A series of
flood
A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
s hit
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia, beginning in December 2010. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities.
At least 90 towns and over 200,000 people were affected.
Damage initially was estimated at
A$1 billion
before it was raised to $2.38 billion.
The estimated reduction in
Australia's GDP is about A$30 billion.
As of March 2012, there were 33 deaths attributed to the floods, with a further three people still missing.
The city of Toowoomba, in the Darling Downs, was hit by flash flooding after more than 160 millimetres (6.3 in) of rain fell in 36 hours to 10 January 2011; this event caused four deaths in a matter of hours.
Three-quarters of the council areas within the state of Queensland were declared disaster zones.
Communities along the Fitzroy and Burnett Rivers were particularly hard hit, while the Condamine, Ballone, and Mary Rivers recorded substantial flooding. An unexpected
flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...
caused by a thunderstorm raced through Toowoomba's central business district. Rainfall from the same storm devastated communities in the Lockyer Valley. A few days later, thousands of houses in Ipswich and Brisbane were inundated as the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
rose and
Wivenhoe Dam used a considerable proportion of its flood mitigation capacity. Volunteers were quick to offer assistance, and sympathy was expressed from afar. A large mobilisation of the Australian Defence Force was activated and a relief fund created. The head of the recovery taskforce was
Major General Michael Slater. The Queensland Reconstruction Authority (CEO was Graeme Newton) was formed to coordinate the rebuilding program beyond the initial task force, and a Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate all matters related to the floods.
The state's coal industry was particularly hard hit. The Queensland floods were followed by the
2011 Victorian floods
High intensity rainfall between 12–14 January 2011 caused major flooding across much of the western and central parts of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Several follow-up heavy rainfall events including Severe Tropi ...
which saw more than fifty communities in western and central
Victoria also grapple with significant flooding.
On 26 February 2021 the result of legal action, started in 2014 and won in 2019, was a partial settlement of A$440 million in compensation for thousands of flood victims, from the Queensland government and
SunWater. The remaining $440 million is owed by State-owned dam operator
Seqwater who is appealing the decision for which a hearing is scheduled for May. The appeal was successful.
Background

Brisbane experienced major flooding in
1893 and
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
as the Brisbane River broke its bank and inundated low-lying areas. Towns, including St. George and Theodore, had dealt with
major flooding earlier in 1996.
The floods were a result of heavy rainfall caused by
Tropical Cyclone Tasha that combined with a
trough
Trough may refer to:
In science
* Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench
* Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure
* Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave
* Trough level (medicine), the l ...
during the peak of a
La Niña
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
*La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
Modoki event.
The 2010 La Niña Modoki weather pattern, which brings wetter conditions to eastern Australia, was the strongest since 1973.
This La Niña event caused a prolonged event of heavy rainfall over Queensland river catchments. Record or near record
sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
s were recorded off the Queensland coast in late 2010.
December 2010 was Queensland's wettest on record, with record-high rainfall totals set in 107 locations for the month.
The state's average rainfall level of exceeded the previous record of set in 1975. 2010 was also recorded as the state's wettest spring since 1900, and the Australian continent's third-wettest year.
Climate scientist
Kevin Trenberth
Kevin Edward Trenberth (born 8 November 1944 in Christchurch, New Zealand) worked as a climate scientist in the Climate Analysis Section at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). He was a lead author of the 1995, 2001 and 2007 ...
thought
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
was a contributing factor in the unusually high precipitation rates.
He attributed a half-degree Celsius rise in ocean temperatures around Australia to global warming (which produces extra
water vapour
Water vapor, water vapour, or aqueous vapor is the gaseous phase of water. It is one state of water within the hydrosphere. Water vapor can be produced from the evaporation or boiling of liquid water or from the sublimation of ice. Water vapor ...
and intensifies the monsoon). Other scientists say that it is too early to draw such a conclusion.
Assertions were also made by Professor
Hubert Chanson
Hubert Chanson (born 1 November 1961) is a professional engineer and academic in hydraulic engineering and environmental fluid mechanics. Since 1990 he has worked at the University of Queensland.
Research
Chanson completed a Doctor of Philosop ...
