Maryborough flood protection: Penstock gate installed, bridge updates

The Fraser Coast’s mayor has spoken out about the latest measures the council is taking to ensure Maryborough is shielded as floodwaters from Gympie go past the city to the sea. UPDATES, VIDEO:

Adriana Mageros, Carlie Walker and Elizabeth Neil

6 min read

May 16, 2022 - 3:53PM

Fraser Coast

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The Mary River has peaked at 5m in Maryborough, with businesses and homeowners affected by the previous two flood breathing a sigh of relief.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour told reporters on Monday that meant the Granville Bridge, one of two arterial bridges in the city, would not close.

Access from Maryborough to Granville will be via Guava St and Lower Kent St will be closed at short notice either side of the high tide, Councillor Daniel Sanderson said.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour give flood update

Meanwhile, the Lamington Bridge remains closed to traffic due to the rising floodwaters, but is expected to reopen after inspections on Monday.

Floodwater have once again inundated Queens Park where a bullshark was seen swimming in the January floods and the Mary River Marina was again affected by the floodwater, Cr Seymour said.

Shark spotted swimming through Qld city park

The penstock gate remains in place in Adelaide St, shutting floodwaters out of the CBD’s floodwater drains and the basements of the city’s businesses.

Part of Adelaide St remains closed as a result.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the Mary River flooded had peaked at 5m in Maryborough.

He said the river had peaked between 10.30am and 11am at about 5m, well down on the prediction of a flood between 5.3m and 6m.

“Last night it peaked at Tiaro at about 12.8m, which is a major flood.

“So it’s a minor flood here and a major flood in Tiaro.”

Cr Seymour said he was grateful to the SES workers, fire fighters, Ergon Energy, council workers and others who had contributed to the cities flood preparations.

“It’s a well-oiled machine now,” he said.

“This is the third flood for 2022, so it’s very pleasing to see how resilient the community is.”

Water inundating Queens Park in Maryborough.

‘No major flood’ for Maryborough despite nearby emergency

Last week, the flood emergency in Gympie sparked concerns further downstream in Maryborough that there could be a repeat of the two major floods earlier this year.

But Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said there had been a lot less rainfall in this rain event, with the amount that was received over the catchment area close to what was forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology.

Cr Seymour said the vastly different geography of Gympie and Tiaro compared to Maryborough was also responsible for the difference in flood levels.

The hilly geography in Tiaro and Gympie was the reason the flooding extended so far, whereas Maryborough’s geography was flatter, with water spreading out over the cane fields, Cr Seymour said.

“That’s why the numbers don’t collate,” he said.

A 16m flood in Gympie would not extend that far in Maryborough, Cr Seymour said, with minor flood predictions between 5.5m and 5.7m and a peak expected on Sunday night or Monday morning.

“I don’t think there’s any chance of a major flood,” he said.

Cr Seymour said the flash flooding had been of significant concern during this rain event, urging drivers to remember, if it’s flooded, forget it.

This handout photo taken on February 28, 2022 and received on March 1 from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) shows rescuers on a boat evacuating people along a flood street around Maryborough in Queensland

Major flooding was predicted for Tiaro, south of Maryborough, for Sunday morning; though weather bureau said the Mary River remains a ‘minor’ threat to Maryborough.

According to the latest update, the Mary River at Tiaro was at 9.50 metres at 3am on Saturday morning and was rising, causing a moderate flood.

However this was predicted to reach 12 metres, causing a major flood, by Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, the Mary River is set to reach the minor flood level in Maryborough on Saturday after heavy rain in the catchment area, with the Lamington Bridge closed to traffic for the railings to be removed briefly then again from midnight until the river recedes.

The Granville Bridge was not likely to close, Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said, however, lower Kent St would likely be closed in parts.

It comes as swift water rescue crews were called to Glenwood and Gundiah late on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Rescue crews were also called to another vehicle in flood waters at Gundiah on Saturday morning.

The penstock gate (which acts like a guillotine and stops floodwater from rushing the CBD stormwater system) was installed on Thursday in preparation for forecasted heavy rainfall and remains in place in Adelaide St, which is partially closed.

