Gympie floods: CBD braces for flood, hwy cut as river peak predicted

The CBD is bracing itself for its second flood in less than three months as the Mary River nears its predicted peak. It comes as the Bruce Hwy was closed and five rescues were carried out. Watch the video:

Gympie’s CBD is bracing for a second flood in less than three months after a night of intense rainfall caused the Mary River to rise more than three metres.

It comes as the Bruce Hwy at Gympie was closed on Saturday morning.

Moderate flooding is now occurring along the Mary River at Gympie, with the river predicted to peak 15.30 and 15.90 metres on Sunday.

Six Mile Creek, Tiaro, Miva and Dagun Pocket are experiencing moderate flooding also.

As of 8.39am on Saturday, the Mary River at Gympie is at 14.61 metres and rising.

A Gympie Regional Council spokesman said the CBD was bracing for its second flood in less than two months, though it had not flooded yet.

Gympie’s CBD is bracing for a second flood in less than three months, though Council says it will not be anywhere near as devastating as the February floods. Shown here is the Gympie CBD during the February floods. Photo: Infinity Flights Photography

“At 15.9 metres, the flood water reaches Monkland Street,” they said.

“But a lot of the shops that will be affected haven’t moved back in since the last flood.”

It comes as at least five swift water rescues were conducted across the Gympie region between Friday night and Saturday morning.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency spokesman said crews were called to a rescue at Kandanga Creek Rd and Weber Rd, Kandanga at 6.28pm on Friday night, with reports of two people and a dog trapped inside a vehicle.

However, they had reached safety before rescue crews arrived.

Then, crews were called to another rescue at Arborfour Rd, Glenwood, just after 10pm on Friday night, to reports of a vehicle driving into flood waters.

When crews arrived on scene, the car was abandoned with the driver escaping to safety.

In nearby Gundiah, rescue crews were called to Netherby Rd where two people were caught in flood waters, but family members and rescue crews guided them to safety.

Then, on Saturday morning, rescue crews were called to the scene of a car trapped in flood waters at the One Mile ovals in Gympie at 7.55am.

Brisbane Rd at Monkland has been cut by rising flood waters. Photo: John Clough on Facebook

The spokesman said flood waters were up to the car’s windshield, though the driver was no longer inside the vehicle.

A bystander told crews they had seen the driver escape the car, but crews are still searching for the driver to be certain.

A person stranded in flood waters was also rescued at Tuchekoi, though the spokesman could not confirm a time.

At least 41 roads have been cut as a result of the flooding, including the Bruce Hwy at Gympie, Wide Bay Hwy at Bells Bridge, River Rd in Gympie, Power Rd in Southside, Brisbane Rd in Gympie and Ramsay Rd, Southside.

Kidd Bridge, Bells Bridge, Inglewood Bridge and Eel Creek Bridge are closed.

Normanby Bridge, Pengelly’s Bridge and Six Mile Bridge remain open.

A second emergency alert was issued for the Gympie region on Friday afternoon.

Residents were warned to stay off the roads to avoid being caught in flash flooding after a man was pulled from his submerged car during a dramatic midnight rescue only 5km southeast of Gympie.

Police said the man and his car became stranded after it was driven into floodwaters at Mothar Mountain about midnight Thursday.

The Mary River is still below Normanby Bridge for now, though the threat of river rises may change this in the coming days according to the weather bureau. Photo: TMR on Facebook

Fireys needed a boat to reach the car, stuck in waters near the intersection of Sunray Rd.

It took more than an hour for crews to rescue the man, who was helped from the vehicle and was not back on dry land until about 1.10am.

He declined transport to hospital.

Noosa Rd is one of more than a dozen roads across the Gympie region which have closed by rising floodwaters.

It was emergency crews’ third rescue across the Gympie region in little more than 24 hours as heavy rainfall continued to inundate the Wide Bay Burnett and South East Queensland regions, causing rivers to rise.

A man missing from a campground at Imbil amid heavy rainfall and flash flooding on late Wednesday night was found by police following a daylong search.

The man was last seen at the Borumba Deer Park campgrounds at 11.30pm on Wednesday night, chasing his dog.

Police conformed in a press release they found the 36-year-old late Thursday afternoon.

A land, air and water search had been launched 10am that morning after he was last seen shortly before midnight chasing his dog near the Borumba Deer Park at Yabba Creek Rd.

He had disappeared from his campsite on Yabba Creek Rd at 11.30pm on Wednesday night while chasing his dog and has failed to contact anyone since.

Police said the man and his dog were found at Kandanga, 8km away from where he was last seen.

It was the second rescue effort carried out by emergency crews in the Mary Valley after a woman was swept away in her car at Tuchekoi.

It comes as the weather bureau issued a severe weather warning for the Wide Bay including Gympie, Maryborough, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg.

As of 8.30am Friday the Mary River at Gympie is at 11,1m and rising, less than 1m below the moderate flood level.

Kidd Bridge and Eel Creek Bridge at Glastonbury have been closed.

Closed roads across the region include East Deep Creek Rd, Glastonbury Rd, Exhibition Rd, Traveston Crossing Rd, Kenilworth Skyring Rd, Walker Rd, Fisherman’s Pocket Rd, Yabba Creek Rd and Gympie Woolooga Rd.

Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington posted images on Facebook of Woolooga during the January floods at the very start of the year. Picture: Facebook

However, Maryborough city is not predicted to flood although the Granville and Lamington bridges may be forced shut.

The severe weather forecast and intense rainfall system come less than three months after the worst Gympie flood in living memory, where the Mary River peaked at 22.96 metres during February.

Deputy mayor Hilary Smerdon, a Woolooga resident, said on Thursday afternoon the hope was the forecast falls did not eventuate.

“Another inch or so we can handle, but not 170mm,” Mr Smerdon said.

Gympie Show society president Deb Brown said the Gympie Show would still go on, despite numerous events cancelled and the ongoing wet weather. Pictures: Josh Preston

This week his own property had already received 190mm but “most of that is gone now”.

“It‘s not going to be anywhere near what it was in January,” Mr Smerdon said.

He said streams in the Miva and Woolooga region were likely rise again and farmers would be forced to fix their fences for the third time this year “but I don‘t think we’re going to get impacted that badly”.

His sympathy lay with the Gympie Show which was facing yet another hurdle from this weather system.

Gympie Show president Deb Brown said organisers were crossing their fingers that predictions did not become a reality, with the wet weather to fall on People’s Day at the popular event which has battled against the fallout from the Covid pandemic to keep running.

Until it did the annual event, which had already been cancelled once this year and then resurrected at the last moment thanks to an enormous effort, would be business as usual.

Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said the damage from the February flood is still being assessed.

“We‘re going to keep it going and hope we don’t get as much rain as forecast,” Ms Brown said.

Heavy rainfall and flash flooding across the region this week had already forced the cancellation of several events including the rodeo.

But the show was still going on, Ms Brown said, and she hoped Gympie residents would still don their gumboots and join in the fun if conditions remained safe.

“We’ve been able to put this on but the reality is the weather is something we can’t control.”

Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said in a press conference on Thursday morning the onslaught of rain was like “deja vu”.

However, Mr Hartwig said there was nothing to worry about at this point in time, despite the record breaking predictions.

“Some of the low-lying sporting clubs, the BMX club may have some inundation … depending on the river height, it will determine whether local businesses will be inundated,” he said.