When Grantham flooded in 2011, John and Kathy Mahon clung to the roof of their home and waited with their young grandchildren to be airlifted to safety.
The floods claimed 12 lives in the small Queensland town in the Lockyer Valley, prompting the council to enact a plan no other had: move the town to safety.
Fast forward to late February 2022 and the only thing the Mahons were flooded with, as the Lockyer Creek rose again, were phone calls from loved ones.
"It was a completely different feeling," Ms Mahon said.
"I can actually go to sleep at night and not think water could be coming and flood us in our sleep.
Higher calling
The seeds of what became known as the "Grantham land swap" were planted on the very day floodwaters ravaged the town 11 years ago.
Hours after he was airlifted to safety John Mahon stood at the water's edge talking to then-mayor Steve Jones.
"He said, 'We need to move the people of Grantham out of the floodplain,'" Mr Mahon said.
Land on a nearby cattle property was earmarked and before the end of the year the Mahons were handed the keys to their new home on higher ground.
They still marvel when describing the whirlwind of activity that happened in the months afterwards and credit the mayor for making "all the red tape go away".
But not everyone in Grantham took part in the land swap program, for varied reasons.
There are 110 homes on the hill, but more than 50 dwellings remain in the older part of town.
"As soon as it started raining last month we were thinking of the people who were still down there," Ms Mahon said.
She said there was a good chance it could have still been them in harm's way if it wasn't for family convincing them to make the move.
Leaving the house he built
At first Mr Mahon had no intention of being part of the land swap — he loved the house he built in the early 1990s in the low-lying town.
"There are so many memories down there," he said.
But his grandchildren convinced him to change his mind.
"They said, 'Pop, we're not going to visit when it's rainy weather,'" he said.
"We had one-and-three-quarter acres down there, but that has dropped back to an acre."
Ms Mahon said they were "happy" to sacrifice the space so long as the new space was dry.
Memories of what the family went through in 2011 are still vivid.
The Mahons keenly check weather forecasts and are hesitant to venture out when rain is forecast.
"Your home is supposed to be your safe place," Ms Mahon said.
No regrets
The man who spearheaded the project, Steve Jones, passed away in 2016.
His successor Tanya Milligan says she is proud of the pioneering work the council did.
"There was so much hurt and pain in 2011 and we've had the ability to allow a lot of people to get out of an area that could be quite dangerous," she said.
"We're a small local government and we still owe $6.3 million for what we did, but we don't regret it because we have people who are safe."
Cr Milligan said there were many complex layers when it came to moving a community and advised other councils to be aware of the factors involved in land swaps, including the financial implications.
"It's a really big conversation to have for local, state and federal governments to have with communities, because there are so many issues," she said.
Now the Mayor is focusing on those still living in low-lying areas in the shire.
"I've been contacted by people who weren't in the position to take up the land swap in 2011 and have reached out to us now," Cr Milligan said.
"The council still has some land that is undeveloped.
"It is a conversation the council will have again, because at the end of the day, we don't want to lose family, community or friends."
Risk and return
While the focus during the land swap in Grantham stayed very much on the practical workings of moving a town, Tony Matthews, urban and environmental planner at Griffith University, says Grantham holds celebrity status in the academic world.
"The people of Grantham probably didn't realise at the time, but what they were living through was a very major historical moment globally," he said.
"It is still referenced regularly in international literature for what happened there."
Dr Matthews says urban planners are starting to consider "radical" solutions to help people living in flood zones.
"Choosing a place to live in Australia is about avoiding a multitude of hazards," he said.
"We're a migratory species — but you know, we also like to settle down and have jobs and have kids and put them in school and things like that.
"We don't need to keep following the food, so we build cities on that basis.
"You don't want to live in a place that's too prone to fire. You don't want to live in a place too prone to floods. You don't want to live in a place to get caught off. You don't want to live in a place that's going to collapse into the sea in the next few years.
"There's still plenty of options, but you've got to be careful."
Dr Matthews points out that some Brisbane suburbs that regularly flood but still command a premium property price.
"People's willingness to offset risk was probably one of the most surprising things to come out of the 2011 flood," he said.
"Within four or five years the property markets had fully recovered.
"So that just goes to show that some people – maybe more people than you'd imagine – will accept a degree of a significant risk because they'll think they're getting something in return for it."
Could more towns move?
But after two one-in-100-year floods in the space of a decade in south-east Queensland, will we see a dramatic redesign of – or migration from – flood-prone cities?
Dr Matthews says no.
"We could completely rebuild our cities in 100 years, but that's not going to happen," he said.
"On average we rebuild about two per cent of a city each year.
"So if we put our shoulder to the wheel and made a concerted effort from today, we could do it.
"We may see more green infrastructure and natural flood management using … riparian technology around flood plains," Dr Matthews said.
"Using natural soakage rather than heavy infrastructure, there'll be more evidence … of a nature-based solution."
With this in mind, he said what happened in Grantham was an "extraordinary" and almost unique situation.
"Things like community relocation can only happen in small communities — a few thousand people at the most," he said.
Home on the hill
Back in Grantham, the Mahons are happy with their new outlook on life.
They watched the 2022 floodwater rise from the safety of their lounge room, knowing they would not have to climb onto the roof to be winched to safety.
Ms Mahon still misses the home he raised his family in and admits his emotional attachment to Grantham is still in the lower section of town.
"The most exciting thing up here is feeding the birds," he laughed.
"But it's worth a fortune to not have to worry," Kathy said.
