Weather dominated every conversation at the start of 1974, with south-east Queensland experiencing its wettest January in a century. The entire state was already water-logged from three weeks of continual heavy rain, when the remnants of cyclone Wanda dumped 642 millimetres on the Brisbane area in just three days. The resulting flood, which inundated the city centre and surrounding suburbs as the Brisbane River broke its banks, occurred during the Australia Day long weekend. Sixteen lives were lost, hundreds were injured, and thousands of homes destroyed or badly damaged.
Areas of higher ground became islands, cut off from shops, railway stations and main roads. There was no electricity for days, resulting in householders losing the contents of fridges and freezers in the hot, humid weath
