978-0-642-70699-7) Presentation copy (hard cover) ISBN 0-642-70678-6 (from 1 January 2007 ISBN 978-0-642-70678-2) Printed in Australia by Hyde Park Press, Richmond, South Australia The following images are courtesy of the State Library of South Australia: title page, B20266; flood commentaries sub-title, B15780; chronology sub-title, B29245; appendixes sub-title, B5995; indexes sub-title, B5995. Decade pages 1836–1959: B61546; B46668; B28211; B3537; B11558; B34029; B53139; B35702; B6166; B27943; B20266. The following images are courtesy of the Advertiser: decade pages 1960–2005: IMG031; IMG048; IMG163; IMG166; IMG136. Floods in South Australia: 1836–2005 Contents Contents ................................................................................................................................5 Foreword ................................................................................................................................i Preface ................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................v List of Photographs, Maps and Charts ........................................................................... vii About the Editors ...............................................................................................................xi Introduction .........................................................................................................................1 Flood Commentaries ...........................................................................................................3 The Flood Chronology and its Application ......................................................................5 Writing History ....................................................................................................................9 Data Collection, Collation and Presentation ..................................................................13 The Nature of Floods ........................................................................................................17 The Meteorology of Floods ..............................................................................................21 The Environmental Effects of Flooding ........................................................................25 Good Floods.......................................................................................................................29 Flood Mitigation ................................................................................................................35 The Financial Impact of Floods .......................................................................................39 Palaeo-hydrology: the Science of Identifying Large Flood Events Prior to Written Records, Based on Physical Evidence ..............................................................................43 The Chronology: ..............................................................................................................45 Scope and Limitations of the Chronology ......................................................................47 Appendix A .......................................................................................................................187 Appendix A: Prehistoric Flooding in the River Murray, South Australia .................189 Appendix B .......................................................................................................................213 Appendix B-1 ...................................................................................................................215 Appendix B-2 ...................................................................................................................217 Appendix B-3 ...................................................................................................................221 Appendix B-4 ...................................................................................................................225 Appendix B-5 ...................................................................................................................227 Floods in South Australia: 1836–2005 Appendix B-6 ...................................................................................................................229 Appendix B-7 ...................................................................................................................231 Appendix B-8 ...................................................................................................................233 Index ..................................................................................................................................235 Floods in South Australia: 1836–2005 Foreword Of all the States and Territories of Australia, South Australia has the lowest rainfall, yet the State still experiences floods and until now had no consolidated record of its flood history. Presented here is a chronology of flooding in South Australia from European settlement in 1836 to 2005. The idea for this book and DVD was put to my immediate predecessor as Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility for the Bureau of Meteorology, Dr Sharman Stone, in 2003. The potential value of such a record as a reference tool was evident, and discussions on its production were soon under way. David McCarthy, a volunteer at the Bureau of Meteorology, was asked to undertake a feasibility study into the collation of flood information for South Australia, and he recommended the use of volunteers and participants in the Australian Government’s ‘Work for the Dole’ Programme in the collection and recording of historical data to be included in a comprehensive publication. David had worked with unemployed people on other projects and was aware of the significant contribution they could make. On the recommendation of the Director of Meteorology, Dr Stone gave the flood history project her seal of approval on 3 March 2004. Dr Stone’s responsibilities have since passed to me and I am proud to support the release of this multimedia publication. I am particularly impressed by the scope and quality of this project. In the research phase, more than 600,000 issues of South Australian newspaper publications were referenced. It is a major undertaking to bring together nearly 170 years of scattered flood records in the one publication and after reviewing the book and DVD, I am confident that the flood history team has succeeded admirably in delivering a concise reference on an infrequent weather-related phenomenon in a user-friendly way. The tone and style of this publication make it accessible to anyone interested in flood-related matters. The efforts of everyone involved should be applauded. As an historical record, and as a reference for students and researchers alike, the flood chronology contained in this book and DVD will prove invaluable. The Hon Greg Hunt, MP Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage ii Floods in South Australia: 1836–2005 Floods in South Australia: 1836–2005 iii Preface Extreme or unusual weather conditions hold a fascination for many of us. Often, such conditions result in events which impact on our lives or livelihoods. One such event is flooding. Floodwaters can have a huge impact on our lives. They can be destructive and disruptive. Damage to property and land can sometimes be devastating. In some instances, people and animals die. South Australia is, for the most part, a dry state. However, we do have flood events, some of which have been significant. The purpose of this book and the accompanying interactive DVD is to bring together, in one comprehensive package, nearly 170 years of flood records in this State. The information contained within should provide valuable reference to a diverse range of people, including historians, researchers, hydrologists and other interested readers. In excess of 20,000 hours of research, writing,