The Great Flood of 1916

A tranquil lagoon dotted with pelicans, geese and native waterbirds cruising the water fronts Clermont on its northern side. Surrounded by parkland and the town common, it's a popular recreation area for jogging or walking with the family or the dog. But the lagoon has a dark side, one that it seldom shows unless there has been excessive rainfall in the area.

The Clermont township was originally built between Hood's Lagoon and Sandy Creek. Clermont was born through the discovery of gold in 1862 and thousands of people were drawn to the goldfields to find gold. The lagoon was a permanent waterhole and to Clermont's earliest European settlers, it made sense to build the town near the lagoon where the land was flat. The land on the lagoon's southern side was slightly hilly.

However, Clermont was built on a natural floodplain, which Clermont residents refer to as 'The Flat'. Enough rain in the catchment areas of Sandy and Wolfang Creeks can cause flooding across 'The Flat'. Wolfang Creek joins Sandy Creek just a kilometre from Clermont and when both creeks become swollen with rainfall and merge, floodwater surges across 'The Flat'.

Clermont's early residents accepted the occasional minor flooding of the town was a way of life and a brief inconvenience. However, close to midnight on January 31, 1870, the town was taken by surprise when floodwaters surged through the streets. The flood reached a height of four feet and 15 people were drowned.(1) Many buildings were flood damaged. The proposal of relocating the town to higher ground was rejected at a public meeting held after the flood. Clermont experienced minor flooding in 1882 and 1898.(2)

As Clermont's residents celebrated Christmas 1916, they would never have imagined the disaster that was just days away and would impact on them all. Mid-morning on Boxing Day, a severe tropical cyclone was forming in the Whitsundays and moving towards the coast. The cyclone's centre crossed the coast near Proserpine around 9am, December 28, 1916 and moved inland on a south-west path. The cyclone was located about 90km north of Clermont around 9pm, Wednesday 27 December and crossed the Denham Range. By 4am, December 28 the cyclone was just to the southeast of 'Kilcummin' and northwest of Clermont. Sandy Creek had risen rapidly on December 27 and by midnight, water broke over its banks. As dawn broke on December 28, Sandy Creek was still rising but water was rapidly coming down Wolfang Creek.

Around 6.30am, water from Sandy and Wolfang Creeks merged and the floodwater surged across The Flat and into the town. The floodwater rose six feet in 20 minutes and by 7am, it began submerging the Lagoon Bridge. The bridge soon crumpled under the strength of the floodwater. Houses and other buildings were lifted from their blocks and carried downstream.(3) Other structures collapsed or shattered under the force of the floodwater's current. Many people sought refuge on the roof of their home.

The lucky ones waited out the flood to be rescued. Others weren't so lucky as their home succumbed to the wrath of the flood and were thrown into the raging water, haplessly carried off downstream. Some managed to catch hold of a tree branch and scrambled up the tree to await rescue. Water tanks and heavy boilers were carried by the powerful floodwaters.(4) The flood peaked around midday, reaching a height of 16 feet (4.8 metres).(5)

The flood claimed about 65 lives and the bodies of 36 flood victims were buried in a communal grave at the Clermont Cemetery. Some families lost many family members in the flood and buried their loved ones together in a family plot. Sixteen flood victims were buried where they were found as the muddy, sodden ground prevented them from being brought back to town for a proper burial. At least two people couldn't be found.(6) The cemetery was severely damaged in the flood with headstones smashed, graves gouged out and coffins floated out of graves. The Cemetery caretaker was drowned.(7)

Those who survived the flood immediately set about restoring their lives and town. Police Magistrate O E Power commandeered all foodstuffs and stock, which were stored in the railway goods shed and arranged for food rations to be issued. Building materials were salvaged and a huge number of sheets of galvanised iron was stacked on a vacant allotment where they were straightened out with a rolling machine. Flood survivors who had lost their homes were accommodated in churches, schools and the hospital or with family and friends. The flood caused an estimated 100,000 pound of damage.(8)

It took several days for telegraph lines to be restored and communication established with Rockhampton. As news of Clermont's horrific flood travelled across Australia, messages of sympathy and offers of assistance inundated the town. Towns and cities generously raised money for Clermont's citizens.

The Minister for Public Instruction and local member, Mr H F Hardacre convened a public meeting on January 5. At that meeting, Clermont's citizens were unanimously in favour of rebuilding their town on higher ground. This resulted in the Clermont Flood Relief Act of 1917 being passed in the Queensland Parliament on February 2, 1917 and an amendment to the Act made in March 1917. The Act and its amendment allowed for the town to be rebuilt on higher ground.(9)

Clermont and its citizens will never forget the Great Flood of 1916 as there are many descendants of flood survivors and victims still living in the town and district. The 1916 Flood Memorial in the form of a tree stump, stands on the corner of Drummond and Capricorn Streets. A tree stump was chosen as the 1916 Flood Memorial in recognition that trees saved the lives of many people caught up in the flood waters. The Flood Memorial, which shows the height of the 1916 Flood, was dedicated on Saturday, January 26, 1980.(10) In 1991, the Clermont Lioness Club erected a memorial at the site of the mass grave of flood victims.(11) The Centenary of the 1916 Flood was commemorated with a memorial service held on December 28, 2016 at the mass grave of the 1916 Flood victims. The Clermont Historical Centre held a 'Flood of Memories' exhibition.

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