Maryborough flood set to be bigger than January: Mayor

Maryborough is facing a second, more devastating wave of flooding with the weather bureau on Monday confirming predictions the Mary River would rise to 10.7m – the same level experienced during Tropical Cyclone Oswald.

Maryborough is facing a second, more devastating round of flooding with the weather bureau on Monday confirming predictions the Mary River would rise to 10.7m – the same level experienced during Tropical Cyclone Oswald in 2013.

The river is expected to hit its peak on Monday night as the council hopes its flood levee would hold out most of the water and protect the CBD.

Already more roads around the CBD, as well as major access routes, have been cut.

The weather bureau said there had been widespread rain total of 200mm to 600mm recorded since Thursday with isolated higher totals of over 1 metre.

Woolworths in Maryborough flooding as the historic city faces a second, more devastating wave of damage.

The Mary River at Gympie was reported at 21.26m and falling with major flooding.

While rain has eased across the region, moving south flood Brisbane to the Tweed, the bureau says renewed rises across the Gympie catchment were expected as upstream floodwaters arrive.

The river level at Maryborough (Portside) was around 8.55 metres and rising, with moderate flooding.

“The Mary River at Maryborough will exceed the major flood level (9.00m) overnight Sunday into Monday. The river level may reach around the peak height observed during TC Oswald in 2013 (10.70) metres during Monday evening,’’ the official advice said.

Bit of water around Woolies at Maryborough pic.twitter.com/qc606h4RVZ

— Mick Nitz 🇦🇺 (@Michaelnitz66) February 27, 2022

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the council’s levee could withstand a flood of up to 11.3m.

Although the flooding will be higher than January, it will still be well short of Maryborough’s highest flood level of over 13m in 1893.

At Miva, the previous record for the biggest flood has been broken.

Set in 1974 with a peak of 20.8m, the river at Miva was at about 22m.

Kasey Hudson uses sandbags and tarp to try to protect her business.

There are now more than 90 roads closed around Hervey Bay.

The Maryborough to Hervey Bay Road was closing overnight, with alternative access via the Bruce Highway through Torbanlea.

Roads in and around the Maryborough CBD have been progressively closed while Alice Street was closed at the Ululah Lagoon.

Gallery: Maryborough Floods

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Access to Maryborough is via Walker Street.

Four schools on the Fraser Coast will be closed on Monday, including Granville State School, St Helens State School, Mungar State School and Maryborough Central State School.

The flooding spreading throughout Maryborough.

In other key developments:

• The flood levee in the Maryborough CBD has been installed. Access to the Maryborough CBD is progressively being restricted.
  
  
• All areas of Lenthalls Dam are now closed to the public until further notice, including the boat ramp, recreation area and campground.
  

Cr Seymour said residents likely to be impacted by flooding should be doing or have done all the preparations to keep themselves and their family safe for the duration of the flood event.

The flooding spreading throughout Maryborough.

“If you were flooded in January or flooded in 2013, you should have made your preparations by now and be prepared for the water levels to remain high for a number of days.

“While the SES is regularly boating essential supplies such as bread and medication to Granville, residents there and in outlying areas need to ensure they manage their supplies as they could be cut off until Thursday or Friday.

“It’s important the community rallies together to help themselves and their neighbours. Please look after each other.

#Maryborough #flooding That’s the Mary River in the background and our yard in the foreground. #qldflood pic.twitter.com/T9nNDsqaLr

— 🐀 Bill ♿️🧑🏻‍🦽🦻💉💉💉 (@bilfulaAU) February 27, 2022

“Those who are self-evacuating are urged to shelter with family and friends where possible while an evacuation centre is now operating at the Madcota Community Hub (Maryborough Senior Citizens Hall) in Alice Street for those with nowhere else to go.”

Tarps, sandbags buffer businesses, homes, as river rises

People are rushing to protect their homes and businesses as floodwaters begin to inundate Maryborough.

Sandbags and tarps have been used at homes and shopfronts in an effort to keep properties dry as the region anticipates a bigger flood than the one experienced last month.

About 12pm on Sunday the Mary River is expected to reach the moderate flood level of 8m and the Maryborough-Hervey Bay Road is expected to be closed to traffic.

It comes as the Lamington Bridge, connecting Tinana and Maryborough, went underwater, while Granville Bridge has been closed to traffic since 3am on Saturday.

The flood levee is in place at Maryborough CBD and Ergon cut the power to the CBD about 4pm on Saturday.

People at a Maryborough home have tried to erect their own levee to keep the floodwaters out.

Into the afternoon and evening, the river is expected to reach the major flood level of 9m.

