Looks like its been a rough couple of days as this system moves through south Queensland and northern NSW. First time I have ever heard tornado warnings given out in Australia, yes they are rare and generally a suprise when they pop up. We have only caught the edge of the system here so no damage and enjoying the rain but some areas are doing it tough and lives and property have been lost. Ex TC Oswald seems to have caused more destruction since becoming an ex cyclone than it did when it ran aground as a cyclone in the tropics.

I do wonder how you manage household water in the north, I guess you would have a pretty big iceblock if you tried to store it above ground. How do you get the water from the cistern to house tap? My brother lives in a colder climate than I do and if he gets a frost of -8^oC the water will freeze in the pipes where they run in the walls of the house, generally will defrost by lunch time. Water in the above ground tank has never frozen.