Case studies

Specialised resilience officers are helping Queensland primary producers not only recover from recent natural disasters but build resilience for future events.

The clean break of a vital transport link in the Far North interior illustrated the reach and fury of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Just as intense though was the work that went into repairing the damaged bridge and reconnecting communities.

After an unwanted Christmas present, described by many as a tornado, brought down powerlines, trees and other hazards across SEQ roads, a herculean task was required to reconnect the network.

TMR crews went in with a bang when it came to repairing damage on Captain Cook Highway following ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper and removing a 300-tonne boulder that had cut the iconic FNQ coastal road.

Heavy rainfall in early 2022 saw Gold Coast-Springbrook Road quite literally slip off the ‘must do drive’ list of locals, day trippers and tourists, and in the process created a major headache for local businesses, until now.

Hot, dry and windy conditions from September 2023 led to extreme fire danger across northern and southern Queensland. In the Western Downs township of Tara, bushfires forced the evacuation of 350 people, with housing support desperately needed.

With Queensland still reeling from the one-two punch of Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the south Queensland severe storms over the Christmas-new year period, another tropical cyclone struck, causing havoc across the state.

As engineering efforts go, reopening a road inside five weeks after a 16-kilometre section of said road was buried under 4,200 tonnes of earth is, to say the least, quite impressive.

Following heavy rainfall throughout the Sunshine Coast in early-2022, significant and smart repairs were undertaken to reconnect communities and improve motorist safety.

In early November 2023 a convoy of 23 caravans rolled into Tara in Queensland's Western Downs to provide temporary accommodation for vulnerable locals following devastating bushfires throughout the region.