Recovery

It has now been almost 7 months since the January floods.  It seems like Brisbane has bounced right back and everybody is back in business.  One of the iconic buildings that was affected by the flood was the Regatta Hotel, a pub that was built in the late 1800s.  It was extensively damaged in the floods of the 1800s, 1900s and now the 2011 floods.

Regatta Hotel, pre 2011 flooding and flood markers

Even though the hotel was badly damaged, it was open for business within 2 weeks of the flood.  We finally decided to go check it out yesterday, although we did notice that the ground floor was still cordoned off.  We were in for a big surprise when we went up the stairs to the upper levels.  There is a window cut in to the staircase, giving a view of the ground level and the damage that was done.

The top of the beams is actually the ground level, and you can see through to the foundation.  To put these views in perspective, at the top right of the picture on the bottom you can see a fireplace.

Clearly there is a long way to go before the entire pub is open for business.  We give these guys full credit for being open at all!

This week we participated in the Australian census, which is a requirement for all people living in Australia.   It is illegal here to not vote and to not participate in federal government surveys.  How much of a requirement is it?  Not filling out the forms is a $200 fine!   These guys are serious!