On Monday, the river is expected to reach 10m, similar to the flood levels experienced in January’s floods.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said looking at Gympie the flood levels were at 23m and still hadn’t peaked.

The Lamington Bridge goes underwater in Tinana.

“Once it peaks there the Bureau of Meteorology will be able to give us a better assessment of what we can anticipate here in Maryborough downstream a couple of days later,” he said.

Cr Seymour said there was the potential for the flood to reach 2013 levels.

That would mean a flood of up to 10.7m in the CBD.

Cr Seymour said the river was running “very fast” and urged people to stay away from it.

Prisoners at Maryborough Correctional Centre have contributed to keeping the city safe.

Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders with the sandbags made by prisoners at the city's jail.

A social media post from Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders said the prisoners had filled thousands of sandbags for people to use ahead of the coming flood.

Self-serve sandbagging stations had been set up at Bunnings and at Granville Hall, with an additional filling point to be established at Harland car park in Bazaar Street.

The river is steadily rising in Maryborough.

Maryborough flood set to be bigger than January: Mayor

A flood likely to be higher than the one experienced in January is set to hit Maryborough.

With rain still falling further south and Gympie facing its largest flood in living memory, the Fraser Coast region will continue to experience a significant flow of water in coming days.

Minor flooding is now occurring in Maryborough with moderate flooding expected tomorrow morning and the major flood level of 9m to be reached by Sunday afternoon.

The Bureau of Meteorology advise it is still too early to know what the peak will be and when it will be reached as it will be determined once the Gympie flood peak is known.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said with confirmation the coming flood was likely to be even bigger than last month’s flood and water levels to remain very high for several days, residents should be making all their preparations today.

“Make no mistake – this is going to be a very big flood. If you were flooded in January, you will be flooded again and streets that went close to being flooded will likely flood this time,” he said.

A bigger flood than the one experienced in January is expected to hit Maryborough.

“Take the steps you need to take now.

“Move property and possessions to higher ground and self-evacuate as necessary.

“Unlike the January floods, a vast area of southeast Queensland is being severely affected so be aware that emergency services are stretched thin.

“It’s important the community rallies together to help themselves and their neighbours. Please look after each other.

“Those who are self-evacuating are urged to shelter with family and friends where possible while an evacuation centre is now operating at the Madcota Community Hub (Maryborough Senior Citizens Hall) in Alice Street for those with nowhere else to go.

“This is an evolving situation that may last for several days to a week. I urge everyone to stay safe, get prepared and be careful out on the roads. Remember if it is flooded, forget it.”

A bigger flood than the one experienced in January is expected to hit Maryborough.

In other developments:

• Ergon has advised that power will be cut in the Maryborough CBD from 4pm today.
  
• The flood levee in the Maryborough CBD is being installed. The intersection of Adelaide and Kent Street will be closed from 1pm today, with police and traffic control to be in place. Access to the Maryborough CBD will be progressively restricted over the next 24 hours. The Granville bridge closed at 3am this morning.
  

• Self-serve sandbagging stations are open in the Maryborough Bunnings car park and at the Granville Hall with an additional filling point now established in the car park at 101 – 105 Bazaar Street.
  
• The Granville and Boonooroo waste facilities are closed until further notice. The Maryborough landfill is open today but will be closed from tomorrow.

If the current weather event is causing any distress or anxiety, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 to speak to someone.

Grim warning as isolated towns told to ‘help themselves’

A grim warning has been issued by the council to isolated Fraser Coast suburbs, advising that emergency services across the state have been “stretched thin” amid the ongoing flood disaster.

“Please be aware that unlike in January, this time flooding is affecting a vast area of southeast Queensland with many roads and highways cut, so emergency services are stretched thin,” the post from the Fraser Coast Regional Council read.

“It’s important that the community rallies together to help themselves and their neighbours.

“Those who are self-evacuating are urged to shelter with family and friends where possible.”

Granville Bridge has been closed to traffic overnight, separating thousands of residents from Maryborough.

In the early hours of the morning, crews closed the bridge in anticipation of another major flood, set to hit the city sometime on Sunday or Monday, according to predictions from the Bureau of Meteorology.

An SES boat on its way to Granville, which has been isolated by the floods.

In the meantime, the city is preparing for another close encounter with the Mary River.

Council workers are putting up the levee in Maryborough on Saturday morning.

An evacuation centre has been established at Maryborough’s Senior Citizens Hall in Alice Street.

The construction of the levee gets underway in Maryborough CBD.

Second flood to hit city in space of six weeks

Maryborough is set to be hit with a second major flood within the space of six weeks.

