5h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 8:16pmStay up to date with emergency warnings
ABC Emergency will broadcast regular warnings on ABC Radio. You can find more information, including a map of all the warnings, by clicking here.
Wide Bay, Hervey Bay and Fraser Coast: 855 AM and 100.1 FMSouthern Queensland: 747 AM and 104.9 FMBrisbane: 612 AM, 106.1 FM and Digital Radio
You can also find all these stations on the ABC Listen App.
Just nowWed 11 Mar 2026 at 1:33am
Chinchilla residents banding together to prepare
Chinchilla local Schelley Evans says she hasn’t seen the water rise as quickly as it did in 2011.
Mrs Evans and her husband have been flying drones over the town to assess the extent of the flooding.
Chinchilla local Schelley Evans says it’s a waiting game. (ABC News: Kemii Maguire)
“It is a mixed feeling. It does break your heart, seeing how many people’s properties have gone under,” she said.
She said locals were initially worried, but the community has banded together.
Aerial imagery of Chinchilla early on Tuesday morning. (Supplied: Wattle and Hide Photography)
“It’s nothing that we haven’t done before,” Mrs Evans told the ABC.
“Everyone who had to clear out their businesses in and around town … when we were done we congregated around the pub and had some beers.”
(Supplied: Wattle and Hide Photography)
15m agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 1:18am
Overnight in pictures
Some more content is starting to roll in from overnight and this morning.
These photos were taken by the Acacia Motel in Chinchilla around 11:30pm last night.
Here’s what they had to say:
“Took a late night drive around town just after 11.30pm to check on the rising waters of Charley’s Creek firsthand — and as someone experiencing their first Chinchilla flood, I’ll say this much: that is a lot of water. The kind that doesn’t dry up by breakfast.”
Video taken by the boat repair shop Bundy Slipway shows water surging through Bundaberg Central around 8:30 this morning.
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27m agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 1:06am
River levels rising in Banana Shire
Though the rain has eased in the Banana Shire, river levels in some areas including Baralaba are rising, prompting a major flood warning.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood warning for the Fitzroy River catchment, with major flooding at Baralaba, south-west of Rockhamptoon.
The bureau said there were no observations available, but it estimates the river level was about 13 metres high.
Many communities are still cut off with 54 roads in the region still closed or partially closed, including the Banana Creek Bridge on the Dawson Highway.
Kirsty Muscat captured the damage floodwaters caused to the Banana Creek Bridge on the Dawson Highway on Tuesday. (Supplied: Kirsty Muscat)
The bridge, just outside the town of Banana, was upgraded in 2023.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Moura Post Office gauge recorded 281 millimetres of rain over four days from March 7-11th.
Some roads, including the Leichhardt Highway at the Banana Rail Over Pass, were severely damaged in flooding (Supplied: Kirsty Muscat)
Farmers, however, have welcomed the rain as the soil was in need of moisture.
(Supplied: Amanda Barlow)
Jambin-based grazier Will Barlow said he was happy with the 220 millimetres received across four days.
“Pretty much was an inland sea,” Mr Barlow said.
“The kids had a ball. For about two or three hours they were out there enjoying themselves … running around muddy paddocks.”
(Supplied: Amanda Barlow)
With his property situated along Callide Creek, Mr Barlow said that while he had not yet assessed the damage from the flooding, he was hoping it was only minor.
“Unfortunately, there’s always a price to pay,” he said.
“We’ll definitely have a few fencing issues we’ll have to fix.”
36m agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:57amWater conservation notice issued in North Burnett
A water conservation notice has been issued to the township of Gayndah in the North Burnett.
Anyone connected to the town water supply is asked to “immediately conserve water” due to the impacts of flooding affecting intake pumps in the Burnett River.
Level 5 Water Restrictions are now in place for Gayndah until further notice.
44m agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:49am
Chinchilla residents bracing for peak tomorrow
While Bundaberg residents are waiting for waters to recede, for Chinchilla, the peak is expected tomorrow.
There’s a major flood warning (prepare to leave) in place for Charleys Creek.
These drone shots (taken this morning) show the extent of the flooding situation in the town.
Businesses have been inundated, but no homes yet.
(Supplied: Wattle and Hide Photography)
(Supplied: Wattle and Hide Photography)
(Supplied: Wattle and Hide Photography)Loading…53m agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:40amRecapping current flood warnings
These are the key current flood warnings to be aware of, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The emergency warning in Bundaberg remains current, with people in Bundaberg North, South, Central and East urged to leave immediately.
In southern Queensland, an emergency warning is current for Chinchilla with major flooding occurring now at Charley’s Creek.