, an expert in dam and reservoir engineering with extensive firsthand knowledge of the Wivenhoe system, that mismanagement of the
Wivenhoe Dam might be a contributor to the some flooding in the lower Brisbane valley. While an expert engineer, Michael O'Brien—a senior manager of an ASX-listed resources company and an outside consultant evaluating cause—agrees that "massive releases of water from Wivenhoe Dam on Tuesday, 11 January, did indeed produce most of the flooding in the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
the following afternoon, with a peak in the early hours of Thursday morning, 13 January. The dam's releases into the Brisbane River also caused the
Bremer River, which winds through the city of
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
, and the
Lockyer Creek to back up and cause much of the flooding outside Brisbane." This was corroborated by a panel of engineers hired by Insurance Council of Australia. O'Brien also found that the Wivenhoe Dam and
Somerset Dam did not hold the maximum capacity they were capable of holding during the crisis period, which would have significantly alleviated flooding. Only one source,
Neal Ashkanasy, who specialises in social and
organisational psychology (and 35 years ago was involved in the design of Wivenhoe Dam), found fault with these results and instead finds that the dam was operated correctly throughout the time of the storm and the flood that followed, saying the "dam was run with outstanding precision."
Isolated flooding started across parts of the state in early December. On 23 December, a
monsoonal trough crossed the coast from the
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...
, bringing torrential rain that fell in a broad swath from the
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...
to the
Gold Coast. The widest range of intense rainfall occurred on 27 December (with very high daily totals recorded on 25 December, near where
Cyclone Tasha crossed the coast).
By 30 December vast areas of Southern and
Central Queensland were affected by the flood.
The conditions led to a large influx of snakes in the
Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite.
The Scottish- ...
area, as well as some crocodiles.
Extent

Flooding was widespread across
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
and
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
from the end of December 2010 to January 2011 with several separate rain events causing rivers to rise over a lengthy period.
Many places, including
Condamine and
Chinchilla
Chinchilla refers to either of two species ('' Chinchilla chinchilla'' and '' Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha, and are native to the Andes mountains in South America. They live in colonies called "her ...
were inundated by flood waters on multiple occasions.
About 300 roads were closed, including nine major highways.
During the flooding it was reported that more than three-quarters of
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
was affected by flooding.
Fitzroy River basin

The flooding initially forced the evacuation of 1,000 people from
Theodore and other towns, described as unprecedented by the acting chief officer of the
Emergency Management Queensland.
The military transported residents by helicopter to an evacuation centre at
Moura. The total evacuation of a
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
town was a first for the state.
Major flooding at Theodore persisted for more than two weeks.
Emerald
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...
was cut off by road on 29 December as the
Nogoa River rose.
By the next day, the river surpassed the 2008 flood peak level of .
At the peak of the flooding, 80% of the town was flooded, the worst the town ever experienced.
Twelve hundred Emerald residents registered as evacuees.
Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite.
The Scottish- ...
had nearly a week to prepare for an expected flood peak from the
Fitzroy River, which courses through the centre of the city.
The airport was closed on 1 January.
A metal flood barrier was erected around the terminal to prevent flood-borne debris from causing damage to the structure. An evacuation centre was set up at the
Central Queensland University
Central Queensland University (branded as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campus is at Norman ...
.
The Bruce Highway leading south out of Rockhampton was closed to traffic. The river peaked at , just short of the predicted maximum.
The
Port of Gladstone
The Port of Gladstone is Queensland's largest multi-commodity port and the fifth largest multi-commodity port in Australia. It is the world's fourth largest coal exporting terminal. It is within the locality of Callemondah in Gladstone in Ce ...
reduced its export capacity because the coal stockpiles at the port were saturated and further coal deliveries could not be made by rail.
The
Goonyella railway line which serves a number of coal mines in the
Bowen Basin was closed for one week and shipments of grain were also delayed.
Burnett River basin

The central Burnett towns of
Gayndah and
Mundubbera saw major flooding on 28–29 December. The
Burnett River
The Burnett River is a river in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia.
Course and features
The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta and east ...
peaked at at Mundubbera—the highest river height since 1942—inundating more than 20 houses. Downstream at Gayndah, the river peaked at with floodwaters reaching two houses.
Both towns were isolated for several days and there was major disruption to the potable water supply and local agricultural production.
