QUEENSLAND FLOOD SUMMARY 1970 - 1979

The first heavy rains on the mainland were experienced on the morning of 18th. Rainfall totals to 0900 18th included falls of 60mm along the coast between Mackay and Calen and in the headwaters of the Pioneer River , and 310mm at Proserpine. At this time local flooding occurred around Proserpine and nearby coastal areas , but the main rivers , the Don and Pioneer , were not in flood. To 0900 19th Bowen recorded 47mm and Mackay 110mm , whilst falls of up to 775mm were received between these towns and inland to the headwaters of the Pioneer River. Some examples are Dalrymple Heights 364mm , Finch Hatton 336mm , Proserpine 335mm , Eton 556mm , Nebo 255mm , Wagoora 777mm , and Mt Charlton 622mm.

The upper tributaries of the Pioneer River began to rise steadily during 18th and by 2100 the river at Mirani was more than 1 metre above flood level and rising at more than 1 metre per hour. The river at Mirani subsequently reached a peak at 0600 on 19th. The main floodwaters reached Mackay approximately at high tide and a peak height was recorded between 0830 and 0930 on 19th. At the peak , water was up to I metre deep in the shopping centre in Mackay. Levels dropped with low tide during the day and by 2100 , at high tide again , only minor flooding was experienced around Mackay.

On the 19th near record flooding occurred in the Bowen and Broken rivers , in the headwaters of Funnel Creek and in the Connors and Isaacs rivers.

The heaviest rains moved north on 19th and some totals to 0900 20th were Mt Dangar 860mm , Wagoora 210mm , Bowen 285mm [ gauge over flowed ] , and Binbee 300mm. As a result , major flooding was experienced in the Don River at Bowen , and adjacent coastal creeks. Much damage to property , farm machinery , motor vehicles and cane crops was reported in the flood affected areas , and two lives were lost.

In the last week of the month moderate flooding occurred in the Mary River between Kenilworth and Tiaro as a result of rainfalls of up to 200mm over the southern and eastern sections of the catchment area. However flooding was not experienced at Maryborough.

A fresh in the Burdekin River was complemented by rains of up to 110mm in the lower catchments , causing minor flooding downstream of Dalbeg on 5th and early 6th. Scartwater on the Belyando River recorded moderate flood heights on 4th , 5th and 9th. However the effects were localised as stations both upstream and downstream were just below flood heights.

Early in the month , falls of up to 175mm in the upper Fitzroy catchments caused moderate flooding in Funnel Creek and the lower Isaacs River , between 5th and 8th. Local heavy rains of up to 125mm in the headwaters of Theresa Creek caused the river at Valeria to rise above flood height on 24th. However the minor flooding quickly dissipated downstream in the Mackenzie River.

Moderate flooding was reported in the Thomson River at Jundah and Stonehenge , the Diamantina River at Diamantina Lakes and the Georgina River at Marion Downs. The Diamantina River at Birdsville is rising and will continue to rise through into March.

Moderate and minor flooding occurred in the middle and upper reaches of the Flinders and Cloncurry rivers respectively between 2nd and 12th , following rains of up to 85mm in these catchments. Minor flooding was experienced downstream of St George in the Balonne River between 3rd and 6th.

Severe local flooding , about the middle of the month along the north coastal fringe , caused much damage in some towns , and damaged roads and railways with washaways and landslides.

Minor to moderate flooding was experienced in the Bulloo River at Adavale and the Paroo River at Eulo. Run-off will continue into early April in the lower reaches of the Thomson and Barcoo rivers , but flooding from upstream should cause only minor freshes.

On 25th and 26th there was also minor flooding in the Paroo River in the vicinity of Eulo. Small freshes were maintained during the last two weeks in the Warrego , Balonne and Moonie rivers.

On Saturday 24th there was flash flooding in the Brisbane City metropolitan area in Kedron Brook and Enoggera Creek resulting in damage to furniture and fittings in private homes. Several people were drowned.

The rivers , together with the degree of flooding , were Belyando [ minor ] , Comet [ moderate ] , Dawson [ major ] , Mary [ minor ] , Stanley [ moderate ] , upper Brisbane , Lockyer and Bremer [ minor ] , Pine , Albert and Logan [ moderate ] , Nerang [ minor ] , Condamine and Balonne [ major ] , Maranoa [ moderate ] , Macintyre and Weir [ major ] , Warrego and Moonie [ moderate ] , and Barcoo [ major ].

