General News
21 March, 2026
We are not singing in the rain
FAR North Queenslanders are more than used to their fair share of rain during the wet season, but I am sure that it’s not just me who is a little sick and tired of hearing the sound of constant precipitation on the roof, both day and night.
For those that love the Wet Tropics, and most of us do, we expect a few centimetres to fall from time to time.
Indeed, we sometimes even panic when the grass turns brown and the local council starts to suggest water restrictions.
Since the festive season and the start of the New Year, however, this particular summer and early autumn seems to have delivered more than enough wet stuff, most likely much more than many regions would see in a year.
I recently talked to some local Port Douglas golfers, who said they don’t remember having their beloved sport so interrupted due to a waterlogged course for many years. As can be seen from the picture, the 18th hole at Mirage Country Club was extremely flooded last week.
One rather ‘large lizard’ taking advantage of the high waters is a reminder that crocodiles do often use these situations to explore the territory a little more.
For me personally, I don’t remember emptying my pool so many times in such a short space of time. Sometimes, in fact, several times a day.
Readers of the ‘Goss’, in say Babinda or Tully, may well say: “I don’t know what all the fuss is about”, but there is no doubt this year’s ‘wet’ has certainly been a wet one.
Last Sunday 15 March, was a prime example with rain levels I have not seen since the deluge from Cyclone Jasper.
I managed to capture some of the stats from the Douglas FM weather stations, in both Port Douglas and Mossman. As can be seen from midnight through to midday, a 12-hour period, over 200mm had fallen in the Craiglie area and, for Front Street, Mossman, over 400mm.
This took the totals for the month of March, at the halfway point, to half a metre in Craiglie and not far short of a metre on Mossman.
My own backyard was starting to look more like the Port Douglas Splash Park as the day went on and my street certainly felt more like one of our local boat ramps.
Certain events, such as a special community bowls day at Club Mossman, sadly had to be cancelled after the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning, including concerns over water levels for the Mossman River and other locations.
Fortunately, however, as we always do, the well prepared community got through together and is no doubt looking forward to a more settled drier period in the not-too-distant future. I must say well done to all of our emergency services teams, SES and volunteers that help to make a difference during events such as these.
For those north of Cairns, I certainly found the Douglas Shire Council’s ‘Douglas Dashboard’ a useful tool when needing updates on road situations and potential floods, plus Douglas FM is great for information during these sorts of weather events.
Please stay safe and as always, remember, “If it’s flooded, forget it.”
I’m off to check the latest rain gauge measurements, so for now it’s Gazza signing out.
Send your stories to gazza@cairnslocalnews.com.au