Bundaberg
Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the List of cities in Australia by population, ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situa ...
experienced severe flooding, the worst in 40 years,
after the
Burnett River
The Burnett River is a river in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia.
Course and features
The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta and east ...
flooded the city, although the
Paradise Dam reservoir contributed to some flood mitigation.
This resulted in the evacuation of 300 homes.
The
Bundaberg Port
Port of Bundaberg is located at Burnett Heads, Queensland, Burnett Heads, northeast of the city of Bundaberg, 5.6 nautical miles from the mouth of the Burnett River in Queensland, Australia. The port is a destination for ships from Australia and ...
, a major sugar exporting facility, was closed late in December 2010 as flooding deposited silt in the port, forcing its closure. The port re-opened in early March 2011 after successful dredging operations allowed ships to berth.
Condamine/Balonne River basin
Chinchilla
Chinchilla refers to either of two species ('' Chinchilla chinchilla'' and '' Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha, and are native to the Andes mountains in South America. They live in colonies called "her ...
and
Jericho
Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017.
F ...
were also inundated.
At least 40 residents were evacuated from Chinchilla.
Flooding in
Dalby was the worst since 1981.
The town's
water purification
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water. The goal is to produce water that is fit for specific purposes. Most water is purified and disinfected for hu ...
system was flooded, resulting in water restrictions that hampered clean-up efforts. of water were transported to the town of 14,000 residents.
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
was isolated when all roads into the town were cut off.
The
Condamine River
The Condamine River, part of the Balonne catchment that is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia. The river is approximately 500 kilometres (3 ...
reached on 30 December, its highest level ever recorded.
Condamine was mandatorily evacuated on 30 December.
A second rain event on 9–10 January saw floodwaters again threaten Chinchilla and Condamine with Chinchilla residents again asked to evacuate.
The
Macintyre River
The Macintyre River, a perennial river that forms part of the Border Rivers group, is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray-Darling basin, located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, and the So ...
, which forms part of the border between the Australian states of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and Queensland, began to threaten the town of
Goondiwindi
Goondiwindi () is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the , the locality of Goondiwindi had a population of 6, ...
on 13 January. While the town is protected by an levee, the local hospital and aged care home were evacuated as a precaution and an evacuation centre was established.
Mary River basin
Heavy rain in the
Mary River catchment on 8–9 January 2011 led to flooding at
Maryborough and
Gympie
Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...
. The Mary River at Maryborough was expected to initially peak at at midday 9 January with some houses and businesses inundated by flood waters.
Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley

The city of
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...
, in the
Darling Downs
The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally ...
, was hit by flash flooding after more than of rain fell in 36 hours to 10 January 2011; this event caused four deaths in a matter of hours.
Cars were washed away (se
video. Toowoomba sits on the watershed of the
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
, some above sea level. A three-week period where it had rained on all but three days had left the soil around Toowoomba super saturated and when a line of storms hit the city on 10 January, the resulting torrential rain rapidly ran off down gullies and streets. The central business district of the city sits in a small valley where two small water courses—East Creek and West Creek—meet to form
Gowrie Creek. Unable to cope with the volume of water heading toward them, the creeks burst their banks, pushing a devastating wall of water through the city centre.
This water then headed west—not towards the Lockyer Valley which was also experiencing extreme rainfall that fell on eastern facing slopes.
The surge associated with rainfall which fell on the eastern side of the range passed through the
Lockyer Valley town of
Withcott, where the force of the water pushed cars into shops and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people. The scene was described by an onlooker as "like
Cyclone Tracy
Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small but destructive tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small but developing easterly storm was or ...
has gone through it ... If you dropped an atom bomb on it, you couldn't tell the difference."
Nearby
Helidon had several homes and farms flooded but did not break the main creek bank and enter the town. It was cut off from all sides by destroyed roads.
Grantham
Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...
was also devastated by the surge of water. Houses were left crumpled by what Premier of Queensland
Anna Bligh described as an "inland
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
". According to local media, the flood waters had reached a height of by the time it struck Grantham. The peak discharge rate around Withcott and Grantham where Lockyer Creek is joined by Gatton Creek, was estimated to be 3,500 m
3 second.
