Wet weather chaos in Mackay and Whitsundays with airport closed, roads flooded, and power outages
Mackay Airport has returned to normal operations, while a photo of Proserpine local posing with a one metre barra he hooked from flood waters off the Bruce Highway has gone viral. LATEST.
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Mackay Airport has returned to normal operations while a photo of Proserpine local posing with a one-metre barramundi he hooked from flood waters off the Bruce Highway has gone viral.
This comes as one person has died in floodwaters in north Queensland and multiple areas have been told to evacuate by 12pm Sunday in the face of life-threatening flooding as the region is preparing for an expected 600mm+ of rain a day to come.
Anyone in the Ingham area has been told to take shelter immediate as dangerous flooding was occurring.
The Bruce Highway is impacted at multiple sites between Mackay and Townsville, including in both directions at Lethebrook from Goorganga Creek to Thompson Creek as of 1.27pm Sunday, but this hasn’t stopped people from asking if there is a way through north.
In the 24 hours to 9am Sunday Sandy Plateau recorded 140mm of rain, Mount William 173mm, Clark Range 143mm, Teemburra Dam 161mm, Gargett 132mm, Mirani Weir 124mm and Mirani 154mm to name a few.
There is also currently a minor flood warning for the Pioneer River which reached 5.53m at high tide at 1.15pm on Sunday, which is still below the minor flood level of 6.3m.
Images show the swollen river. BMA CQ Rescue crew also capture this image of a very drenched region on the way to Proserpine.
Moderate flooding has occurred at Walkerston, and minor flooding at Sarichs and Mirani Township.
A minor flood warning was also in place for the Don River at Bowen, while a flood watch was current for Proserpine catchments.
BOM said moderate rainfall was forecast for the remainder of Sunday and into Monday, which may cause further river and creek level rises in the next few days.
Broken River Visitor Information Centre and Platypus Lodge Restaurant Oskar Krobath said the facilities would remain closed on Sunday.
Proserpine local Kent Rasmussen shared a photo of himself which he titled “1 metre highway barra” in a Whitsunday fishing Facebook group, which has since received 14,000 reactions, 1400 comments and has been shared more than 800 times.
The photo has also been posted by others under different flood related posts.
Mr Rasmussen said he hooked the barramundi two years ago, in February 2023, about 10 minutes south of Proserpine in the middle of the day.
He said because he ran his own business, he had decided to cut out for a bit of a fish – after catching two smaller barras he landed the one-metre beauty.
“I wasn’t expecting to catch one that big,” he told this publication.
He said it was a catch and release.
He planned to get back out today Sunday for some fishing, explaining that after a lot of rain was a good time to try and hook a barra.
So far he said he hadn’t had any luck with barramundi, but had caught a few mangrove jacks.
Seventeen roads across the Mackay regional and 33 in the Whitsunday region remain closed because of flooding with emergency services consistently pushing the message of: if it’s flooded, forget it.
More information about Mackay and Whitsunday road closures can be found at https://disaster.mackay.qld.gov.au/ and https://disaster.whitsundayrc.qld.gov.au/.
Mackay Airport, which was forced to cease operations on Saturday after the city was battered by torrential rain causing flash flooding, informed as of 8.30am Sunday morning it was again open and has returned to normal operations with road access “now clear”.
“Customers who are departing or arriving at Mackay Airport are advised to contact your airline directly for further information about your flight,” a post on social media read.
Hundreds are also without power – 185 customers are impacted at Dalrymple Heights, Eungella, Finch Hatton and Netherdale, 444 are affected across Balnagowan, Farleigh, Habana, Hampden, Kuttabul, Marian, Seaforth, The Leap and Yakapari – Ergon has attributed the outages to damaging requiring emergency repairs. Crews are currently working onsite.
Watch: ‘A lot of rocks, debris’ as roads turn to rivers, airport shut
SAT: Cascading waterfalls are a main attraction in Eungella National Park but raging rivers and heavy have turned the scenic route into a disaster zone.
Multiple roads into area are cut while back in Mackay the airport is closed, and hundreds are without power as North Queensland is slammed with rain.
Eungella roads are covered in torrents of water as Broken River continues to rise.
Oskar Krobath, who operates Broken River Visitor Information Centre and Platypus Lodge Restaurant said he had been keeping an eye on the area to make sure no visitors were stuck or stranded.
“I hope people are not going sightseeing or for a drive because it’s not very safe, there’s a lot of rocks and debris coming down,” he said.
Mr Krobath has been forced to close the information centre and restaurant for the day with the carpark already flooded.
He just hopes the water doesn't make it inside.
He said generally the water came up quickly and could cause some flooding but did go down quickly too so he hoped to be back up and running soon.
And when the sun does come out, it will be a beautiful time to visit the area.
“All the waterfalls going up the range are still running pretty heavily for a few days after the heavy rain event so makes it a nice, pretty place,” he said.
Inbound flights were forced to divert on Saturday as heavy rainfall impacted roads in and out of the Mackay Airport with all flights now cancelled for the day.
Mackay Airport posted to its Facebook that Milton Street, Casey Ave, Jack Connor Drive and the aerodrome were under with the afternoon high tide likely to impact water levels even further.
The airport’s CEO, Richard Barker, said the safety of passengers, the community, and stakeholders was their highest priority.
“Operations at Mackay Airport have ceased for today due to the water level within the aerodrome’s operational areas, caused by the ongoing weather conditions,” he said.
“Customers with flights departing or arriving at Mackay Airport are advised to contact their airline directly for additional information. “Please do not attend Mackay Airport today and follow the advice of local authorities.
“We are continually monitoring the situation and will provide updates via social media and on our website.
“Please take care, and thank you for your understanding and co-operation.”
There are numerous roads closed throughout the Mackay and Whitsunday regions, including parts of the Bruce Highway, and hundreds are without power in Bloomsbury and Homebush and conditions don’t look likely to improve this afternoon.
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in Mackay, Sarina and Eungella as well as a minor flood warning for the Pioneer River.
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Originally published as Wet weather chaos in Mackay and Whitsundays with airport closed, roads flooded, and power outages
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