Yesterday evening's "1-in-50 year" Mooroolbark storm driveway damage

It happened last time in 2011 (check our the photos from back then) so I guess that's only 1-in-5 years for us! This time we got 50mm of rain in the Abbotsley rain gauge in 50 minutes and sure enough - the creek overflowed over our driveway.

Since the last time our driveway flooded, I've made sure the under-driveway concrete pipes are kept clear of debris but I hadn't thought about the ferns growing a meter or so upstream. When the storm hit and large amounts of debris filled water came rushing down the creek, they pushed the ferns over and into the mouth of the pipes forming a great debris trap. In no time the creek had filled to overflowing and then, of course, the easy path is straight down the driveway!

So now, the gravel surface of the drive has been gouged out into deep channels, peeling off into the garden bed - just like in 2011. Too busy now but in a week or so, I'll get a delivery of gravel and put it all back together again. (sigh!)