At least 100 people were evacuated to the Helidon Community Hall. Nine people were confirmed dead, and many more feared dead among 66 reported missing.
The body of one victim washed away at Grantham was recovered downstream and
Queensland Police
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...
Commissioner
Bob Atkinson warned that some bodies may never be found.
Nearby
Gatton saw voluntary evacuations as the
Lockyer Creek rose to a record height of , exceeding the previous record set in the
1893 Queensland floods.
Three people from Grantham listed as missing were officially declared dead by the
Coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
on 5 June 2012.
Brisbane River catchment

Flooding began to affect low-lying areas of Brisbane on the morning of 11 January 2011. By around 2:30 p.m. AEST, the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
broke its banks leading to evacuations in the
Brisbane CBD
Brisbane City is the central Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is also colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD", "the city", or simply "to ...
and the suburbs of
Fortitude Valley and
West End.
An evacuation centre was established for flood-affected residents at the
RNA Showgrounds in
Bowen Hills. Residents of 2,100 Brisbane streets were advised to evacuate prior to the arrival of floods, which struck the city on 12 January.
Lord Mayor
Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...
Campbell Newman
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is an Australian former politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Que ...
stated than an estimated 20,000 homes would be affected when the river peaked on 14 January. He subsequently advised that the Brisbane River transport infrastructure had been "substantially destroyed".
The Brisbane River peaked on 13 January at a lower level than predicted,
but still 20,000 houses in Brisbane were inundated. Some of the Brisbane suburbs worst affected by the floods were
St Lucia,
West End,
Rocklea and
Graceville.
The floods damaged some of Brisbane's icons. The Brisbane Riverwalk, a floating walkway over the Brisbane River linking the inner city neighbourhoods of Fortitude Valley and
New Farm, broke up, with a section forming a "floating missile" that threatened the
Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges. The largest part of the floating boardwalk was safely guided under the bridge by a
tugboat
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
and past other infrastructure before being safely secured.
Brisbane's major
Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
and
Soccer (Association Football) venue,
Suncorp Stadium
Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...
, filled with water up to deep, reaching the third or fourth row of seats.
With the flood peaking at in Brisbane City, the flood level was about the tenth-highest in the city's history, several metres below the 1890 flood and the two major floods in 1893.
Some unique field measurements about the peak of the floods showed very substantial sediment fluxes in the Brisbane River flood plains consistent with the murky appearance of floodwaters.
The field deployment showed also some unusual features of flood flow in an urban environment linked with some local topographic effects. Parts of the western suburbs of Brisbane were cut off for three days. Resident of suburbs including
Bellbowrie,
Karana Downs,
Moggill and
Pullenvale were running low on food and other items when
Moggill Road was cut, until the Australian Army was able to reach the area on 15 January with supplies.
The
Bremer River at
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
, west of Brisbane, reached a height of on 12 January, inundating the central business district and at least 3,000 houses.
One third of the city was reported to be underwater and over 1,100 people took shelter at evacuation centres.
At Minden, on the border of Ipswich City, a four-year-old boy was swept away by floodwaters when he fell from a rescue boat. A man in his fifties died when he accidentally drove into floodwaters in the Ipswich suburb of
Wulkuraka.
The worst affected areas of Ipswich were the suburbs of
Goodna and
Gailes.
The flooding led to a rare plausible claim of
sharks swimming in a flooded urban area, with reports of
bull shark
The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...
s swimming in two streets in Goodna's center.
Further upstream,
Hubners Bridge and Richards Bridge near Kilcoy were washed away.
Both bridges have been rebuilt and reopened in 2012.
Elsewhere
In
South East Queensland
South East Queensland (SEQ) is a Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...
, the
Wivenhoe Dam filled to a level equivalent to 191% of its supply capacity on 11 January 2011.
Although the dam can hold the equivalent of 225% of its supply capacity, storage exceeding 100% is required to be progressively released through the
floodgates to restore capacity to mitigate future flood events.
Brisbane experienced its wettest December since 1859.
Wyaralong Dam
The Wyaralong Dam is a mass concrete gravity dam with an un-gated spillway across the Teviot Brook that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for supply of potable water for the Scenic ...
, near
Beaudesert, had recently been completed and was praised
for mitigating flooding in downstream
Logan, having exceeded 80% of its capacity.
