Blackwood Rising, Bridgetown, Western Australia
by Elaine Teague
Title
Blackwood Rising, Bridgetown, Western Australia
Artist
Elaine Teague
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Nearly every year the Blackwood River, where I walk almost daily, floods. This usually occurs after a heavy storm during January/February. This image captures one such occasion in 2011. The Blackwood River actually has an interesting history.
Aboriginal Australians have lived along the Blackwood River for thousands of years. The Bibulman Noongar people called the river Gurbillup buerle, "burle" meaning "river", while the portion of the river at Bridgetown was called Gigellup buerle. In fact my neighbour found pieces of rock that had been shaped into tools and were used by the aborigines.
In 1827, Captain James Stirling arrived at the river and named it after Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Blackwood, under whom he served as a midshipman on HMS Warspite in 1808–1809 during the Napoleonic Wars, in the North Sea and the Mediterranean.
Historically it was of considerable importance in the early days of the Swan River Colony, and more recently of importance in the ecology of the Augusta-Margaret River region due to conflicts in land use policy. The upper catchment contains Toolibin Lake, a nature reserve and Ramsar site.
The river is prone to occasional flooding. In 1945 it rose to the highest level recorded to that date, running 1.1 metres (3.6 ft) over the Russell Street bridge in Nannup. The river flooded again in 1946 and 1947 closing roads but not causing any significant damage to towns along the river. In 1949 Nannup received 174 millimetres (6.85 in) of rain in a period of seven hours, causing flooding. A bridge over the Blackwood connecting the town to Busselton was swept away.
In 1982, after the remnants of a tropical cyclone passed through the southwest, the town and surrounding areas were inundated by heavy rains. The Blackwood rose 11.6 metres (38 ft), submerging over 50 houses in Nannup
©Elaine Teague all rights reserved.
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June 3rd, 2020
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Comments (3)
Joy Watson
Excellent work and information. Would not want to be caught the wrong side of the walkway. lf
Lesley Evered
A very powerful picture Elaine and the information is great. Not a very safe place for you to take your daily walks if it is raining.
Elaine Teague replied:
Oh a rainfall doesn't affect the river, it's the heavy storms we get now and again, particularly in the middle of summer. Thanks for commenting Lesley.
Len Bomba
Oh my! Please be careful when venturing out there. Love the history that you've included here as well.
Elaine Teague replied:
Thanks Len. This isn't a regular occurrence Len thank goodness. Just when we get a really bad storm usually in the middle of summer.