Burrum/Cherwell Rivers

This document describes the flood risk and previous flooding in the Burrum and Cherwell River catchment.

Last updated: April 2026.

Flood Risk

The Burrum River catchment covers an area of about 935 square kilometres which includes its major tributary, the Cherwell River, with a catchment area of about 200 square kilometres. The headwaters of the Burrum River are in the Sea View Range to the west of Hervey Bay.

Lenthalls dam is located on the Burrum River upstream of Howard. The dam was originally built in 1984 at the confluence of six creeks, Logbridge Creek, Doongul Creek, Harwood Creek, Sugar Bag Creek, Duckinwilla Creek and Woolmer Creek. In 2006, the dam wall was raised two metres with the addition of 5 crest gates to increase the capacity of the dam from 17,800 ML to 29,500 ML and ensure a greater water supply for the area. The height of the dam spillway now sits at 25.86m AHD.

The main flood affected area is the Pacific Haven Estate which lies on the Cherwell River just upstream of the Burrum River junction. Heavy rainfall in the Cherwell River catchment can cause rapid river rises at Pacific Haven, with short travel times from the upper catchment providing limited lead time. Pacific Haven is also susceptible to backwater flooding from the Burrum River and flood levels can also be affected by higher-than-normal tides and storm surges.

Flooding at Pacific Haven Estate has the potential for significant impact on property and lives. The area has very low topography and is extremely flat with poor drainage. It has a large population (778 in the 2021 census) that may have difficulty during an evacuation.

Flash flooding can occur at Buxton (Isis River) and Pacific Haven (Cherwell River).

Flooding on the Burrum River around Howard (forecast location) has less impact on properties than Pacific Haven on the Cherwell River, but does have isolation impacts for the town.

High astronomical tides alone will not cause a minor flood at Pacific Haven, however with a positive tidal anomaly, the minor flood level can be reached when combined with rain.

There is a significant risk to life in this catchment as a result of flash flooding.

Previous Flooding

Official flood records for the Burrum River only commenced in 1995 although there is some historical data available for earlier major floods in 1955 and 1992. The highest flood in the Burrum River at Howard was 13.40 metres recorded in 1955. This compares with the 1992 flood level in Howard of 11.96 metres. There is no flood record for the Pacific Haven site prior to the major flood of 1992.

Significant flood events of note also include 2013 (TC Oswald). 2013 was the last major flood event in the catchment until March 2026. Between 2018 and 2025, only periodic minor to moderate flood peaks were observed in parts of the catchment, most notably in 2017, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.

In March 2026, the remnants of tropical low 29U combined with a trough moving across the south of the state and brought widespread heavy rainfall to locally intense rainfall to parts of inland central and southeastern Queensland. Widespread accumulated rainfall totals of 100 to 200 mm were recorded between Saturday 7 and Tuesday 10 March, with localised falls of between 200 to 400 mm observed over the upper reaches of the catchments. The adjacent Burnett and Mary River catchments bore the brunt of the heaviest rainfall during this event. A major flood peak of 3.69 metres was observed at Pacific Haven on the Cherwell River early on Tuesday morning 10 March, the highest since January 2013. While a lower flood peak of 7.71 metres, below the moderate flood level of 8.00 metres, was recorded at Howard on the Burrum River early on Tuesday morning 10 March.

Flood Event	Howard	Pacific Haven
March 1955	13.40	-
February 1992	11.96	6.16
January 1996	8.40	3.35
February 2004	6.57	3.99
February 2008	6.36	3.15
December 2010	7.42	4.30
March 2012	7.17	-
January 2013	11.97	5.60
March 2017	6.26	2.78
October 2017	6.36	3.18
January 2022	6.71	2.93
March 2025	8.92	3.59
March 2026	7.71	3.69

 

All heights are in metres on flood gauges.