In
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its Tropical North Queensland, trop ...
, the town of
Ingham became isolated as the
Herbert River peaked. Homes at
Babinda and
Gordonvale were flooded.
Deaths

As of March 2012, 33 deaths have been attributed to the floods with 3 people still missing.
The first death occurred on 30 November 2010, when a woman drowned in her vehicle near
Dysart.
In the following weeks, five others died from similar circumstances.
Nine people drowned after being caught directly by the flowing waters
and thirteen people died in other circumstances.
Thirteen-year-old Jordan Lucas Rice died 10 January 2011 after insisting that his 10-year-old brother, Blake, be saved from the flood waters before him. He drowned along with his mother, 43-year-old Donna Maree Rice, both being residents of
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...
. He has been called an Australian hero by the media and in 2015 was post-humously awarded the Australian Bravery Medal for his sacrifice.
Response
Public response
More than 55,000 volunteers registered to help clean up the streets of Brisbane, with thousands more unregistered volunteers wandering the muddy streets with gumboots and mops. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the volunteering effort showed tremendous 'Aussie spirit' and that, "... right across Queensland today people have got up, they've marched out of their homes and they've gone to find people to help. It's a tremendous spirit of volunteering right across Queensland ...".
Reaction
Prime Minister of Australia
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013. She held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously served as the ...
toured flood-affected areas on 31 December,
the day before
The Queen (
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
), sent her expressions of concern and sympathy for the victims of the floods to her representative in Queensland,
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Penelope Wensley. The Queen later made a donation to her Queensland premier's flood relief appeal, as did her son, the Prince of Wales (now
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
). In March 2011, Charles' eldest son,
Prince William
William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.
William was born during the reign of his p ...
, toured the affected areas in Queensland, as well as those damaged by
the floods in Victoria.
US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
stated, "On behalf of
President Obama and the people of the United States, I offer my condolences for the loss of life and damage in Queensland caused by the recent flooding."
US President Barack Obama said he was ready to help.
John Key
Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th prime minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as leader of the National Party from 2006 to 2016.
Following his father's death when ...
, the
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023.
The prime minister (informally abbreviated to P ...
, held a telephone call with Gillard, during which she thanked New Zealand for its help.
Len Brown, the Mayor of
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, a sister city of Brisbane, offered assistance to Brisbane Lord Mayor
Campbell Newman
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is an Australian former politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Que ...
.
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
, the
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
offered his sympathies.
Downing Street
Downing Street is a gated street in City of Westminster, Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In a cul-de-sac situated off Whiteh ...
stated: "The Prime Minister offered his deep sympathy on behalf of the British people for those who have died, those who have lost their homes and all those who have been affected by the floods in Queensland."
Recovery
Major General
Michael Slater was appointed head of a civilian recovery task force.
Slater was at the time also the Commander of the
1st Division based at the Gallipoli Barracks in
Enoggera, Brisbane. The taskforce was later replaced by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, a new body created to co-ordinate the rebuilding program.
The
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...
's contribution to flood relief efforts was designated
Operation Queensland Flood Assist. The ADF established Joint Task Force 637, based at
Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane, for operational command on 1 January 2011.
According to the Australian Prime Minister, the deployment was the largest for a natural disaster since
Cyclone Tracy
Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small but destructive tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small but developing easterly storm was or ...
.
About 35 State Emergency Service personnel from New South Wales and 20 personnel from Victoria were deployed to provide relief to exhausted staff and volunteers.
A national appeal was established on 29 December, with the state and federal governments giving A$1 million each.
Small businesses and primary producers in 13 local government areas became eligible for grants of up to A$25,000 to pay for costs from damage incurred as a result of the floods.
National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements were made available to a total of 31
local government areas across Queensland.
New Zealand announced that the country would send two fifteen-member civil defence teams to assist in flood rescue efforts. New Zealand also offered x3
RNZAF Bell UH-1H helicopters and a
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...
aircraft, to assist with relief efforts, and air transport, however this offer was declined by the Australian government. In addition to this, New Zealand sent a number of
New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; , "Line of Defence of New Zealand") is the three-branched military of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and its realm, promoting its interests, ...
soldiers, mainly engineers, as well as
New Zealand Police and
New Zealand Fire Service firefighters.
