Weather: Family stranded in Whitsundays during big wet

A Cairns family has been stranded in the Whitsundays as torrential rain pummels the region. The trip to Whitehaven Beach has been canned but the children are making the most of playing in the rain.

A Cairns family has been stranded in the Whitsundays as rain batters the region cutting the highway north.

What began as a fun family trip in the tourist hotspot was fast drenched as a slow moving low settled over the Central and Whitsunday Coast, effectively isolating the region as flooding forced highway closures to the north and south.

Between 9am Monday and 4am Tuesday 210mm of rain was recorded at Cannonvale and 191 at Proserpine Airport.

“We are getting a little waterlogged now but we are trying to make the best of a really wet situation,” mother of three Tanya Snelling said.

Cairns mother of three Tanya Snelling at Big4 Adventure Whitsunday caravan park during the deluge. Picture: Tanya Snelling

“We haven’t been able to explore the Whitsundays as we would have hoped and we did have to cancel our trip out to Whitehaven Beach, but what else can you do but wait it out and hope for better weather to get home safely.”

The family arrived on Thursday with plans to leave Monday, but have had to extend their stay by two nights.

“We are hopeful we can get out by Wednesday,” she said.

Owen Hodges (the one in the air) holidaying from Rockhampton. Picture: Tanya Snelling

They are staying at the Big4 Adventure Whitsundays caravan park, which Mrs Snelling said was “quite empty now”.

A video showed the roadway within the adventure park turned into a swimming pool.

Cairns mother of three Tanya Snelling with her daughter Leah, 16 and son Jesse, 11 at Big4 Adventure Whitsunday caravan park during the deluge. Picture: Tanya Snelling

“We are ready to go home, but we are more fortunate than others who are stuck on the highway waiting for the roads to reopen,” Mrs Snelling said.

“Probably the hardest thing was not being aware that we would get water locked in Airlie Beach.”

Cairns mother of three Tanya Snelling with her daughter Leah, 16 at Big4 Adventure Whitsunday caravan park during the deluge. Picture: Tanya Snelling

She said their three children did not mind.

“They are running around and playing in the rain. It‘s still a good holiday for them,” she said.

Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is forecast to continue over the Central Coast and Whitsundays on Tuesday, but begin to shift offshore to the north late in the day.

Six-hourly rainfall totals between 100 to 180mm are likely with isolated 24-hourly totals up to 300mm.