The 'Sunshine State', that's how people have referred to Queensland now for many years.
Or, as one advertising specialist once came up with, 'Queensland, beautiful one day, perfect the next.'
Well, someone is surely kidding..if recent weather was any indication, a perfect nickname for Queensland would be 'the soggy state'.
Rainfall figures for May released by the Weather Bureau inform us that the State's South-East corner, basically from the Sunshine Coast down to the NSW-Queensland border, was subjected to triple the normal rainfall expected in May.
Today we have some sunshine, but barely a week goes by without at least two, perhaps three days of rain.
It has been far more than annoying, it has been incredibly damaging; Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and northern NSW beaches have taken a severe pounding from big seas whipped up by the low pressure system which refused to depart its position just off the coastline.
Tonnes of sand have been washed away, tonnes of sand have been washed further inland; at some beaches now, there is a 2.0-metre drop from the roadside to the sand.
Bar crossings along the coast were closed for several weeks as big seas lashed the coast and surfers were warned that man eating sharks were 'on the prowl' as rivers emptied their nutrients into the ocean.
The Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show was forced to cancel its opening day for the first time in its 21-year history, Brisbane ferry commuters had to find alternative ways to travel as debris in the Brisbane River forced cancellation of all ferry services.
An extreme downside to the horrendous weather is the massive clean-up expense facing local councils.
Beaches and riverfronts are littered with all manner of flotsam and rubbish and attending to this is no easy task.
It has resulted in a quiet time for marina operators, with fuel sales almost nil as boaters forgo any thought of tackling the wild conditions.
Professional fishermen and the majority of sport fishing charter operators were among the many confined to port, but according to Channel 9 weather and fishing commentator (and former fishing guide) Paul Burt, they would not have been too concerned.
'Sure, the professional fishermen may have missed out on a catch or two, but most would have enjoyed some time off,' he said.
'Some of these guys work seven days a week, so missing the occasional catch would certainly not send them broke.
'Same with the sport fishing charter firms, they're used to this sort of thing happening.
'When you go fishing for a living you have to accept what weather conditions may be thrown at you,' he added.
One of the more spectacular sights resulting from the big seas was the sight of multi-million dollar beach front homes looking dangerously as though they could topple into the surf.
Many lost several metres of their land as it collapsed and was washed away.
There is now a real battle going on between some of these landowners and the Gold Coast City Council.
The homeowners are calling for financial assistance, the council says they can afford to fix their own problems.
So, May is behind us, the gale force winds have dropped away, the big seas have abated, and mild water temperatures have attracted the fish and the anglers.
It is June, and the weather forecast for June 3, 4 and 5 is...wait for it, 'showers, rain at times, possible thunderstorms.'
Sellicks Hill, SA
