LIKE many residents Khim and David Hay experienced days of fear and trepidation as news of Cyclone Alfred approached.
However, for the elderly couple, having felt the land slip out from under their dream home for many years they feared this time they may die in their house.
Instead of sleeping in their bedroom, which sits on the side of the house perched on a cliff now, they moved to other side of the house.
In the weeks since Cyclone Alfred their house, the road and at least one other house have suffered further subsidence, which locals have been monitoring.
Leon and Olga Radunz’s house sits beside the Hay’s and each day they watch their house fall further apart and are now holding their breath as the rain continues to pour.
“Further damage is occurring, and the house is still subsiding,” Leon Radunz said pointing out new leaks coming through the ceiling, the slab moving again the propped up back deck pulling away further from the house.
“The house will need to be demolished. The only way to fix things is to leave the area.”
However, we will still be stuck with the house and forced to pay ongoing rates.”
The Radunz’s received an insurance payout in 2022 and an engineer said they could live in it for a while until further damage occurred.
Now, the insurer will not provide any cover.
“They are not going to insure a building that’s falling down,” he said.
“We have lost over a million dollars.
“It’s come to a stone wall and there is no solution for any of us,” Leon said of his attempts to get the council to remedy the situation.
The Shelf Road sits on a landslip zone, not underpinned by bedrock, which according to a Department of Mines report carried out by geologist Warwick Willmott in 1981 found it unsuitable for any form of settlement and that further clearing would sooner or later result in the development of major instability.
However, 25 years ago in 2000 developer Don Rabinowe received approval from the Beaudesert Shire Council to allow houses to be built along the known landslip zones.
The impacts of the slipping away of the land the Hay’s house sits on has caused the rainwater harvesting pipes to be ripped away from the slab as well as the pipes to the biocycle, so the waste is going into the ground.
On August 2023 acting general manager customer and regional prosperity, Mark Lohmann wrote to the Radunz’s saying the QRAs Damage Assessment and Reconstruction Monitoring identified a potential risk to life should further landslips occur on at least two properties.
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority also issued a statement saying that there will be a danger to human life with future rainfall events and on the 25th of October 2023 Stantec reported to the council at the time of the inspection the immediate risk to life was considered low, however the landslide will continue to progress and will cause enough stress to the structures that collapse of the property may occur.
Now, the Hays and at least three other houses face the stark reality of losing their homes or never being able to sell them.
The council wrote to the Hays on 25th of October 2023 advising them their house had been damaged to a degree that it was considered “dangerous or dilapidated” and they had 30 days to respond how they would rectify the situation.
The council has done nothing to enforce this demand.
Some of the residents have had insurance payments to repair their properties, but the collapse of their homes is ongoing.
The council are tendering to build a new road at what it anticipates will cost $11-12 million, following the collapse of the existing one in March 2022, which may only be for nine houses, if those planning to move and abandon their homes do so.
A second geotechnical survey, the Scenic Rim Regional Council Landslip Package, was carried out by Stantec on behalf of the council on 17th to 25th of October 2023. Bore holes were made to determine how far down pylons would need to be placed. However, drilling tests were unable to drill down to anything other than basalt and again stated the ground consisted of colluvial material and is therefore unstable.
Professor Behzad Fatahi from the University of Technology Sydney is a civil engineer specialising in complex loading conditions like ground settlement and dynamic forces.
He said the new road posed significant geotechnical challenges.
“The proposed alignment of the new road traverses steeply sloping terrain, posing inherent risks related to slope instability and erosion, particularly exacerbated by surface water runoff,” Professor Fatahi stated.
He said the colluvial subsurface, at a depth of eight metres, made it problematic as foundation materials.
“Key geotechnical concerns with these deposits include slope instability, reduced bearing capacity and potential issues with drainage and erosion,” Professor Fatahi said.
He said this was further complicated by the natural drainage line, heightening the risks associated with road instability, landslides and accelerated road erosion.
“Collectively, these conditions necessitate careful consideration and likely require sophisticated and potentially costly engineering solutions to mitigate the identified geotechnical risks effectively,” he explained.
Professor Fatahi said sophisticated solutions such as piles or even a bridge should be considered however, “the cost would increase significantly – multiple times more”.
A spokesperson for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority said under the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) approved funding of $6.2 million for the council to undertake restoration works to repair Shelf Road.
A further $140,000 was approved to repair the Shelf Road Reserve gabion landslip.
“As part of Reconstruction Monitoring, which is routinely undertaken by QRA following major events such as the 2022 Southern Queensland flooding, officers have visited properties on Shelf Road,” the spokesperson said.
“The assessment in mid-2023 found that there were at least two properties on The Shelf Road that sustained severe damage following the significant amount of rain the region has received.
“On 28 July 2023, QRA’s CEO wrote to council and recommended they conduct further investigations into the landslips and rock slips on the Shelf Road and the surrounding area. QRA understands that Council has progressed additional geotechnical investigations.”
Interview requests to Mayor Tom Sharp and Council CEO David Keenan were declined, stating they were unable to speak further for legal reasons.
Shelf Road – Scenic Rim Regional Council’s response
In the absence of a Councillor or Council officers being availabe for interview, the following questions were put to Council:
Could you please confirm the cost to build the new road and if the whole amount is being provided by a QRA grant?
The entire amount to build the new road is currently funded under the Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). Council is currently finalising the procurement for the construction phase of the project and can confirm costs to build once the evaluation has been finalised.
Why has the council not followed through on action since giving notice to Khim and David Hay that they had to repair or evacuate their house on October 25, 2023?
Letters have been sent to both parties from the Solicitors that Council’s insurers have engaged regarding the matter and that they need to take their own advice and act to ensure the safety of their property.
It is understood that they may have received payments from their respective insurance companies and, if so, will need to take the appropriate steps to protect themselves as per the purpose of any funds received.
Council will continue to undertake its due diligence in this matter.
I believe the same notice been issued to Leon and Olga. Are they the only two?
Please see the response to the previous question.
What is the maximum weight for trucks on the current road to The Shelf?
There is currently a five-tonne load limit. However, the road can be accessed by heavy vehicles under permit conditions.
What provisions does the council have to get water to residents when their tanks run dry or there is a fire?
As above, heavy vehicles are able to access the road under permit conditions.
Can I please get a plan of the proposed road?
A concept plan, that can be shared with the community in the future, is currently being developed.
When will work begin on the new road and how long do you expect it to take?
Early works have commenced, including service relocations. Road construction is expected to commence in mid-2025.
Major road construction works are expected to take approximately 10 months, weather and construction conditions permitting.
How much will it cost?
Council is currently finalising the procurement for the construction phase of the project and can confirm costs to build once the evaluation has been finalised. The total project is estimated between $11-12 million.
A Stantec expert has said it should not be built if it cannot sit on bedrock and tests have not been able to get down to bedrock. How do you plan to address this issue?
Council’s engineering consultant has undertaken comprehensive site and geotechnical investigations and has designed the road to suit the site conditions.
Is the council concerned about the waterfall that was running down directly where the new road is to be built following the cyclone?
Council’s engineering consultant has undertaken extensive site investigations and the design incorporates extensive drainage upgrades.
How will the current road sustain the heavy equipment needed to build the new road?
Geotechnical engineering assessments and temporary works will be undertaken by the construction contractor to suit their equipment.
