Fiona McDonald (nee Stone) and her family experienced the worst possible Christmas present at their Hotel-Motel at Timber Creek when the town and surrounding communities were inundated with floodwater in a “one-in-50-year” event when ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie dumped almost 250 mm of rain across the NT.
People at nearby outstations Myatt and One Mile were forced from their homes as they became inundated with floodwater levels many Timber Creek residents had never experienced before. About 30 residents were housed at the Bradshaw training base after sleeping rough on Timber Creek’s basketball court for days.
Fiona said that about nine hotel rooms and her business’ staff quarters were initially unusable after flooding swept through the town but most rooms were now back up and running. The staff house got annihilated. Roads around Timber Creek, including bridges, suffered significant damage. However it was lucky the floodwaters had receded as quickly as they rose. If it was staying for days it could have been very bad.