A New Zealand
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
team was also dispatched.
Aid efforts
On 9 January, the ''Flood Relief Appeal: Australia Unites''
telethon
A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause.
Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...
broadcast by the
Nine Network
Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
from the
Suncorp Piazza at
South Bank Parklands, Brisbane raised more than A$10 million in pledged aid. The South Bank area, which includes the
Wheel of Brisbane, was itself inundated by flood waters only two days later.
At the
first Twenty20 cricket match between Australia and England in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
on 12 January, both teams donated part of their match fees to help the victims and A$28,450 was collected from people in attendance.
On 16 January, the day before the
2011 Australian Tennis Open commenced, a number of players took part in the ''Rally for Relief'' which was held at Rod Laver Arena and attended by 15,000 people, which raised A$750,000.
The
Seven Network
Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
televised the event. Players who took part included
Roger Federer
Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...
,
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for ...
,
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) fo ...
,
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
and
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 13 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in ...
.
On 27 January, the
2011 Legends of Origin charity match was contested between former New South Wales and Queensland
Rugby League State of Origin players. Organised by
Mark Geyer, the match raised $380,587 to go towards the recovery effort.
On 13 January, Queensland Writers Centre, in partnership with Brisbane author Rebecca Sparrow, launched Writers on Rafts to raise funds for flood-affected writing communities. Authors, bloggers, publishers, organisations, festivals, and industry professionals across Australia donated their books, professional skills, and expertise, to drive and promote a fundraiser, and local celebrities donated their time to attend the Ultimate Girly High Tea. Over the course of four months, they raised over $31,000. All funds raised went to the Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal.
Criticism
On 11 January 2011, former deputy director of the New South Wales State Emergency Service Chas Keys stated that he was "appalled by the situation in Queensland at the moment. The large number of new houses that have been flooded proves that land management by the Queensland government is extremely poor and building is still going on in inappropriate areas." He contrasted the approach in Queensland with the practices developed in NSW after the
1955 Hunter Valley floods, that aimed to move homes out of dangerous areas and establish warning systems. Keys also stated the NSW practices were being undone by reduced funding and unsafe housing developments, giving the example of Maitland where "the council now wants to build hundreds of dwellings on the flood plain in and round the CBD". Keys also expressed concern over deforestation, stating that, "What we need is re-forestation."
The introduction of th
Local Government (Planning and Environment) Act 1990largely upheld conventional planning and development. A flood plan policy was not introduced until the 21st century. One example is
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
, which had concentrated on rebuilding after the
1974 flood. Flood modeling was adopted under the assumption that Wivenhoe Dam would prevent another inundation of this magnitude.
Inquiry
On 17 January 2011, Queensland premier Anna Bligh announced a
Commission of Inquiry into the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.
The commission's
Terms of reference
Terms of reference (TOR) define the purpose and structures of a project, committee, meeting, negotiation, or any similar collection of people who have agreed to work together to accomplish a shared goal.
Terms of reference show how the object in ...
cover a wide array of related aspects and stipulate a final report would be due in one year.
On 1 August 2011 the Commission handed an interim report to Ms Bligh, and the final report containing 177 recommendations on 16 February 2012.
Mandatory disaster insurance
In return for Senator
Nick Xenophon
Nick Xenophon ( Nicholas Xenophou; ; born 29 January 1959) is an Australian lawyer and former politician who was a Australian Senate, Senator for South Australia from 2008 until 2017. As a centrist, populist, independent politician, he twice sh ...
's support of the Queensland Flood Levy, the Government will modify the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements and force the states to take up disaster insurance.
Legal action
On 8 July 2014 legal firm
Maurice Blackburn lodged a class action with the NSW Supreme Court on behalf of 4,000 flood victims. The legal action alleges negligence and nuisance against the operators of the dams:
Seqwater,
SunWater and the State of Queensland.
On 29 November 2019, the NSW Supreme Court ruled that the 6,800 class members who ultimately joined the action against the above defendants were victims of negligence. An order as to costs was expected to be made in February 2020.
On 26 February 2021, the result of the legal action was a settlement of A$440 million in compensation, sourced from the Queensland government,
SunWater and the state-owned dam operator
Seqwater.