Stream rises commenced again on 20th , following heavy rains over the upper and middle reaches of the Condamine and Dawson rivers , causing moderate flooding in both streams. On 23rd , moderate flooding commenced in the Macintyre River. By 31st , flooding had developed in the greater part of south-east Queensland.

The streams and degree of flooding on that date were Macintyre [ major ] , Dawson [ moderate ] , Condamine [ major ] , Balonne [ major ] , Mary [ minor], Kolan [ major ] , Pine [ moderate ] , Moonie [ minor ] , Laidley [ major ] , and Bremer [ moderate ].

Elsewhere in the State , flooding occurred in Gulf rivers including the Flinders and Gilbert . In the west there was moderate flooding in sections of the Thomson and Barcoo rivers and minor flooding in the Paroo River.

A large low pressure system , which moved south from the Gulf of Carpentaria through western Queensland into South Australia , brought heavy rains over wide areas of western Queensland , with the exception of centres around Barcaldine , Blackall and Alpha. Widespread moderate to major flooding occurred in the Gregory , Leichhardt and Flinders rivers and tributaries , all flowing into the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Cloncurry River experienced its highest recorded flood.

Further south , major flooding , with rivers up to 35 kilometres wide in places , occurred in the Thomson River and Cooper Creek , Diamantina River , Eyre Creek and its tributaries , and the Georgina , Burke and Hamilton rivers. The lower Diamantina River at Birdsville experienced its second highest flood , since records commenced in 1948 , on 17th.

Moderate flooding occurred in the Bulloo and Paroo rivers and heavy rain during the last two days of the month caused a renewal of flooding in the Cloncurry River at Cloncurry.

Flooding and traffic disabilities occurred in the following areas :

1. Coastal streams St. Lawrence to Townsville.
2. Burdekin catchment including Burdekin River and upper tributaries ,and Bowen River.
3. Fitzroy catchment including Isaacs , Connors and Mackenzie rivers and Funnel Creek
4. Middle and South-western catchments including Thomson and Barcoo rivers , Cooper Creek , and the Paroo , Bulloo , Nebine , Wallam and Warrego rivers.
5. Darling Downs / Maranoa including Condamine River and tributaries , Maranoa , Balonne , Weir and Moonie rivers.
6. Moreton including Mary and Stanley rivers , upper and middle reaches of Brisbane River , and Sunshine Coast streams.

During the middle of the month , minor to moderate flooding occurred again in parts of the Warrego and Paroo rivers. At the same time heavy coastal rains in north Queensland caused major flooding in the lower Herbert , Haughton and Burdekin rivers. Flooding occurred in the towns of Ingham , Home Hill and Giru.

Moderate flooding also occurred in the Macintyre and Diamantina rivers and upper reaches of the Dawson River. Minor flooding was recorded in the Pioneer, Flinders , Isaacs and Connors rivers. Severe flooding of coastal creeks and streams occurred between Townsville and Cairns causing widespread traffic disruptions.

During the last two weeks , minor to moderate flooding was recorded in the lower Herbert , Dawson and Mackenzie rivers , and again in the upper Brisbane and Mary rivers. There were also flooding and traffic disruptions in coastal streams between Cardwell and Cairns.

There was widespread traffic disruptions in the above catchments as Easter holiday traffic returned to Brisbane. On the night of Sunday 2nd to Monday 3rd , heavy rain in Brisbane City metropolitan creek catchments caused major flooding in suburban areas , resulting in much damage to property and household furniture.

In the Condamine River there was widespread flooding in most tributaries upstream from Tummaville. As a result , the combined run-off produced major flooding downstream from Tummaville and extensive crop losses.

Minor to moderate flooding was experienced in the Albert , Logan and Nerang rivers and moderate flooding occurred in the Warrill Creek and Bremer River, tributaries of the Brisbane River.

Minor flooding progressed down the Mary River from 11th to 14th , and local flooding occurred in Brisbane City metropolitan areas from heavy rain on 9th .

Cunnamulla , Charleville , Quilpie and Adavale recorded flooding in and around the townships and there were widespread road and rail disruptions.

During the middle of the month minor to moderate flooding occurred twice in the Mary and Stanley rivers. Major flooding also occurred in the middle reaches of the Moonie River , with only minor flooding in the lower reaches.

In the north of the State , minor to moderate flooding occurred in the Fitzroy system in the Connors River and Funnel Creek , extending into the lower Isaacs River , with traffic disabilities for up to two days. Minor flooding also occurred in the Belyando , lower Burdekin and Flinders rivers.

