Flooding 2012, Australia's unthinkable disasters

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23 January – Downpour over Brisbane
Floods in Australia - Queensland: Primary affected was the south east of Queensland. Homes and businesses got inundated in parts of Brisbane like in Burpengary, Lawnton, Milton and Windsor. Some residents were evacuated. Brisbane received 168 mm of rain in 24 hours by 9am on January 25th. Other places got even more rain in 24 hours like Caloundra (280mm), Lawnton (255mm) or Springbrook (291mm). The car park of Toombul shopping centre went under water by the overflowing Schulz Canal. Parts of Marsden (South of Brisbane) were inundated when Scrubby Creek went over its banks. Heavy rain caused also chaos along the Gold Coast including the hinterland. Dozens of roads were closed and the famous beaches turned into a mess. The Sunshine Coast was also affected.


27 January – More water from the north
The situation eased a bit in the south but on the January 27th 2012 Cloncurry – in the states North West received 196.4 mm rain in 24 hours. A monsoonal low moved across the state and brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to Central Queensland. The Landsborough and the Flinders Highway were cut outside Mt.Isa as well as many other roads.

3 February 2012 – Southwest Queensland inundated
Charleville, Mitchell, Roma and St George appeared in the headlines. Some towns received up to 100 mm of rain in 24 hours. Eleven council areas including Mitchell and Roma were declared as a disaster zone. Twelve army helicopters were brought into Southern Queensland to carry out rescue operations and food supplies. Hundreds of people were evacuated. Mitchell experienced the worst flood ever. Nearly three quarters of the homes were under water.

Around 300 homes were inundated in Roma. Charleville was under great threat because there were concerns that the levee bank of the Warrego River might break. An emergency evacuation was ordered before midnight on Friday the 3rd. Around 600 people stayed at the evacuation centre at the showground in Charleville. Emergency personal worked through the night to put a second emergency levee bank in place. The Warrego River reached 7.78 metres at 7pm on 4 Saturday. The levee was strong enough to protect Charleville.



5 February - St.George – Record river level
There was a great concern in St George where the Balonne River went over its banks.
It peaked on 8 February at 13.95 metres. That was 45 cm higher than the former record set in 2010. It was a very dramatic situation in St George. A mandatory evacuation order was issued on Sunday the 5th.

Chartered busses and aircrafts brought residents out of town. Most of the people went to an evacuation centre in Dalby. Workers operated bulldozer around the clock to get a four kilometres long levee in place to protect the town. Between 30 and 50 properties outside the levee were inundated in St. George.

9 February – Army moved in
The army moved to the disaster zones to help out with the big clean up. People at Mitchell and Roma started cleaning up tonnes of mud which was left behind after the water receded. On Friday the 10th the people of St George were allowed to return to their homes. They were evacuated for nearly a week.

15 February – Clean up at most places
As Windorah, located in the Channel Country expected the peak of Cooper Creek, most of the inundated places further south had their big clean up. The damage bill went into millions. It is not just the destruction to houses, businesses, roads and bridges. Many farmers lost their entire crop. Most water of Southern Queensland makes its way into the Darling River system, towards New South Wales. It took weeks at some places before the water level was back to normal.

6 March – Heavy rain caused havoc at Sunshine Coast
Heavy rain hit south east Queensland, particularly the Sunshine Coast on the 4th and the 5th of March. That resulted in flash flooding at some places. Tiaro received 224mm rain in 24 hours by 9am on March 5th. Noosaville had 127mm, Gympie 158mm and Maryborough 200mm for the same period. A man died after his car was washed off the road. The incident occurred on Arborten Road at Glenwood north of Gympie. Many roads were cut including the Bruce Highway. The Mary River peaked at 14.69 metres on Tuesday 6 March. At this level the centre of Gympie was spared by inundations.

20 March – More rain in Northern Queensland
Torrential rain hit the northern part of Queensland on 19 March. The downpour came from a tropical low which was under cyclone watch for some time. The system did not intensify into cyclone strength but it had enough potential to drench the country. An area between Cairns and Bowen was affected. Some places received more than 200 mm of rain in 24 hours. The system brought also gale force winds. Townsville was hit by a severe storm which caused widespread damage to properties. Check out my Facebook page, you find two shared links with impressive pictures.

