Residents of the coastal Queensland town of Bundaberg have been told to evacuate immediately as the region braces for major flooding following a tropical low.
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.
The Bundaberg Local Disaster Management Group issued an emergency alert ahead of the expected peak of the Burnett River flood on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday afternoon Bundaberg residents were told their lives were at risk and advised to “leave immediately” ahead of major flooding “which will result in flooding and isolating properties”.
The Bureau of Meteorology said major river flooding at Bundaberg could exceed 7 meters on Tuesday afternoon and increase to 7.5 meters by midnight.
“At 3pm today the bridges will close,” Tom Smith, MP for Bundaberg in Queensland, said in a message to residents on Tuesday morning. “That means you have to make a decision about where you’re going to stay.” He said the Bundaberg recreation precinct had been established as a place of refuge.
“Rivers across Queensland are rising, and as of Tuesday morning significant flooding has occurred on at least 15 different rivers,” the BoM said in a statement. “The rain has eased in the worst affected areas on Monday afternoon and evening, but given the amount of rain that has already fallen, rivers will remain at high levels for some time.”
Tropical Depression 29U, which had formed in the Coral Sea last week before moving inland, had moved offshore, said the BoM’s Daniel Hayes. “All of those areas that saw very significant weather over the weekend are now much clearer.”
“A large part of Queensland is currently flooded, and most of the state, if not flooded, is still under flood watch,” he said. “Areas that are not currently flooded may become flooded even if skies have largely cleared.”
Further inland at Mundubbera, the BoM warned that the Burnett was expected to exceed the major flood threshold of 18 meters on Tuesday afternoon. Gayndah residents were also urged to take shelter at the local community hall, 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.”
Trough over Northern Territory to bring more rain
A trough over the Northern Territory that has caused major flooding in parts of the Top End “is likely to be a feature for several days yet”, Mr Hayes said. “We are likely to have a chance to see heavy rain… from today (Tuesday) into tomorrow, possibly even into the end of the week.”
On Monday night, PowerWater, the Northern Territory’s water and electricity provider, said the Darwin River Dam had stopped working “due to substantial flooding of the pumping station and associated equipment.”
The dam’s spillway had been overflowing since January due to a heavy rainy season, PowerWater said, and Monday’s rain pushed the dam to more than 110% capacity.
“This is an unprecedented situation and we have never seen this volume of water in the dam before. Our priority is to restore the pumping station and associated equipment as quickly as is safely possible and we are investigating the operation of the dam with generators.
“As we work to fix the dam, we are asking Darwin residents to reduce their water use.”
Preliminary data suggested Darwin’s wet season would be the seventh wettest on record, Hayes said. Katherine, which experienced its worst flooding in decades on Saturday, was heading into its fifth wettest rainy season in its history.
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.
– with AAP