Fraser Coast Mayor George confirmed the news on Friday afternoon, saying the forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology had now changed where it had become clear Maryborough would experience a major flood, “perhaps higher than last month’s”.

In January, a major flood hit the city in the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Seth.

The floodwater is expected to peak on Monday morning, possible reaching the major flood level of 9 metres by Sunday morning.

The levee system is being assembled once again in Maryborough's CBD.

The Lamington Bridge, which connects Maryborough and Tinana, has been closed since about 1.30pm.

The Granville Bridge will close to traffic at 3am on Saturday.

Council workers will assemble the levee from 8am on Saturday to keep floodwater out of the city centre.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said residents who will be flooded or think they will be cut off by flood waters should start making preparations now and consider self-evacuating to family or friends in higher places over the weekend.

“If your home or business could be cut off or impacted by floodwaters, please start getting prepared now,” he said.

“Have your emergency kit ready, move personal and household property out of potential flood waters and make plans to keep your pets safe.

“This is an evolving situation and the next few days are going to be difficult.

“I urge everyone to stay safe, get prepared and be careful out on the roads. Remember if it is flooded, forget it.”

In other developments:

• The Granville bridge will be closed at 3am on Saturday morning. Residents are urged to ensure they have all the personal supplies they need, including medication, as the bridge is expected to be closed for several days.
  
• Council has installed the interim flood gate solution that forms part of Maryborough’s CBD flood protection system this afternoon.
  
• Work to install the flood levee in the Maryborough CBD will begin at 8am tomorrow (Saturday) and there will be progressive road closures as it is in put in place. Residents are urged to please keep clear of the CBD tomorrow.
  
• An evacuation centre will be established at the Maryborough Senior Citizens Hall in Alice Street near Station Square and it will open from 8am Saturday morning.
  
• Sand and sandbags is available now from community self-filling station in the Maryborough Bunnings car park from Saturday morning at the Granville Hall.
  

Downer removed trains from Lower Kent Street ahead of the flooding.

Cr Seymour urged residents to stay up to date with the latest weather and flood warnings being issued by the Bureau of Meteorology.

The Lamington Bridge at Tinana has been closed.

Checking city’s flood levee as heavy rain hits region

“As a result of the latest flood warning, council is preparing to install the interim flood gate solution that forms part of Maryborough’s CBD flood protection system mid-afternoon, and this will require the closure of one lane of Adelaide Street for a few hours,” he said.

“It depends on how much rain falls today as to what level of flooding we experience over coming days, but it’s important everyone stays calm, stays safe and stays informed.

“Granville residents are urged to be prepared to be potentially cut off from Maryborough if the river levels reach 5.5 metres.

A massive band of rain is hitting the Wide Bay.

“Please ensure you stock up on your personal supplies in case access is cut at Lower Kent Street.

“Residents need to be aware heavy rainfall has filled creeks and rivers right throughout the Wide Bay with a number of roads throughout the region already closed, particularly in rural areas such as Glenwood, Teebar and Gundiah, among others.

“The Department of Transport and Main Roads will close Lamington Bridge this afternoon. Detours will be in place with the closure expected to last for a number of days.

“For road closure information, residents can log on to https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/ and log on to council’s Disaster Dashboard – https://disaster.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/ – for your one stop shop of emergency information.

“This is an evolving situation, so please follow the advice of the authorities and stay safe if out on the road. Remember if it’s flooded, forget it.”

We have all been waiting to see just what this weather system would do, now it is showing us just how DANGEROUS it is.

Stay well away from any floodwaters, rivers or creeks as they may rise rapidly.

📸 Maryborough pic.twitter.com/hFZVbKrC4F

— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) February 25, 2022

The Mary River at Miva is currently 11.45 metres with moderate flooding.

It is likely to exceed the major flood level of 15.50 metres on Saturday morning.

Moderate flood warnings remain for the Mary River at Tiaro and Tinana Creek.

Further south, the dangerous deluge has already cost two lives after police identified a Gympie dad and Belli Park woman as the victims of separate flash flooding tragedies.

Tragedy struck with 63-year-old Philippa Tayler of Belli Park found dead in her submerged car on Skyring Creek Rd, Belli Park on Wednesday morning.

A massive band of rain is pommeling residents from Bundaberg to the Gold Coast and out west to Ipswich and Gatton.

The trains have been removed from Maryborough's Downer factory yard. Photo: Robyne Cuerel

A staggering 423mm of rain has fallen in the six hours to 4.30am in Biggenden, west of Maryborough.

