Creek and bush in Mudgeeraba
When the creek comes up
Queensland's catchment story says Firth Park regularly floods and acts as a detention area for Mudgeeraba Creek's flood flows, and that it contains herbaceous wetlands. Low ground like that holds water well after the rain has gone.
Hinterland Regional Park
This park covers 62 hectares at Hardys Road and Bertana Drive, and the council describes it as surrounded by bushland. Homes near it share a fence line with possums and ticks.
Further up the creek
The upper creek around Austinville is a biodiversity hotspot. Upper Mudgeeraba Conservation Area, about 247 hectares in Bonogin, is eucalypt forest with koalas and glossy black cockatoos.
Fire ants
Flood water and fill can both move soil around, so keep an eye out after any big rain. If you see suspect ants, a report to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours is the law, and the job stops there.
After the water goes down
Tip out the yard
Anything holding water, from pot saucers to a dented trailer, needs emptying at least weekly. The council takes mosquito reports if you've a wider problem nearby.
Dry the house out
Fix leaks and clear blocked drains quickly. Damp conditions attract termites, and timber that's stayed wet is the first place they'd look.
Check the slab edge and subfloor
Look for mud leads (thin tubes termites build to travel under cover) or soft timber. Photograph them and leave them alone.
Book an inspection if water got in
If water reached the house, a termite inspection is sensible once things have dried out. Say so when you book, so the technician knows what to look for.
What's yours, and what's a technician's
You can
- Empty standing water, and keep open drains clear of weeds.
- Move wet timber and leaf piles away from the walls.
- Keep gutters clear, especially on the bush side.
- Note any scampering above the ceiling at night, and where.
Leave to a pest business
- Termite inspection and treatment.
- Possum catch and release, which in Queensland has to go back within 25 metres, followed by proofing.
- Rats and mice looking for dry shelter in the roof.
Termite and pest inspection in Mudgeeraba
City of Gold Coast leaves possums on private land to private contractors, so that's one you arrange yourself. Termites work the same way: nobody at the council is checking your house, which is why the QBCC suggests a yearly inspection and report.
Buying near the creek? For a building and pest inspection, ask about any past flood damage, and read what the report says it couldn't reach. The building half is a different licence.
Our first move after high water
Empty everything, dry everything, then look at the slab edge. If water got into the house, we'd have a termite inspection done once it's dried. Tell us what you've seen and your postcode.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