Towards the end of the month heavy rains , associated with the decay of Cyclone "Bella" , fell over the catchments of the Nicholson and Gregory rivers causing major flooding. A high total of 475mm of rain in 24 hours was recorded at Westmoreland Station to the north of the Nicholson River. Further south , heavy rains up to 200mm in 4 days fell over catchment areas of the Georgina , Burke and Hamilton rivers , causing major flooding in these streams.

Major flooding was also recorded during this period in the Diamantina and Thomson rivers. Record flood heights were reported in the upper reaches of the Cloncurry River in the Malbon area on 28th. Minor flooding occurred again in the Tully River during the last week of the month.

There was minor flooding in the Thomson River and North Tropical Coast streams, and moderate flooding occurred in lower reaches of the Tully River, during the period 13th to 15th.

The most serious flooding occurred along the Sunshine Coast in the Noosa , Maroochy and Mooloolah rivers and also in the Mary River catchment. Major flooding occurred between Kenilworth and Tiaro on the Mary River , which peaked in Gympie at 19.61metres and in Maryborough at 7.70metres.

Major flooding also occurred in the upper Brisbane River and Stanley River , but flooding was not significant in the lower reaches.

Record flooding occurred in the Bulloo , Paroo , middle and lower reaches of the Flinders , Norman , Gilbert , Cooper , Diamantina , Georgina and Eyre rivers and creeks as well as Nerang, Brisbane City metropolitan , upper Brisbane, Bremer , Warrill and Logan rivers and creeks, the latter associated with Cyclone "Wanda".

Streams covering the majority of the inland of the State were in major flood. These included Flinders and Gulf , Burdekin , Thomson , Barcoo , Cooper , Diamantina , Georgina , Eyre , Fitzroy , Warrego , Bulloo , Paroo , Condamine and Balonne rivers and creeks. Additional streams in minor flood for a short period were the Tully , Herbert and Burnett rivers.

This situation remained for much of the first two weeks of the month. However , with the general easing of the rain , the river levels gradually receded to the extent that by the 13th , all streams had dropped below moderate flooding. Streams in the far-west were still in flood at the close of the month.

From 4th to 6th , minor to moderate flooding , downstream from Goondiwindi in the Macintyre River , and in the Macintyre Brook and Dumaresq River. A peak of 5.57metres was recorded at Goondiwindi on 5th.

From 19th to 26th , moderate flooding downstream from Goondiwindi and in the Macintyre Brook and Dumaresq River , with a Goondiwindi peak of 7.90metres on 22nd.

On 27th moderate flooding downstream from Harrisville and Rosewood in the Bremer River.

Flooding occurred in numerous other river basins during March , varying from minor to moderate , but was generally of short duration with no reports of significant losses or damage. River catchments affected were as follows :

Nerang - minor local on 2nd.

Georgina / Eyre Creek - moderate below Glenormiston during 1st week.

Diamantina - moderate below Diamantina Lakes during 1st week.

Mackenzie - moderate below Honeycombe during 1st week.

Condamine - minor to moderate levels , fluctuating throughout the

middle reaches from Ranges Bridge to Surat , during most of the month.

Herbert / Tully - minor and moderate respectively in the lower reaches on 7th.

Thomson - minor to moderate downstream from Stonehenge during the middle of the month.

Bulloo - minor below Quilpie 27th to 30th.

Prospect / Funnel Cks - minor with disruptions to traffic on 27th.

Major flooding occurred in the Condamine River , where the highest levels were reported since 1956 at a number of stations. Major flooding also occurred in the Bulloo River where Quilpie was isolated for several days.

Widespread moderate to minor flooding occurred in the following streams : Macintyre , Fitzroy , Warrego , Paroo , Thomson and Diamantina rivers and Cooper Creek. This caused widespread traffic disabilities.

Patchy heavy flood rain towards the middle of the month caused a resurgence of flooding in these river systems with widespread traffic disabilities and numerous towns and homesteads being isolated for several days. Between 20th and 23rd , stream rises and some flooding occurred in the south-east quarter , including the Brisbane and Mary rivers , from heavy rain associated with Cyclone "David". Laidley Creek recorded a major flood in this period with flood waters entering the town of Laidley.

By the end of the month flooding had eased in all systems with the exception of the Fitzroy River . Here moderate flooding continued on the Mackenzie River . Major flooding continued on the Funnel Creek following heavy rain in the catchment overnight on 30th.