Seqwater won an appeal against the judgement in September 2021.
Impacts
The severe rainfall across Queensland resulted in a drop in world sea level by as much as 7 mm.
The drop lasted for around 18 months and has been attributed to Australia's arheic and endorheic basins which soaked up the water previously evaporated from the oceans.
Economic
Queensland Treasurer
Andrew Fraser said it was not possible to put a figure on the damage; "other than to say the damage bill is going to start with a ''b'' and not an ''m''".
The floods will cost the Australian economy at least A$10 billion.
In figures released at the end of January 2011, the Insurance Council of Australia calculated that 38,460 individual claims were lodged with insurers which were worth A$1.51 billion.
Nearly half of those claims were for damage to homes and more than half were made by those living in Brisbane.
The price of food across Australia will go up.
The floods will cost supermarket chains tens of millions of dollars.
Some communities isolated by floodwaters experienced food shortages, and a rise in the cost of fruits and vegetables was reported shortly after.
Food supplies to northern Queensland were disrupted requiring groceries to be transported to
Townsville
The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
by ship.
Coal railway lines were closed and numerous mine sites flooded. According to an analyst at
Macquarie Group
Macquarie Group Limited (), more commonly known as Macquarie Bank, is an Australian multinational investment banking and financial services group headquartered in Sydney and listed on the ASX ().
Macquarie's investment banking division is Au ...
almost all the available stockpiles of coking coal in Queensland were exhausted in late January 2011 due to reduced rail capacity.
About 15% of the state's annual output of coal production was lost and by late March 2011 recovery was progressing slowly.
Four months after the floods the Dalrymple Bay coal terminal was operating at half its capacity as the open-cut mines in the region continued to deal with de-watering issues.
Swimming pool salt was in short supply as salt mines near Rockhampton were flooded.
Thousands of litres of milk had to be dumped because it could not be transported for processing.
The persistent wet conditions also caused health problems for livestock. There was severe damage to roadways in forestry plantations across wide areas of the south of the state.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that the government would impose a
flood levy of between $1 and $5 a week on each household, with proceeds to fund reconstruction works.
This was opposed by the Liberal-National Parties which argued that the works should be funded by budget cutbacks.
The Levy was approved by the Parliament in March 2011.
[
]
See also
* 1893 Brisbane flood
* 1974 Brisbane flood
* Floods in Australia
* List of disasters in Australia by death toll
* March 2010 Queensland floods
* 2013 Queensland floods
* 2010–2011 Queensland Flood and Cyclone Citation
References
External links
*
Flooding in Australia
an
Flooding in Rockhampton, Queensland
at NASA Earth Observatory
NASA Earth Observatory is an online publishing outlet for NASA which was created in 1999. It is the principal source of satellite imagery and other scientific information about the climate and the environment which are being provided by NASA for ...
Flash flood death toll rises to 9
Brisbane City Council COP Situational Awareness Application
interactive map showing extent of flooding in Brisbane
Interactive map of pre and post flood aerial images along the Brisbane River
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110913202608/http://www.floodcommission.qld.gov.au/publications/interim-report Interim report of Queensland Floods Commission of Enquiry, handed to Premier Bligh on 1 August 2011]
Remembering the 2011 Queensland Floods
Amanda Gearing Queensland Flood Collection
State Library of Queensland
Five Years On: Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley flash floods: oral history interviews
State Library of Queensland
David Stokes 2011 Bellbowrie and Moggill Flood Film
State Library of Queensland
27803 Brisbane flood photographs 2011
State Library of Queensland
28191 Colin Kennard 2011 Brisbane Flood Photographs
State Library of Queensland
28194 Karren Pickering 2011 Brisbane Flood Photographs
State Library of Queensland
28182 Simon Kay 2011 Brisbane Flood Photographs
State Library of Queensland
27929 Loren Jarvis Photographs
State Library of Queensland
Heidi den Ronden 2011 Flood Photographs
State Library of Queensland
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Queensland floods
Queensland floods
Queensland floods
2010s floods in Oceania
2011 floods
History of Brisbane
Weather events in Australia
Brisbane River floods
Floods in Queensland
Disasters in Brisbane
2010s in Queensland
December 2010 in Australia
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