Hundreds of roads linking small communities in parts of south-east Queensland have been damaged by landslips and flooding during severe weather events across the past two years.
But the vital infrastructure in isolated parts of the Gold Coast hinterland and the Scenic Rim is unlikely to be repaired before the third La Niña hits because constant rain has hindered busy work schedules.
Residents fear the impacts of another big wet on roads that are already struggling to cope.
Getting hold of materials and contractors to do the job has also posed another challenge -- with pipes for repairs coming from as far away as Western Australia.
"As you get a series of these events in quick succession, you see damage to road networks and infrastructure at a pace and [that] ongoing process becomes exhausting to try to respond to," Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor Greg Christensen said.
"You can't lay a road down where there is still water coming up from underneath, you can only do temporary works until the water table, the aquifer, recedes enough to allow you to have stable footings."
Mr Christensen said temporary repairs were the only option in some areas until conditions allowed for a more thorough fix.
"Our crews are diverted from our capital works project, our normal scheduled works, they're throwing themselves onto emergency repairs," he said.
"We're doing small repairs where we can but we're holding back the major works, so we'll be doing more temporary repairs [and] more 'make safe' [works] until we're sure of the weather."
Impact on community
In February, Illinbah residents made a flying fox to access food and medical supplies after the causeway at Flying Fox Road was washed away.
A new bridge has since been installed, but many other roads are yet to be repaired.
Major works are needed along Head Road at Carneys Creek and Price Creek Road, which remain closed, while Shelf Road remains open to light vehicles only.
Some works fall under the council's responsibility, while others are up to the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Tamborine Mountain Road, known as "the goat track" to residents, was closed for 18 months after a major landslip blocked access during wild weather in December 2020.
That road reopened in August 2022 but for almost two years, the usual 15 minute trip between Canungra and Tamborine Mountain was taking drivers up to an hour.
Canungra shoe shop owner Nora Jones said the closure put a strain on residents as small businesses in the area.
"They (customers) wouldn't drive the extra hour and go the long way around to get here, it's not good for any small business," Ms Jones said.
"We've had a lot of storm damage lately."
She said the road had a lot of potholes.
"It seems to be that they come along and patch it up, then the next storm comes along and they blow out again," she said.
Fears of more damage
Canungra hardware store owner David Torrens said he feared for the condition of roads in his region during the next wet season.
"The ground is full, it's wet, with more [rain], it's just going to make it worse," he said.
"They're [council and government] doing their best. But every day, the more and more rain we're getting, the worse it's going to get.
"It slows everything up, and everything gets wet so you can't do anything because you've got to wait for it to dry."
Tamborine Mountain resident Naomi Blythe said she had never seen the roads as bad in her 12 years of living in the area.
"There's that feeling that we can't afford to have more rain at the moment because they haven't resolved the last lot," she said.
Seven natural disasters in three years
A Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) spokesperson said there were multiple sites under repair at the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim.
"The most recent severe rainfall in the Springbrook area in September 2022 marked the seventh natural disaster event in the South Coast Region in the past three years," the spokesperson said.
Tamborine Mountain Road reopened with a one-way section and traffic lights in August after large boulders and debris blocked the road in December last year.
"More than 20,000 tonnes of debris and unstable material was removed," the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Gold-Coast Springbrook Road is expected to be closed until early 2024 after major landslips between Neranwood Park and Pine Creek Road happened between February and March this year.
"If there is further extreme weather as a result of the third consecutive year of the La Niña weather pattern, this time-frame could be impacted," the spokesperson said.
"Since late September, three more significant landslips have happened along the 10-kilometre, closed section of Gold Coast–Springbrook Road.
Work is also ongoing at Lamington National Park Road and more than 75 more jobs will begin later this year, expected to be completed by mid 2023.