Australia Floods - 23 January – Start of a natural disaster
New South Wales: Road cuts - flooded rivers - inundation of homes and properties – that was the scenario along the Mid North Coast and the eastern part of the Northern Tablelands after 23 January. The affected area reached from south of Coffs Harbour as far as to the northern state border. There were significant rainfalls at different places. Towns like Bellingen, recorded 168 mm, Thora 126 mm and Dorrigo 212 mm rain in 24 hours. Bellingen got cut in two parts as the Lavenders Bridge was inundated by the Bellinger River. The situation was not much different further north. Crystal Creek near Murwillumbah had 275 mm rain in 24 hours.

27 January – Nearly 1000 calls for help
Roads were blocked due to inundations and landslides. The Pacific Highway was closed near Grafton and Corindi. By Friday 27 January the State Emergency Service (SES) carried out 47 rescue operations since the disaster began on Monday.23 January. Nearly 1000 Calls for help were registered. By Friday the 27th around 1200 people in different communities were isolated. More rain forecasted for the weekend (28/01 / 29/01) but it wasn’t as bad as expected. The river levels were still high but the situation was easing.


1 February – More rain for drenched NSW
The conditions changed dramatically a few days later. More rain came down from the 1st to the 2nd of February. Figures show the amount for 24 hours to 9am on February the 2nd.
Comboyne 86mm
Mogil Mogil 165mm
Moree 88mm
Narrabri 128mm
Nowendoc 117 mm
Port Macquarie 83mm
Tamworth 121mm

3 February – Moree became an island
Several thousand people in Moree and surrounding communities were evacuated as the Mehi and Gwydir Rivers kept rising. The flood is considered to be the worst in the last 35 years. Evacuation orders were also issued for Pallamallawa and Biniguy (east of Moree).

On February the 3rd the town of Moree was not only diverted in two parts, it was like an island. The Mehi River reached its peak of 10.69 metre at 10.15am on Friday the 3rd. A similar level was recorded in 1976.

1600 people were isolated in the town of Wee Waa which is around 120 road kilometres south of Moree. By Saturday the 4th, estimated 16500 people across northern New South Wales were isolated. 17 helicopters carried out rescue operations and food supply for isolated areas.

9 February – Crisis continues
Moree residents started their big clean up while others stay isolated. People from communities like Collarenebri, Mungindi and Wee Waa were still cut off. Huge amounts of water made its way downstream from areas in Queensland like Mitchell, Roma and St.George, as well as water from New South Wales areas like Moree and Wee Waa. Communities downstream had plenty of time for preparations.

13 February - Walgett isolated
The town of Walgett was isolated on Monday the 13th. The Barwon River peaked at 13.4 metres the same day. Lightning Ridge, Collarenebri and Mungindi were also isolated as well as many rural properties. 25 Local Government areas in NSW were declared as disaster zones by 16/02/2012. According the SES, there were 8000 people isolated in different parts of NSW by Friday 17 February.

24n February – Walgett accessible - Evacuation around Bourke
Walgett, Collarenebri and Lightning Ridge had road access again. The number of isolated people in NSW dropped to around 5000 by Friday the 24th. The SES provided deliveries of up to 50 tones per day for isolated communities. A evacuation order has been issued for Alice Edwards Village at Bourke. Brewarrina had its peak on Thursday 23 February The Barwon River went up to around 9.97 metres with major flooding. An all clear was given to Brewarina on 5 March.

1 March - Heavy rain across the state
Large parts of NSW were lashed by torrential rain. The big wet moved in from the west. Broken Hill was first hit on February the 28th. The town received 82.4mm of rain in 24 hours since 9am on the 28th. Ivanhoe further south east had 71mm for the same time. Most affected was the north western and the southern parts of NSW. The line of rain stretched from south of Tibooburra to Wollongong.

3 March - NSW - Around 3500 people evacuated
Around 75% of New South Wales was inundated or at risk. The first evacuation orders were issued for around 1600 people in Goulburn, Cowra and Cooma. Goulburn has to cope with the rising waters of the Wollondilly and Mulwaree Rivers. Cooma is located at Cooma Creek and Cowra at the Lachlan River. Warragamba Dam near Sydney reached 100% capacity and spilled over for the first time in 14 years. Read more under short reports on the right.

3500 people across the state were evacuated by the afternoon (3 March). Thousands were isolated in different locations like Goulburn, Trundle, Braidwood area, Towrang and Quenbeyan. Plus around 2300 isolated residents in Northern NSW (around Bourke) which was a result of inundations in Southern Queensland around February 3rd to 15th 2012. From Friday (2nd) to Saturday (3rd) the rain has eased a bit in some flood affected areas but there was still some big rainfall across the state. Coonabarabran, Dubbo and Orange received between 60 and 70mm rain in 24 hours by 9am on 3 March. Wilcannia in the upper western region had 117mm for the same period.