Other major rainfall totals over the same period include 315mm at Fig Tree north of Biggenden, 289mm at Paradise Dam, 241mm at Fred Haigh Dam and 158mm at Kandanga.

The latest warning says the worst of the severe weather will affect the Wide Bay and Burnett, Southeast Coast and parts of Darling Downs and Granite Belt forecast districts, with six-hourly rainfall totals between 80 and 120mm.

Up to 180mm over areas east of Gympie to Jimboomba could fall.

“Locally intense rainfall leading to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is possible with thunderstorms during this period, particularly over areas north of Brisbane,” the warning said.

“Six-hourly rainfall totals in excess of 300mm are possible.

Whelan Road at BOllier in the Mary Valley, taken and posted to Facebook February 25, 2022

Karen Davis, who lives on a permanent campsite, said her tarps had collapsed under the weight of the rain. Many were feeling for the people of Gympie, Bundaberg, and Fraser Coast regions which went under only weeks ago.

Others were wondering how the homeless would cope under the deluge.

Isabella Parslow at Glenwood said the rain had been non stop since about midnight.

“(It) woke me up around 2 bucketing down and hasn’t stopped since … I’m expecting the dam to be overflowing.’’

Kaylea Maher said the rain at Imbil was ‘extreme’.

“Looks like the majority of Mary River catchment upstream from Gympie is copping it. Hope all were prepared downstream.”

Daniel Wayne said the lightning strikes at Biggenden were incredible but ‘scary as f***’

‘Stay calm’: Fraser Coast braces for possible flooding

All eyes will be on the Mary River in Maryborough in coming days as heavy rain continues to fall over the catchment area, causing concerns the city is in for a repeat of January’s floods.

Fraser Coast residents are being urged to stay calm and stay up to date with the latest weather and flood warnings coming out from the Bureau of Meteorology.

Mayor George Seymour said with more rain forecast in southeast Queensland and the Wide Bay over the next 24 hours, Council was preparing for a range of possible flood scenarios and was receiving regular modelling from the Bureau on what may happen in our region.

“There is still a degree of uncertainty about what may happen over the coming days as it depends on how much rain falls, when it falls and where it falls. We urge everyone to stay safe, stay calm and stay informed,” he said.

The Mary River in Gympie from Kidd Bridge – a flood watch has been issued on the Mary River.

“Keep up to date with the latest weather and flood warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology, and log on to council’s Disaster Dashboard – https://disaster.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/ – for your one stop shop of emergency information. Don’t panic but be prepared.”

Cr Seymour said the council had tested elements of Maryborough’s CBD flood protection system, including an interim solution for the penstock gate that failed during the last flood event, to ensure it was already to go if needed in coming days.

“The Local Disaster Management Group has moved to ‘lean forward’ and will be meeting later today to ensure all agencies are ready for any possible flood event in our region,” he said.

“This is an evolving situation, so please follow the advice of the authorities and stay safe if out on the road. Remember if it’s flooded, forget it.”

Mary River in flood at Petrie Park, Tiaro. PICTURE: Bronwyn Phillips.

Cr Seymour said the bridge on Emery’s Bridge Road at Gundiah and the Tiaro Bridge will close this afternoon, while other roads throughout the region may also be impacted over the next 24 hours and on the weekend.

“Council’s Disaster Dashboard includes information on road conditions while you can also log on to the Department of Transport and Main Roads website – https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/ – for information about roads right across Queensland,” he said.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned up to 300mm of rain could fall in a matter of hours across already-soaked parts of the Wide Bay and southeast-Queensland.

With minor to moderate flooding already occurring in Gympie, downstream the river is currently at 2.80 metres in Maryborough, below the minor flood level, but rising with the tide.

Small river level rises are likely on Thursday as upstream floodwater arrives.

More significant river level rises are possible with further heavy rainfall, with the situation to be closely monitored.

The Mary River at Miva is currently at 8.80 metres and rising with minor flooding.

It is likely to exceed the moderate flood level of 9.50 metres.

It may record an initial peak of 12 metres on Thursday, but levels could keep rising with more rainfall.

At Tiaro, the Mary River is at 4.58 metres and rising, currently below the minor flood level.

It is likely to reach the minor flood level of 6 metres on Thursday morning and is likely to reach the moderate flood level of 8 metres on Thursday afternoon.

Higher levels are likely as upstream floodwater arrives and with further heavy rainfall predicted.

The wild weather has already claimed a woman’s life at Kenilworth, while grave fears are held for a motorcyclist missing at Cedar Pocket.

Originally published as Maryborough flood set to be bigger than January: Mayor