by SeaGypsy » Tue 01 Feb 2011, 21:16:05
There are 3 escape roads to the hills.
The main one goes from suburban Cairns, Smithfield, to Kuranda then on to Mareebah. This is a good road, 20 minute drive over the ridge, an hour or so to Mareebah. However anybody planning to take that route better do it before the wind gets up to 100kmh, because this will certainly knock trees all over the road well before causeways overflow or landslides occur.
The next closest leaves the coastal highway near Port Douglas, about 45 minutes drive north, then inland to Mareebah another half hour. It has the same vulnerabilities as the Kuranda road.
The next closest is behind Innisfail and goes up through Millaa Millaa, Malanda and on to Atherton.
Same vulnerabilities and an hour further south of Cairns.
There are no roads inland for another 300km or so in either direction. Cooktown highway will be blocked by flooding for sure. The road inland from Townsville to Charters Towers is vulnerable to flooding in many sections. Townsville is similar in size to Cairns, about 350km south and only has one exit road inland.
The main Bruce Highway, the coastal road, is the arterial connection to Cairns. It will definitely be blocked for days after this; probably in hundreds of places between Port Douglas and Townsville.
Having lived in that area for several years I would be heading for Atherton, or Mareebah, the 2 biggest towns in the mountains behind Cairns. There is in all probabilty almost nothing in Cairns built to withstand this size storm, it will be smashed to pieces in a direct hit. Houses there, unlike Darwin, usually do NOT have a bomb shelter with steel lined concrete walls. Cyclone Tracy taught Darwin a lesson in 1974 which Queensland has so far never had to face.