4 March - First residents return home
There were some significant rainfalls again, particularly in the Riverina and Snowy Mountains. Griffith had 133mm rainfall in 24 hours by 9am on Sunday 4 March 2012. Wagga Wagga 95mm and Yanco even 175mm for the same time. Locations in the Snowy Mountains like Thredbo and Perisher Valley received around 150mm rain in the same period.

The first residents were allowed to return to their home like in Cooma, Goulburn, Bega and west of Sydney. On 4 March, Burrinjuck Dam (North West of Canberra) ran over, The dam discharged 160 000 mega litres per day. The overspill feeds the Murrumbidgee River. Evacuation orders were issued for people downstream. Jugiong, Gundagai and Wagga Wagga were affected.

6 March - Hotspot Wagga Wagga
Next spotlight: Wagga Wagga. Areas north and east were evacuated earlier and the centre and CBD area received the order at 9pm on 5 March. Between 8000 and 9000 people were affected. That pushed the number of evacuated people up to 13000 across NSW. The Muurumbidgee River peaked at 10.56 metres by Tuesday afternoon. That was even below the level of the floods in August 1974. The record was set in 1853 when the Murrumbidgee went up to 10.9 metres.

10 March – Griffith – Inundations with no river
Forbes was also in the focus line. The Lachlan River peaked at 10.55 metres on Thursday 08/03. Forbes was divided in three parts. The water from Wagga Wagga went quickly downstream to Narrandera, where the Murrumbidgee River peaked at 8.99 metres on 9 March. The water was right up to the top of the levee. That was a similar river level as 1974.
An area around Sydney, Illawarra and the South Coast received some massive rainfall around the 8th of March. That produced high water levels in the Hawkesburry River west of Sydney. Bega was also in the headlines. It was pretty much an up and down of river levels through the southe west of NSW.

Griffith experienced inundations with no river, a phenomenon which was never recorded before in the region. Water made its way overland through a lot irrigation channels. It ran to the lowest points and creates new streams and creeks. A very unpredictable situation..

The SES of NSW released some interesting figures. By Saturday morning 10 March the SES recorded 4500 request for help, 164 floods rescues and 467 000 sandbags were distributed. Over 17000 people called the SES number 132 000. That gives you some imagination about the vast scale of this flood disaster.

13 March – Outlook for the next weeks
The Murrumbidgee River peaked near 7.8 metres in Darlington Point on Sunday night (11/03). That was a bit lower than expected. The next affected towns near the Murrumbidgee River are Carathool and Hay. Carathool can expect a river level at 8.8 metres around 15 March, and for Hay is a level of 9.0 metres forecasted (around 20 March). Balranald is another town in the path of the Murrumbidgee. High river levels are expected for mid April. Along Lachlan River: Condobolin can expect a river level of 7 metres around 15/03/2012 and Euabalong should get ready for a peak of 7 metres around 20/03/2012.

The Darling River is still causing inundations in the Upper Western region. That is a result of the flood disaster in Southern Queensland which occurred between the 3rd and the 15th of February. Louth had major flooding on 12 March. The next affected communities are: Tilpa (around 17/03), Wilcannia (01/04), Menindee (late April), Pooncarie (early May) and Burtundy (mid May).

25 March - Hay under threat but the levee was firm
You didn’t hear very much in the TV news, but the flood crisis was not over.

High river level made its way downstream to the town of Hay. The Murrumbidgee River peaked at 8.99 on Monday 19 March. An evacuation order was issued for Saturday 17 March, but 90% of the people refused to leave. They were not really convinced about the flood threat. The water receded very slowly and it took five days before an all clear was given on 25 March.

The situation changes all the time and all over the place. Check also the SES website for latest information: State Emergency Service of NSW

Check also the Bureau of Meteorology website for the last severe weather warning

Another useful page in regards of road closures is Live Traffic NSW

28 Tuesday - Torrential rain in Victoria
Heavy rain hit parts of Victoria on Monday 27 March. It caused flash flooding and inundations for many homes and businesses. The hardest hit region was around Yarrawonga, the area around Eildon, parts of Melbourne, Bendigo and Castlemaine. Some places received up to 120mm rain in 24 hours. More rain came down around 1 March. Between 50 and 100mm drenched the region again. The town of Tallygaroopna (20km north of Shepparton) was one of the first in the headlines with inundations.



