Natural Hazards
To view Natural Hazard mapping layers for bushfire, flood and storm tides, or landslides visit the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.
Bushfire
Ormiston has scattered areas of medium to high bushfire hazard. The largest of these areas is located along Hilliards Creek stretching from Hilliard Street south to the railway line and into Hilliards Creek and Fellmonger Parks. This section backs onto established residential areas, with additional residential developments being planned in the vicinity.
Properties adjacent to bushland areas may be at risk of ember attack should there be a bushfire in the vicinity. During a wildfire, embers can travel up to 3km in front of a fire line which means residents need to be vigilant and be prepared. For more information about bushfire preparedness and what to do during a bushfire, visit the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services website to create your Bushfire Survival Plan.
Redland City Council employs a range of fire mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of bushfire on Council owned land and impact to surrounding areas. These strategies include hazard reduction burning (back burns), fire breaks and weed management. Redland City Council works with its Local Disaster Management Group partners to undertake fire mitigation activities around the city.
Flood Prone, Storm Tide
The most significant source of flooding in the Ormiston area is Hilliards Creek. This creek is prone to both tidal inundation and flash flooding from heavy rainfall events. Fortunately, the vast majority of land that is impacted by the potential flooding is the bushland corridor that surrounds the creek system itself where there is no residential development. There are however a couple of larger properties at the end of Beckwith Street that may be impacted by flooding that could be caused by either tidal inundation or flash flooding from heavy rainfall events. Potential for storm tide inundation from Sand Street, along Raby Esplanade to Cowley Street and parts of Nautilus Drive as indicated by the flood and storm tide hazard mapping. Flash flooding of Hilliards Creek has the potential to extend from the mouth of the creek in Ormiston, across the railway line at the end of Sturgeon Street, around Ormiston College and continues inland.
Hilliards Creek rises in the low hills of Sheldon and Thornlands either side of Taylor Road. Woodlands Drive forms part of the catchment boundary between Hilliards and Eprapah Creeks catchments. Hilliards Creek upper branches meet just north of Boundary Road and flows northward, through Alexandra Hills and Ormiston, draining into Central (Moreton) Bay. The creek is about 13km long. The freshwater section of the creek ends at the road crossing at Sturgeon Street Ormiston and the estuarine section extends for three to four kilometres to the foreshore. Wetlands of state significance are located around the mouth of Hilliards Creek and foreshore of Wellington Point.
Landslide
Current mapping indicates that Ormiston has a limited landslide risk, being a low to medium landslide hazard generally along its eastern shoreline. Ormiston is a well populated area with residential development within the identified landslide hazard areas.
The Redland City Plan, through the Landslide Hazard Overlay attempts to mitigate the impacts of the landslide hazard by requiring more robust engineering for developments built within the identified landslide hazard areas. It is important for engineers and geologists to evaluate slope stability and any landslide threat during development assessments so that effective and timely remedial measures can be implemented.
Critical Infrastructure
Critical infrastructure at the time of a disaster event includes utilities such as power, water, sewerage, telecommunications, gas and road and rail networks. Impacts of a disaster on these services may have far reaching long term effects for mainland communities.
Sewage
The vast majority of Ormiston is connected to the sewer network which links into the Cleveland Wastewater Treatment Plant, located east of Hanover Drive and west of the Redland Hospital, adjacent to bushland identified as being a high to very high bushfire hazard. Many of the RCC sewage pumping stations have fixed generators onsite to provide backup power in the event of a power failure. Those that do not have fixed generators have the facilities to plug in a portable generator; several are available that can be taken to any site that requires it.
The small number of acreage properties that are not connected to the sewer network rely on a mix of gravity-fed septic systems and on-site sewerage treatment plants located on the properties to manage the wastewater. The on-site sewerage treatment plants require electricity to function, therefore it is recommended that these systems have a back-up generator to cope with extended periods of power outages which can occur during severe weather events.
Water
Ormiston receives its water supply from the Alexandra Hills Reservoir located at Alexandra Circuit. This reservoir services the city’s northern suburbs via a pipeline network that is both gravity-fed and pressurised. The reservoir holds a mix of water from the Leslie Harrison Dam and the Herring Lagoon bore field on North Stradbroke Island, which is possible because the reservoir connects to both the Leslie Harrison Dam and the Mount Cotton Reservoir at Tallow Wood Court.
The Mount Cotton Reservoir is connected to the Heinemann Road Reservoir in Mount Cotton which connects to both the SEQ Water Grid and North Stradbroke Island. Redland City is connected to the grid via a pump station on Gramzow Road in Mount Cotton which allows water to be pumped to and from the city via the Heinemann Road Reservoir. This network of reservoirs, pump stations and pipelines ensures that water can be moved around the network and that multiple water supplies are available to residents living in all areas of Redland City.
