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A handful of Gemfields residents have shared their stories and experiences from the recent major flood, which left many families stranded.
On March 17, fast-moving flood waters swept across the Gemfields following the rapid rise of Retreat Creek in the early hours of the morning.
More than 200mm of rain fell in the catchment surrounding the tourist area of Sapphire Gemfields and Retreat Creek, between the Capricorn Highway and the town of Sapphire, peaked at 9.8 metres.
Following the flood event, many community members raised concerns that while the warning siren at Rubyvale went off, the one located at Sapphire failed to, which Central Highlands Regional Council Mayor Kerry Hayes told
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A Sapphire business owner has praised the efforts of the local SES and Sergeant Paul Cognet on their swift responses to the major floods early on Wednesday morning.
Blue Gem Tourist Park owner Ewan Letts was woken to the news about 3.30am there had been a huge downpour in the catchment of Retreat Creek and he needed to evacuate his guests.
There was around six vans in the park that needed to be moved to higher ground.
“We were able to evacuate them without a drama,” Mr Letts said.
“The creek had risen dramatically to what it normally was … they had something like 217mm in the lower catchment … it was a very intense rainfall which resulted in the creek coming up very quickly.
Sapphire caravan park guests evacuated at 3 30am themorningbulletin.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from themorningbulletin.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.