People in the town and low-lying surrounding areas should prepare to leave.
Also in the Western Downs, there’s an emergency warning current for Warra.
Flooding was expected in Cooranga Creek overnight and people in low-lying parts should prepare now.
S several major flood warnings are also current for the Burnett, Upper Balonne, Mary, Dawson and Callide Creeks, Charley’s Creek and the Lower Condamine River.
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:29am
Bundaberg school an inland sea
A sea of water has replaced the oval at Bundaberg Central State School this morning.
The building in the centre of the city is nearby multiple roads that have been cut by brown flood waters.
(Lucy Loram)
(Lucy Loram)
(Lucy Loram)
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:16am
Press conference wrapping up
That’s where we will leave the presser with Premier David Crisafulli.
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:14am
Some areas still without power
Coming to power now, Chief Inspector Marcus said police were concerned about the potential for electric shocks.
He said some areas of Bundaberg have been de-energised for safety purposes.
“The aim will be to look at those individually and determine when we need to re-energise those.”
He said police don’t want to put people returning to their properties in danger.
About 2,400 customers across the Bundaberg council area are without power, according to the Ergon outage dashboard.
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:11am
Gauge stopped working
Attention is now turning to the automatic river gauge at the Burnett River which stopped working throughout the night.
Chief Inspector Marcus says there was a “fault” with the system which stopped it feeding information to the Bureau of Meteorology.
But he says police jumped in to monitor the gauge in the old-fashioned way – they simply came down and took photos of it to send it to the BOM.
Work is underway to get it back online, he says.
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:10am
People urged not to panic with resupply underway
Chief Inspector Marcus is urging people not to head out and panic buy.
“The shops are being filled with supplies, fuel is coming in, normal resupply processs are in place. There is no need to go out and stock up your kitchen cupboards and fridges and things like that.
“At this point in time, there’s no need for that.”
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:08am’Idiots’ rescued from floodwaters
Chief Inspector Marcus is asked about last night’s rescue.
He says it was “quite simply … another idiot” who drove into floodwaters.
Then he reveals there was another rescue this morning from floodwaters after another person drove into them.
He does say these numbers are pretty small, but still isn’t impressed.
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:05am
Not quite over yet, police say
Chief Inspector Grant Marcus is speaking now.
He’s thanking the community for working with emergency services and is grateful no lives have been lost.
But he says things are not over yet and urges patience.
He says bridges will be opened when it’s safe to do so, and he doesn’t want people back in their homes before the water supply is back on.
“I just don’t know [when that will be] It’s like, how long is a piece of string.”
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:02am
Lower-than-expected peak spares homes
Ms Blackburn says the peak of 7.4m — short of the forecast 7.6m — meant more homes were spared from flooding.
“If this is the peak, we’re really thankful that it’s peaked there. But today is another wait-and-see day so we will just have to see what the day brings.”
She said 197 people attended the evacuation centre.
1h agoWed 11 Mar 2026 at 12:00am
Hundreds of homes, business affected
Mayor Helen Blackburn says it’s still believed about 200 homes and businesses have been affected.
But until POLAIR gets better vision of the northside of the river they won’t know the extent of how many properties have been impacted.
She says the chopper will also be monitoring for looting and checking on isolated properties.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 11:57pm
Bridges to reopen once water falls below 7m
Mayor Helen Blackburn says the water level needs to fall to below 7m so the Tallon and Burnett Bridges can reopen.
Local authorities are still hoping they can reopen them today or tomorrow as the waters start receding.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 11:56pm
‘Likely we won’t know full extent for a week’
Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Helen Blackburn is now addressing the media, and she says a few hundred homes and properties have been impacted.
She said the extent of the damage won’t be known until the water recedes and properties can be assessed.
“It’s likely that we won’t know the full extent for probably a week.”
She said the council would be looking to open bridges in “a day or two”.
“I’m so pleased that the community came together and they followed the instructions of evacuating if they needed to and keeping each other safe.”
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 11:51pm
‘A system and a season that has tested us’
The premier is concluding his remarks by once again thanking the “resilient” community in the Wide Bay.
He says Queensland’s floods across the past few months have been a “system and a season that has tested us”.
Mr Crisafulli says the state government will continue to assist all communities that have been impacted by flooding this season.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 11:50pm
Bundaberg Hospital ‘fully operational’
Turning to health now, Mr Crisafulli says the Bundaberg Hospital is “fully operational”.
“There was some minor flooding that impacted the car park as well as staff quarters, and yet the show continued.”
He says some elective surgery has been cancelled, but it was due to patients or staff being unable to reach the hospital.
He has expressed his gratitude to workers in the “world-class” health system.
“I’m very grateful for them.”