Proserpine River

This brochure describes the flood risk and previous flooding in the Proserpine River catchment, last updated in July 2025.

Flood Risk

The Proserpine River has a total catchment area of approximately 470 square kilometres. Originally, levee banks were constructed by landholders along the river to protect valuable cane lands, but subsequent overtopping and breaching of the levees in major flood events led to the planning and construction of a flood mitigation dam on the river.

Peter Faust Dam is an earth and rockfill embankment 50 metres high, located on the Proserpine River about 27 kilometres upstream of Proserpine. The dam was commissioned in the early 1990s, and commands approximately 75% of the catchment area, operating as a flood mitigation dam. It has significantly reduced the frequency and severity of floods in the Proserpine River.

Local and flash flooding can occur around Proserpine and Airlie Beach during periods of heavy rain.

Previous Flooding

Records at the tailwater gauge of the Peter Faust Dam began in 1956. The highest recorded flood of 11.16 m at this location was the result of rainfall associated with Cyclone Ada, which occurred in January 1970.

Flood Event	Peter Faust Dam
Jan 1970	11.16
Mar 1979	7.58
Apr 1989	8.04
Mar 2011	4.15

 

All heights are in metres on flood gauges.