Crumbling gully gnawing at Brisbane backyards

There's been more than a decade of rain since Brisbane City Council first investigated the crumbling gully in Karana in 2008.

"Some of the aerial shots I've got from back in the day, there is actually no creek there at all," resident Paul Lindsay told 9News.

The 2011 floods saw the gully swallow chunks of residents' backyards. But the erosion isn't natural.

Every time in rains, a drain 200 metres short of the Brisbane River sends a torrent of water down, causing landslides and toppling trees and fences.

Resident Phil Godfrey said he thought "at least 30 feet" (9.1 metres) had dropped away over the years.

After 12 years of complaints to council, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has pledged to invest $2.6 million in stabilising the creek banks.

However, it's the third year in the row the council has allocated funds to the project.

"August this year is the new date, so I'm not going to hold my breath," Mr Lindsay said.

If the works go ahead, the council plans to fill in the gully before laying a stormwater pipe all the way down to the river.