The day Cairns pretended to be Venice!
Thursday January 30 saw an unusual, but not altogether unknown weather event cause cause both confusion for local motorists and frustration for some CBD traders, as sea levels associated with a king tide flowed into the city centre.
Most business operators were able to deal with the rising water, however it was a small number of irresponsible motorists who certainly aggravated to stiuation, needlessly pushing water into shops and tenancies.
Onlookers shook their heads in disbelief as some drivers ploughed their vehicles through the water, creating bow waves that would rival a small charter vessel.
One man in a current model European luxury sedan whizzed through deep water near the intersection of the Esplanade and Spence Street and just about drowned his car.
That’s not a Commodore I would want to purchase any time soon!
Another young male driver did his best World Rally Championship impression as he raced through the water on his way to the Pier complex, creating a water spray that was higher than his car. Obviously that letter ‘P’ on the plate in his back window didn’t stand for ’Proficient’.
Guys you did realise that was highly corrosive salt water you were driving through didn’t you – no I thought not!
Whilst this water wasn’t particularly deep, it still required a great deal more respect than that which was shown by a lot of motorists on Thursday.
Drivers are urged to consider the impact of their actions on traders and pedestrians when faced with similar driving conditions in the future. In addition to this, the effects of salt water immersion on modern motor vehicles can be extremely damaging to both bodywork and electrical componentry, and understably costly to rectify. It’s probably better to avoid these situations altogether if at all possible.
Remember: If it’s flooded – forget it!
’3 hour mooring only’ – Sheridan Street outside the Court House.