Thinking of Rocky

No, not the fictitious boxer or even the mountains nearby. Rockhampton was the city we flew out of after our trip through Queensland was over and it's been in the news recently. Unfortunately, they're currently underwater, or pretty close to it. The city is known as the nation's largest cattle exporter, and now it's also known as the final dumping ground of the Fitzroy River as it makes its way to the sea.

We entered Rocky by coach in the night, so I didn't really see much of the outlying area, but I remember crossing bridges and in the morning, I took a walk by the river to stretch my legs before the flight back to Sydney. The architecture in the city center was pretty grand, even if some of the buildings were vacant. The riverwalk is now underwater, with the murky swells lapping at the front door of the pub we didn't stay at.



Queensland homes can be pretty ornate. They're most often built with the living quarters raised off the ground on stumps for cross ventilation in the hot summers. Now the water is seeping up through the floor boards in some neighborhoods.

We didn't spend much time in Rocky, but the people I observed there reminded me of other Australians we'd met. At the hotel, the young, drunken wedding guests managed to keep my floor up most of the night, but, before that, one of them stopped in the hall to assist me with my malfunctioning room key. She was all dressed up and pretty boozy, but she wanted to help if she could. The next morning, in the craft area of the local farmers' market, I saw tea cozies and crocheted bridge card holders for the first time in decades. We're in an iphone-addicted world, but the older ladies believe that there's still room for those slightly sinister toilet paper cover dolls.

These are people who soldier on, no matter what and they'll help one another sort through the aftermath. Their town's going to be a mess for a while, but they'll work it out. After all, this is a place where flowers grow on trees.

Crocodiles also hang out at the boat ramps, but I'm trying not to think about them.