Thousands of residents of the Queensland coastal town of Bundaberg could be isolated for days amid major flooding following a tropical low.
Hundreds of homes in the regional center will be affected after the Burnett River burst its banks, evoking memories of a 2010 disaster.
More than 400 homes and businesses are threatened, and the river will peak at 7.6 meters early Wednesday.
It is just below the levels of 7.92 meters from 16 years earlier, 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 immediately on Tuesday night before the community’s two main bridges were closed, leaving about 10,000 people isolated.
Helen Blackburn, mayor of Bundaberg Regional Council, 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 also plays a role, with people affected by previous flooding feeling anxiety,” he said.
He implored people to put their personal safety first. “We’re not new to this, we’ve done it before,” he said. “We can replace possessions. We can’t replace people.”
In preparation, water rescue teams and additional emergency services, including more than 30 police officers, were sent to the Bundaberg region.
It comes after days of heavy rain in northern Australia, with parts of the Northern Territory experiencing its worst flooding in decades, and Darwin residents calling for reduced water use after the Darwin River Dam, the city’s main water source, stopped working due to flooding.
Temporary generators have been installed and full water supply is expected to return in the coming days.
More rain has stalled cleanup in Katherine, which experienced its worst flooding in decades on Saturday, and where hundreds of people remain in shelters. Homes remain without electricity and crocodiles have been seen in the flood waters.
Hundreds of residents from the communities of Daly River, Palumpa, Beswick and Jilkminggan were flown over the weekend, mostly to Darwin.
Flood warnings were in place across much of the NT, particularly on the north-west coast of the Top End, including Darwin, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
“Within this flood watch zone, any river, stream, lagoon, billabong or any waterway will respond very, very well to any heavy falls that may occur,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Shenage Gamble told reporters on Tuesday. That could easily lead to localized and flash flooding, he said.
Nearly 800 roads in Queensland have been closed by flooding after the tropical low left a trail of destruction, claiming around 1,000 head of livestock.
Inland, Gayndah residents were urged to take shelter at the local community hall on Tuesday, amid an emergency flood warning issued by North Burnett Regional Council.
Among Queensland’s highest three-day rainfall totals, from 9am Saturday to 9am Tuesday, were 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 advice and warnings.
He warned motorists not to drive through floodwaters after several people were rescued from inside or on top of their cars, including a boy from Bargara, near Bundaberg.
“If it’s flooded, forget it; we can’t say it many times,” he said. “If people follow that advice, we will continue to provide support, as we always do, with state and territory governments.”
Across Australia, summer 2025-26 was the wettest in almost a decade, according to the BoM, with rainfall 32% higher than average across the country.
Global warming is making Australia more vulnerable to extreme weather and natural disasters, including flash floods and heavy rain. In 2025, the third warmest year on record, global surface air temperatures averaged 1.48°C above pre-industrial levels. For every degree Celsius of warming, the atmosphere can contain 7% more humidity.
