The people of Skipton have lived through nightmare flooding events twice in the last six years and locals say the town will never be the same.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In 2011 and 2016, Skipton was was rocked by flooding that saw most of the town submerged in the overflow of the Mount Emu Creek with town’s pub and most of the shops closed and never reopened after the floods.
Skipton resident Kim Haley was working at the supermarket in the town when the flood waters began to rise in 2016.
“The fear that we would have a repeat of 2011 was there but now everything is back to normal, or at least as normal as they have been since 2011, we have never really recovered from the 2011 floods,” she said.
Karen Crosbie has lived in the Skipton region for over 20 years and said in both 2011 and 2016 she was cut off from the town as the tributaries to the Mount Emu Creek flooded and isolated her property.
“I was cut off from getting into work at the primary school because of the floods but I know the embankment that was built after 2011 didn’t stop the 2016 floods,” she said.
“At the eel factory in 2011, they made an embankment to stop the water coming into the factories but last year when the floods came they came up through all the pipework and drains at the back of the factories.”
Since the flooding events in recent years, the town has more empty shopfronts than full ones and the locals are feeling the absence of the pub.
“We don't have as many shops, we still don’t have the pub, there was two milk bars and cafes but they have both been closed and not reopened,” Ms Haley said.
Ms Haley said the concern about future floods hangs over the town and more needs to be done to protect the residents of Skipton.
“I don’t feel any lessons have been learnt because our creek is full of so much rubbish; trees, grass, and other stuff; if it could flow clearly we may not have this problem,” she said.
The Mount Emu Creek has been recognised as a platypus habitat but Ms Haley said the creek bed has become a hazard to the people who live in the town.
“I understand it's a habitat for animals and I respect that but this is people’s lives and people's lives are far more important.”
“You are dealing with people's incomes and you are dealing with people's lives.”