With the Beaudesert town drain rectification works coming towards completion, flooding of the centre of town may finally be a thing of the past.
As with many towns, original settlers made decisions which, while of little consequence at the time, would later prove to be detrimental to the future of the settlements.
Small creeks were an attraction as water sources for the developing towns and generally not too much of a concern.
The original Beaudesert town drain was constructed many years ago, with buildings placed over the top of the drain, at a time when no major problems were envisaged.
Serious inundation of the central Beaudesert area became an issue with more and more of the surrounding area being built upon, causing larger water runoff volumes than the drain could handle.
The front page of the April 12, 1989, Beaudesert Times, tells of Kev Panitz marking the building’s wall with felt pen, to keep record of the flooding level at his shop in William Street.
Retailers called for Council to investigate the towns drainage system, after water gushed through Durrand’s Arcade at a depth of more than a metre.
The drain being deemed inadequate, for the handling of the amount of runoff coming from areas above the centre of town, including the Beaudesert Fair Shopping Centre.
Improvements to drainage in some areas helped, although flooding was still an ongoing problem in the town centre.
Affected retailers, can only hope, after the newspaper report 36 years ago, that the current rectification works are successful.
By Beaudesert Historical Museum