3 March – Focus on Northeast Victoria
A slow moving low went over northern Victoria and the southern Parts of NSW. West- and East Gippsland as well as at the Upper and Lower North East of Victoria was affected around 2 March. A day later the rain eased in the flood affected communities but all the focus was on the next downpour which was forecasted for Sunday 4 March. The army has been brought in to assist SES personal and residents with flood preparation. Some massive sandbagging is carried out to protect houses and businesses. Areas in the states northeast (North of Shepparton) as well as in East Gippsland were affected. The hotspots: Congupna, Katamatite, Numurkah, Tallygaroopna, Tungamah, Yarrawonga, Wangaratta



5 March – Towns isolated – hospital evacuated
The foreasted rain wasn’t as bad as expected but still, every drop for a drenched country is too much. Shepparton recorded 20mm in 24 hours by 9am on Sunday 4 March. East Gippsland had rainfalls between 7 and 36mm for the same period. Katamatite was isolated; Tallygaroopna still under water and the hospital in Numurkah was evacuated on Sunday 4 March.. The SES announced that 114 000 sandbags had been distributed.

The small town of Walwa in northern Victoria was evacuated in the middle of the night. Around 250 residents were told to leave at 2am on Monday morning.5 March. Power poles fell into the water so the power had to be cut. Numerkah was still a hotspot were Broken Creek burst its banks. At least there was no significant further rain. The army was supposed to move out but due to the tight situation they stayed longer in the area to assist SES and residents. Wunghnu south of Numerkah is also affected.


16 March – Nathalia – Water recedes very slowly
People in Nathalia are still waiting for a lower water level. Broken Creek is still at a level of 2.75 metres (8.30am 16 March) after a peak of 3.26 metres on Thursday 8 March. It is quite amazing that it took so long for the water to recede. The levee was strong enough to protect the town. The evacuation order for Nathalia was cancelled on 15 March. The water made its way to Barmah but there are no inundations expected for the town itself. Water recedes very slowly, there will be a lot of land under water for some time before everything is dried up.


19 March – Temporary hospital for Numerkah
On the 19 March some news came across the TV channels about the situation in Victoria. You might remember that Numerkah had its hospital under water and evacuated. Now it takes some time to dry out. A temporary hospital is set up in town and it will stay there until the original one is ready for business again.

In Nathalia I saw pictures where the water just touched the bottom of the levee so that worked out all right. You actually can watch that footage below.

There is more flooding across Down Under, this time in the northern part of South Australia. Leigh Creek is cut off by road. The town is located around 560 kilometres north of Adelaide. There was also some heavy rain in Arkaroola and parts of the Flinders Ranges. Leigh Creel and Arkaroola had around 200mm rain in four days by 9am on 1 March. Nearly all dirt roads were closed in the Flinders Ranges.

Check SA Transport website for updates.

The situation is pretty much the same in the far north of SA. Leigh Creek is still cut off by road. Arkaroola received another 25mm of rain in 24 hours by 9am on 2 March. That makes a five day total of around 225mm for Arkaroola. Some tourist stranded near Parachilna because of a flooded road. The Barrier Highway which is the main road between Adelaide and Broken Hill was cut because of a damaged bridge.

Update 11 March: The Barrier Highway is open again

19 March - Inundations in the Northern Territory
Heavy rain caused widespread flooding across the Top End in Australia’s Northern Territory. A tropical low moved in on 13 March 2012. The system had the potential to become a cyclone and was under cyclone watch for some time. The low didn’t intensify but it brought some massive rainfall for an area around Darwin and the Daly district.

The seven day rainfall chart showed some impressive rainfall figures. Most of the places received more than 200 mm some even more. Rainfall for seven days by 9am on 19 March: Darwin Airport 293 mm, Wagait Beach 363 mm, Channel Island 442 mm and Adelaide River near Litchfield National Park 259 mm. many small communities are isolated of inundated.

There were reports from Palumpa ( around 250km southwest of Darwin) where crocodiles were sighted swimming through flooded streets. A mother, her 10 year old boy and their dog was rescued after their car was washed away by the strong current of the Darwin River. The mother, boy and dog hang on to a tree for three hours before they got rescued. You will find a report published by NT News on my Facebook page.


Check the road conditions in the Northern Territory

Latest weather warnings for the Northern Territory: Bureau of Meteorology

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