As they scroll through videos of Brisbane homes being flooded and losing power, Laurence Alexander and Gabrielle Caulfield feel they are probably better off than people living in houses. Their home is a 36-foot Catalina sloop called Rhino which, on Monday morning, is sheltering on the Brisbane River from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred  across south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Rhino, which they had planned to sail from Yamba in NSW to Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays, has its own generator, a gas stove and tanks that hold 300 litres of water.



Getting out for a coffee helps but stuck in his Teneriffe apartment because of the wild weather, Diego Camelo felt more than a little ‘stir crazy’.

As drizzle falls on the adjoining riverside suburb of Teneriffe after a night of torrential rain and damaging winds, Diego has dropped her five-year-old at one of the few local schools that has opened, but with two-year-old Anna’s gymnastics class cancelled, the pair found themselves at a loose end. At school drop-off they teamed up with another mother, Ashlinn, who can’t go to work because her three-year-old Frankie’s daycare centre is closed.

“My baby’s been having the worst day of her life,” she says. “I’m having to deal with the chaos of trying to keep her fed, dressed, and happy. And to my mind, that’s actually more exhausting.”

The third mother, Laura, has her oldest child at school in Windsor, but young Hamish’s daycare is also closed, so she was forced to take the day off work.

“This is essentially day five for us,” she says with a stoic smile. “It’s starting to wear thin.”

In nearby Gasworks Plaza, three mothers sit on a bench in front of the supermarket as their three youngest children swap sticker books, snacks and toys and run in circles around their weary carers.

Natasha has dropped her five-year-old at one of the few local schools that has opened, but with two-year-old Anna’s gymnastics class cancelled, the pair found themselves at a loose end. At school drop-off they teamed up with another mother, Ashlinn, who can’t go to work because her three-year-old Frankie’s daycare centre is closed.

“I drove around looking for anywhere to go and ended up here,” Natasha says. “We bought some Play-Doh from Woolworths and are just trying to make the best of it.”

The third mother, Laura, has her oldest child at school in Windsor, but young Hamish’s daycare is also closed, so she was forced to take the day off work.

“This is essentially day five for us,” she says with a stoic smile. “It’s starting to wear thin.”

In Brisbane, residents are feeling bored, cooped up and anxious. It’s 1:45pm. They are waiting for the line to pass to get to work. They are waiting for a lockdown lift. They are feeling cooped up. They are feeling cooped up.

## In Brisbane, residents are feeling bored, cooped up and anxious.

“Cyclone Alfred brought Brisbane’s fourth major flood in 50 years – can the city be flood-proofed?” Andrew Messenger and Ben Smee .

“Peter Bartlett from Rosalie Village Pharmacy in Brisbane wasn’t taking any chances; his sandbagging has paid off – not one drop of water got into this shop.”

## Peter Bartlett from Rosalie Village Pharmacy in Brisbane wasn’t taking any chances; his sandbagging has paid off – not one drop of water got into this shop.

### Cyclone Alfred brought Brisbane’s fourth major flood in 50 years – can the city be flood-proofed?

**18h ago**

### Large rafts of invasive fire ants seen floating in flood waters after Cyclone Alfred



Cyclone Alfred brought Brisbane’s fourth major flood in 50 years – can the city be flood-proofed?

**3d ago**

### As massive state cleanup begins, Dylan feels unsafe and stuck in his flood-prone Brisbane rental



As massive state cleanup begins, Dylan feels unsafe and stuck in his flood-prone Brisbane rental

**4d ago**

### Here’s what you need to know after Queensland and NSW battered by storm



Here’s what you need to know after Queensland and NSW battered by storm

**4d ago**

### Backlash in Brisbane as New Order gig gets go ahead in storm-damaged city



Backlash in Brisbane as New Order gig gets go ahead in storm-damaged city

**4d ago**

### When Cyclone Alfred forced a wildlife hospital to close, this rescue koala found a new place to recuperate



When Cyclone Alfred forced a wildlife hospital to close, this rescue koala found a new place to recuperate

**5d ago**

### When Cyclone Alfred forced a wildlife hospital to close, this rescue koala found a new place to recuperate



When Cyclone Alfred forced a wildlife hospital to close, this rescue koala found a new place to recuperate

**5d ago**

### Backlash in Brisbane as New Order gig gets go ahead in storm-damaged city



Backlash in Brisbane as New Order gig gets go ahead in storm-damaged city

**4d ago**

### Hell and high water: flooded-in northern rivers residents grapple with ‘no water, no phone or power’



Hell and high water: flooded-in northern rivers residents grapple with ‘no water, no phone or power’

**5d ago**
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