High and dry? Not for Brisbane’s riverside attractions as clean-up continues

Some of Brisbane’s most popular tourism and leisure attractions are beginning to reopen after the river that acted as a magnet for visitors threatened their very survival.

After a second full day of cleaning up, riverside businesses are still counting the costs of the weekend’s devastating flood, with the Queensland Cultural Centre, including the museum, library and art galleries to remain closed “until further notice”.

Debris at Mr Percival’s at Howard Smith Wharves on Wednesday.Credit: Tertius Pickard/AP

Most of Howard Smith Wharves, which was evacuated on Monday after a pontoon carrying a crane broke free of its mooring, reopened on Wednesday.

Popular bar Mr Percival’s, which juts out over the river and bore the brunt of the torrent, opened its doors at 5pm.

“It’s been touch and go, but we survived,” the bar’s management posted to its Facebook page.

A few hundred metres upstream, the Riverbar at Eagle Street was almost completely submerged at the height of the flood.

Brisbane’s Riverbar at Eagle Street was inundated.Credit: Tertius Pickard/AP

A waterlogged Riverbar emerged from the receding river, but a triumphant reopening appeared some time off.

“We will be closed until further notice while we understand the full extent of the clean-up ahead,” management posted to social media.

Even further upstream, and around the bend, South Bank chief executive Bill Delves said areas within the parklands, including the car park, remained closed on Wednesday.

“The South Bank precinct is slowly recovering, with a number of our popular eateries, and retail outlets in the parklands and on Little Stanley and Grey streets now open,” he said.

Silt left behind after the flood receded at South Bank.Credit: Supploed

“The safety of our people, retailers and visitors to South Bank remains our priority right now.

“We are working alongside City Parklands Services and other relevant authorities and stakeholders to ensure all our assets are secure, we safely remove water, silt and debris from the precinct, and restore power to all impacted areas.

“We thank everyone for their support and look forward to welcoming all our visitors safely back to South Bank.”

Brisbane’s cultural attractions did not escape unscathed.

An Arts Queensland spokeswoman said “extensive water still present on site” meant the repercussions of flooding across the Cultural Centre at South Brisbane had not been able to be fully assessed.

“Due to significant flooding impacts across the Queensland Cultural Centre the site is closed until further notice,” she said.

The spokeswoman said that applied to QPAC, the Queensland Museum, the State Library, the Queensland Art Gallery, GOMA and all undercover car parks across the Cultural Centre.

“All exhibitions and collections within these collecting institutions remain safe and protected,” she said.

A spokeswoman for the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art said all scheduled public programs had been cancelled until Sunday, March 6.

“The safety of our collections, the public and our staff is the focus, and no works of art are at risk,” she said.

It could be some time before business as usual, with Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner urging office workers to work from home if possible.

“Certainly I understand the impacts when it comes to working from home but at this point in time, the traffic is extreme on many parts or many roads around the city and so if you can cut down unnecessary travel, if you can work from home, this is the time to do it,” he said.

“By working from home at this time you can actually help the recovery of the city.”

Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey, meanwhile, announced public transport would be free until Sunday, ostensibly to make it easier for “mud army” volunteers to get around.

“This will also help support our CBD businesses who have been doing it tough over the last two years,” he said.

“I encourage everyone to pull on some gumboots and hop onboard to help out your fellow Queenslanders during this difficult time.”