Electricity
Ormiston has even mix of both overhead and underground powerline networks servicing the suburb. This mix is due to the established acreage areas near the waterfront now sub-divided for urban development. The overhead powerlines are more susceptible to damage during severe weather which can result in power outages and fallen powerlines.
Fallen powerlines can cause significant dangers to the community, so be aware that any object in contact with powerlines could be live. The area surrounding fallen powerlines is more dangerous in wet conditions as sea and tap water are an excellent conductor of electricity.
Energex offer a notification service for Emergency and Planned outages, and other alerts such as upcoming meter read if dogs are onsite or for certain customer service work requests. Click here to go to the Energex Notifications page to Register for this notification service.
Remember: any metallic objects, including fences, will be electrified if they touch or are even close to a live fallen powerline. Even a tree branch can be a potential conductor of electricity if it is in contact with a live wire. Stay away from fallen powerlines and alert others of the danger – contact 000 or Energex 13 19 62.
Gas
There is no domestic reticulated gas service within Redland City and there is no gas main that runs through the suburb of Ormiston. There are however, homes within the area that use gas bottles to service hot water systems and cooking appliances. Residents are reminded to be diligent with the appropriate storage and maintenance of any gas bottles that they have located on their property.
Telecommunications
Ormiston is connected via landlines to the telecommunications and data networks. There is good mobile network coverage in Ormiston with limited to no mobile reception black spots in the area. Telstra is the major supplier of telecommunications to the region; other suppliers include Optus and Vodafone.
Connection to the National Broadband Network (NBN) is now available across the majority of Australia, with various connection types for both wired (copper, fibre optic, and hybrid fibre-coaxial) and radio (satellite and fixed wireless). It is important to know the type of connection you have; fibre to the building (FTTB), fibre to the curb (FTTC), fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the premises (FTTP), or hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC), there is also satellite or fixed wireless. The majority of connections are FTTN and FTTP, closely followed by HFC.
It is important to note that any equipment connected via the NBN will not work during a power outage, including VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones. For more information about what happens in a power blackout for the type of connection at your residence, please go to https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/what-happens-in-a-power-blackout. Certain connection types can request battery back-up solutions through their internet service provider; battery back-up is required for all Priority Assistance customers who suffer from a diagnosed life-threatening illness.
If you have a medical alarm, emergency call button, autodialler, security alarm, monitored fire alarm or lift emergency phones at your premises, please contact your equipment provider to confirm whether your equipment will work via the network in the event of a power outage. Further information is also available on the NBN website and how to register these devices; this assists the NBN in identifying premises where support maybe be required to minimise service outages https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/device-compatibility.
Road Network
REMEMBER: If it’s flooded, forget it – BACK IT UP!
Summer months bring rain, cyclones and unstable weather conditions to Queensland. More than half of flood related deaths in Queensland are the result of people driving through floodwater. It can happen anywhere – roads, creeks, dams, parks or backyards. Residents should be aware of the dangers connected to floodwater or swift flowing water such as: slippery surfaces; uneven ground; strong currents; sharp objects; electrical current; fences; vehicles; rocks; long grass; tree branches; sewerage; and chemicals.
If you get trapped in floodwater, you not only put your life and the lives of the people with you at risk, but you also put the lives of the rescuers at risk too.
Localised flooding may temporarily restrict access and cut roads in some areas of Redland City. Please consider this when planning to drive during periods of heavy rain. See a list of the areas that may be impacted by localised flooding.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Plan ahead and keep yourself, family and friends safe. Check out the Floodwater Safety information available here https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/prepare/flooding
Rail Network
The rail network enters Redland City via Thorneside, crossing the Tingalpa Creek to the north of the Thorneside Wastewater Treatment Plant and continues on to the Thorneside Station. From Thorneside Station the rail network continues east to Birkdale Station and Wellington Point Station where the line turns south-east to Ormiston Station and Cleveland Station where it terminates.
Current Flood Prone, Storm Tide mapping indicates the possibility of the rail network being cut by flood water on the Redland City side of Tingalpa Creek, north of the Thorneside Station. If this were to occur, rail transport in and out of Redland City would be cut, along with rail access to Brisbane City. This would prevent any evacuations via rail to the RNA Showgrounds which is the primary evacuation centre for Brisbane, and an alternate evacuation centre for Redland City residents should the city’s infrastructure be significantly compromised by a disaster event.