Yeppoon

Farnborough (Iwasaki) resort, surge and flood levels, 1976, sheet 2. This surge and flood level map was completed in March 1976 by engineers Cameron, McNamara & Partners so that design levels for storm tides could be considered by developers. Interestingly, the elongated contours on this map, which is further south down the beach, look vastly different showing the influence of wind in shaping the landscape as opposed to water further north. In the south the road way leads to Farnborough School only 600 m west, which connects to Hine Avenue leading to small dwellings positioned close to the coast. In the centre, the 5.7 m flood level from January 1974 is marked where ‘water remained for 2-3 months’. In the far north of the map, the 4.67 m limit of the wave caused by tropical cyclone David is marked. David crossed the Queensland coast just north of St Lawrence (south of Mackay) in early January 1976 and was intensifying as it hit the coast. In nearby Yeppoon, 30 buildings were unroofed and large seas and high tides caused major damage – the breakwater at Rosslyn Bay Harbour was destroyed along with marine craft. Recording the extent of the cyclone was important for designing plans at Farnborough resort. Collection of the Queensland State Archives