Hundreds of homes in Bundaberg at flood risk as river forecast to peak at 7.6 metres | Australia weather
Thousands of residents of the Queensland coastal city of Bundaberg could be isolated for days due to major flooding following tropical rains.
Hundreds of homes in the regional center are expected to be affected after the Burnett River burst its banks, triggering memories of the 2010 disaster.
More than 400 homes and businesses are under threat as the river reached 7.6 meters early on Wednesday.
This is just below the 7.92m level 16 years ago, when the city of more than 70,000 people was flooded and hundreds were forced to evacuate.
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Locals were asked to leave the area immediately late on Tuesday, before the community’s two major bridges were closed, isolating around 10,000 people.
Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Helen Blackburn said on Tuesday afternoon about 280 homes and 120 businesses were expected to be affected.
“This is a difficult time for many people and mental health comes into play, people affected by previous floods are feeling anxiety,” he said.
He called on people to prioritize their personal safety. “We’re not new to this, we’ve done it before,” he said. “We can change goods, we can’t change people.”
Extra emergency services, including water rescue teams and more than 30 police officers, were sent to the Bundaberg area in preparation.
This came after days of heavy rain in northern Australia; Parts of the Northern Territory have suffered the worst flooding in years and Darwin residents have called for water use reductions after the Darwin River Dam, the city’s main water supply, stopped working due to flooding.
Temporary generators have been installed to ensure full water supply in the coming days.
Increased rainfall disrupted clean-up in Katherine, which experienced the worst floods in recent years on Saturday. where hundreds of people stay in shelters. Homes are still without electricity and crocodiles have been seen in the floodwaters.
Hundreds of residents from the communities of Daly River, Palumpa, Beswick and Jilkminggan were airlifted over the weekend, mostly to Darwin.
The Bureau of Meteorology said flood watches were in place across much of the NT, particularly along the north-west coast of the Top End, including Darwin.
“Any river, creek, lagoon, billabong, any waterway within that flood watch area will be very, very susceptible to any heavy falls that may occur,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Shenage Gamble told reporters on Tuesday. This could easily lead to localized flash flooding, he said.
Almost 800 roads across Queensland have been cut by floodwaters as tropical low waters left a trail of destruction and nearly 1000 livestock perished.
Residents of inland Gayndah were urged to shelter in their local community hall on Tuesday as the North Burnett regional council issued a flood emergency warning.
Queensland’s highest three-day rainfall totals from 9am on Saturday to 9am on Tuesday included 396mm at Boondooma, 381mm at Marodian, 279mm at Bundaberg South and 263mm at Gympie.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday urged people in affected communities to prioritize their safety by following flood advisories and warnings.
He warned motorists not to drive through floodwater after several people, including a child from Bargara near Bundaberg, were rescued from inside or on top of their cars.
“If it’s flooded, forget it; we can’t say that too much,” he said. “If people follow this advice we will continue to provide support to state and territory governments as we always do.”
Across Australia, the summer of 2025-26 was the wettest in almost a decade, with rainfall 32% above average across the country, according to the BoM.
Global warming makes Australia more vulnerable to extreme weather and natural disasters such as flash floods and heavy rainfall. In 2025, the third warmest year on record, global surface air temperatures averaged 1.48C above pre-industrial levels. For every 1 degree of warming, the atmosphere can hold 7 percent more moisture.
