Natural Hazards
To view Natural Hazard mapping layers for bushfire, flood and storm tides, or landslides visit the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.
Bushfire
Thorneside has a very limited bushfire risk, with land surrounding the Wastewater Treatment Plant being identified has having medium to high bushfire risk. Thorneside borders Brisbane City along Tingalpa Creek and the land adjacent to this suburb, in Brisbane City, is identified as having a moderate to high bushfire risk.
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 Service 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
Thorneside is located at the mouth of the Tingalpa Creek, one of Redland City’s largest watercourses. Tingalpa Creek forms the boundary between Brisbane and Redland cities; below Leslie Harrison dam the creek flows past open space, sporting fields and low lying land before flowing into Waterloo Bay. Coolnwynpin Creek flows from the edge of Sheldon and through park residential, urban and commercial areas of Capalaba and Alexandra Hills and is a major tributary of Tingalpa Creek. The eastern side of Thorneside drains into lower Tingalpa Creek and the Thorneside Wetlands. Current mapping shows that Tingalpa Creek would be the primary source of flooding in Thorneside, from tidal inundation caused by a storm tide event.
The greatest impacts of storm tide would be felt by properties along the Tingalpa Creek in the area of the Esplanade, Railway Parade, Ferry Road and Thorneside Road, as well as those properties along the exposed foreshore area of Queens Esplanade. The potential for flooding along Tingalpa Creek is heightened during heavy rain events. Leslie Harrison Dam, which is situated approximately 6.5km inland from the mouth of the creek, is an un-gated dam, meaning that when it reaches 100 per cent capacity, water flows over the spillway into the lower reaches of Tingalpa Creek.
Seqwater has developed a comprehensive Emergency Action Plan for the Leslie Harrison Dam to meet the requirements of the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 in order to manage any crisis or dam failure.
Landslide
Landslide Hazard mapping indicates that Thorneside has a limited risk of landslide. A small pocket of low to medium landslide hazard has been identified along the waterfront at the most northern point of Mooroondu Road and a second small pocket of low to medium risk identified between Ruth Street and Claremont Street. There are a limited number of residential properties in these areas that are impacted.
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
Thorneside is a long established residential suburb and as such most properties are connected to the sewer network. There are a small number of homes along Railway Parade, Ferry Road and Esplanade that are not sewered and rely on gravity-fed septic systems to dispose of their wastewater. Thorneside has a Wastewater Treatment Plant located at Quarry Road that services the surrounding area of Thorneside, Birkdale, and Wellington Point. Current hazard mapping indicates that the Thorneside Wastewater Treatment Plant may experience impacts from tidal inundation during an extreme storm tide event. 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.
Water
Thorneside receives its water supply from the Alexandra Hills Reservoir located at Alexandra Circuit. This reservoir services the Redland 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.
This is possible because the Alexandra Hills Reservoir connects to both the Leslie Harrison Dam and the Mount Cotton Reservoir at Tallow Wood Court. The Mount Cotton Reservoir is in turn connected to the Heinemann Road Reservoir at Mount Cotton, which connects to both the SEQ Water Grid and North Stradbroke Island.
Redland City is connected to the SEQ Water Grid via a pump station on Gramzow Road, 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 Redland City.
Electricity
Thorneside’s power supply enters the city via an underground powerline along Rickertt Road that crosses Tingalpa Creek from Brisbane City. From this point, the vast majority of Thorneside is serviced by an overhead powerline network, as it is consistent with the longer established residential suburbs of Redland City.
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, 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 no gas main that runs through the suburb of Thorneside, however there are some 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
Thorneside is connected via landlines to the telecommunications and data networks. There is good mobile network coverage in Thorneside 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.
Harbours and Marinas
Thorneside does not have an established harbour or marina; there are a number of small boat moorings in Tingalpa Creek directly opposite the Esplanade and further around to the mouth of the creek. These moorings and vessels are at risk of structural damage should a storm tide event impact Tingalpa Creek.
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 Tingalpa Creek to the north of the Thorneside Wastewater Treatment Plant and continuing 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.