Disaster declared as Queensland city braces for flooding

A disaster has been declared for a flood-prone town after a tropical low left a trail of wreckage before finally moving offshore overnight.

Bundaberg in central Queensland has an anxious wait ahead, with the swollen Burnett River set to peak between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned that flooding could match the disaster that struck the town in December 2010.

Further inland in Mundubbera, the bureau warned that the Burnett was expected to pass the major flood threshold of 18 metres on Tuesday afternoon.

Gayndah residents were urged to take shelter at the local community hall, with a flood emergency warning issued by the North Burnett Regional Council.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said people in the affected area needed to prioritise their safety by following flood advice and warnings.

He warned motorists not to drive through floodwater after several people were rescued from inside or on top of their cars in the past 48 hours, including a child from Bargara, near Bundaberg.

“If it’s flooded, forget it – we can’t say it too many times,” he said.

“If people follow that advice, we’ll continue to provide support, as we always do, with the state and territory governments.”

There was a mighty sting in the tail of Tropical Low 29U, which formed in the Coral Sea last week before moving first inland into north-west Queensland, then veering south-east back towards the coast.

It saved some of the most intense rainfall as it made its exit between Gladstone and Bundaberg, with several locations seeing rainfall totals of up to 180 millimetres in just a few hours.

The Bureau of Meteorology said catchments across Queensland were already wet to saturated and would respond quickly to further heavy rainfall.

Multiple flood warnings remain in place across the state.

The rain had contracted offshore by Tuesday morning, with only seasonal coastal showers remaining as conditions eased below warning thresholds.

AAP

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