Record flood levels and near record flood levels were recorded in many streams between Warwick and Mungindi and many houses were inundated at Warwick , Inglewood , Stanthorpe , Texas , Mungindi and smaller settlements along the main rivers. A number of houses were also inundated on the Logan River at Waterford.

At the end of the month major flooding was still occurring in the Balonne River following the extensive flooding in the Condamine River.

Record floods were generated in the area along the border near Camooweal and produced flood levels equivalent to the record January 1974 flood at Lake Nash , on the Georgina River just across the Queensland and Northern Territory border, and major flooding in the lower reaches. Moderate flooding resulted in the Diamantina River.

The Cloncurry , lower Flinders , Gregory and Leichhardt rivers also recorded moderate to major floods in the same period.

The heavy rains returned to the inland from about 16th with the Georgina River soon in major flood for the second time in the month , the level again approaching the 1974 record level at Urandangie . The inland flooding this time extended minor to major floods to all western streams beyond and including the Warrego River. The flood levels in most streams were maintained to the end of the month. Also during this period , minor floods were reported on the Flinders River in the north-west. However floods there had eased by 22nd.

During the second week , major flooding developed in most coastal streams on the North Tropical Coast and Ingham was seriously flooded. Considerable damage was reported in the Ingham and Tully areas. Coastal flooding and widespread traffic disabilities also occurred in the same period between Sarina and Cairns.

In the middle of the month flooding extended into the Fitzroy , Kolan , Upper Burnett ,Condamine-Balonne , Lower Macintyre , Bulloo , Paroo and Warrego rivers. Major flooding occurred in the Warrego and Balonne rivers.

By the end of the month flooding had cleared with the exception of areas along the South Australian border.

The Dawson River reached major flood levels at Taroom and the Mackenzie River reached moderate levels , with other streams of the Fitzroy basin also causing traffic disabilities for short periods.

Major flooding occurred in the Haughton River at Giru and Kroombit Creek at Jambin. Many other streams recorded moderate to major flooding early in February.

The major flood which occurred on the Fitzroy River brought extensive flooding to Rockhampton where the Fitzroy peaked at 8.15 m on Sunday 12th , causing some property damage.

Late in the month further heavy rains from Cyclone "Gwen" caused local flooding to the Herbert River and local flooding and traffic disabilities to the coastal area from Mackay to Tully.

The heavy rainfall also caused stream rises in other systems , namely the Thomson and Barcoo rivers and Cooper Creek , the Bulloo , Paroo and Warrego rivers , and the Diamantina and Georgina rivers and Eyre Creek. The rises in these systems however ,did not exceed moderate flooding.

Interaction , which again produced heavy rainfall , between the ridge and the monsoonal trough from about 25th to the end of the month , caused stream rises over the whole coastal area from St. Lawrence to Ingham. Major flooding , with serious traffic disruptions , was concentrated in the Prospect and Funnel creeks area during this time.

Also , for a few days during this period , local flooding occurred on the Nerang River and its tributaries bringing some flooding , mostly as a result of local drainage problems , to the Gold Coast and adjacent areas.

The systems which caused the major problems were the Connors River and the Prospect and Funnel creeks. These three streams were in flood for more than half the month and caused serious delays to traffic. In addition the Pioneer River broke its banks to cause flooding , with some property and crop damage , around Mackay. Probably the damage caused to roads and bridges , which preliminary estimates indicate will be many thousands of dollars, is the most significant point of the flooding during the month. Flooding also occurred over the Carpentaria. However, in these areas, the most significant impact was the traffic delays caused by stream rises.

During the last half of the month heavy rain , over the Central Lowlands and other parts of the south-west quarter , brought major flooding to the Thomson and Barcoo rivers and Cooper Creek , with rises in other streams in the area. Here again traffic delays were the most significant impact. However some property damage was possible as extensive areas were inundated.

Other areas which also suffered flooding for short periods during the month were the carry over major flooding from February in the Thomson River and Cooper Creek. Minor flooding also occurred for a day or two in the Pioneer , Broken , Bowen and Bogie rivers very early in the month. Also a major flood occurred in the lower Burdekin River from about 12th to 17th. It was during this period when a recently completed river levee on the Burdekin River was damaged. Preliminary estimates put this damage at about $1 million.

Finally on the afternoon and evening of 15th the severe thunderstorm ,which occurred in the Killarney ( 146mm )area of the Darling Downs , caused local flash flooding in some creeks. This run off however dissipated very rapidly in the Condamine River.