Since 9am on Friday, 153mm of rain was recorded in Hervey Bay at the Ghost Hill station while Maryborough had 110mm at Portside.

Flash flooding has hit the Fraser Coast as heavy rainfall hit the region.

The Boonooroo Waste Transfer Station has been closed on Saturday because of road closures around the coastal villages.

At least to vehicle has been submerged by floodwaters, in Hervey Bay and Glenwood, but the drivers of the cars managed to get to safety.

In the January 2022 floods, a failure in the system, which allowed floodwaters to rush under the levee and up through drains, inundating the CBD, sparked a mammoth effort to pump water away from businesses with diesel generators.

Pumps save Maryborough CBD from flood flooding disaster

In February however, thanks to work from a local company, it was repaired in time for the second flooding emergency of the year and held.

The levee has not been installed but council workers are on standby, monitoring the CBD and Mary River levels.

While the Mary River is flooding at Tiaro and Miva, it is expected to stay below the minor flood level in Maryborough.

Sandbagging stations also opened on Friday afternoon for concerned residents who wanted to prepare for the unfolding weather conditions.

SES workers Wolfgang Hellwig and Suska Meulengraaf filling sandbags on Bazaar Street.

SES workers Wolfgang Hellwig and Suska Meulengraaf were filling sandbags at the station on Bazaar Street in Maryborough.

SES worker Wolfgang Hellwig has been with the SES for 16 years.

Bev Aitcheson from Maryborough SES was filling sandbags at the SES Depot on Reed Ave.

She has been with the SES for nearly 10 years and said the last few months has been a very busy time with the two floods.

Bev Aitcheson from Maryborough SES filling sandbags.

Sandbagging stations on the Fraser Coast include:

Maryborough SES Depot – 16 Reed Ave, Maryborough
Granville Hall – 10 Carlton St, Granville
Davies car park – 101-105 Bazaar Street, Maryborough
Pacific Haven Airport – Northern end of airstrip
Howard SES Depot – Thomas St, Howard
Hervey Bay Aquatic Centre – 202/204 Boundary Rd, Torquay

Volunteers huddled under pre-polling booths at the Maryborough Pensioners Hall.

At the Maryborough Pensioners Hall, campaigners were still braving the rain and keenly handing out how to vote cards at the pre-polling booth.

Flash-flooding at the shopping village on Torquay Road, Pialba, opposite the skate parks. Photo Credit: Dan Brown.

In Hervey Bay, the constant heavy rainfall caused flash-flooding in creeks and drains.

Dan Brown captured the moment the shopping village on Torquay Road in Pialba flooded around 4.15pm on Friday.

Cars driving through flash-flooding on Taylor St and Hillyard St outside Office Works, Pialba.

Cars were also chancing it through flooded roads on Taylor Street and Hillyard Street in Pialba on Friday evening.

In a video posted on Facebook on Thursday night, Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the response from council would depend on the amount of rain that fell Friday.

“We are making preparations now to put the penstock gate into the storm water system,” he said.

“The Bureau of Meteorology are now predicting a minor flood, there is a whole range of possible flood peaks that they’ve given us on the different models, and it will all depend on the amount of rain we get tomorrow morning and into the afternoon within the catchment.”

The penstock gate being installed in Maryborough. Photo: Facebook, Councillor Daniel Sanderson.

Mr Seymour said the flood peak was not predicted to be as high as earlier in the year, but said Tiaro Bridge may need to close.

A minor flood would also force the closure of the Lamington and Granville Bridges.

“Please look after one another, check in on one another,” he said.

“The flood peak is not predicted to be nearly as high as it was earlier in the year, it’s predicted to be a minor flood here in the Maryborough CBD if it gets to that …”

The bridge over the Mary River at Tiaro, connecting Tiaro to Mungar, has closed, along with Emerys Bridge connecting Tiaro to Gundiah.

The bridge over the Mary River at Tiaro, which connects Tiaro to Mungar, has closed. Photo: Facebook, Mayor George Seymour.

The latest weather update from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is as follows:

Mary River downstream of Gympie

The Bureau of Meteorology advises river rises and areas of minor flooding are occurring downstream from Gympie. Additional areas of minor to moderate flooding may develop during Friday.