Flooding returns as man drowns | Rockhampton News | Local News in Rockhampton

AS the region braces for more heavy rain and possible flooding, a 57-year-old Mirani man drowned when he fell off his motorcycle and was swept away in a flooded Central Queensland creek on Sunday night.

His body was later found in the Devereux Creek at Marian, west of Mackay.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Mike Marrinan yesterday said no parts of the region were likely to escape unscathed with some locations battered with 200 millimetres or more.

On Sunday night Rolleston received 58mm of rain, while the Mackay area received 105mm.

Mr Marrinan said it was difficult to predict precisely where the heaviest rain would fall this week, but the forecast for Rockhampton today is moderate to heavy falls.

The high and mighty Fitzroy River levels were yesterday a site for locals who made their way down to flooded areas, including the closed Riverside Park and the Fitzroy Motor Boat Club.

The club’s caretaker Brian Driscoll said although they weren’t worried at this stage, they would monitor rainfall and river levels with the pontoon their biggest concern after it broke away during bad weather last year.

Mr Driscoll is urging boaties to keep an eye on their boats on a daily basis as big logs and weeds float down the river.

“We have about 80 boaties in this area (the Fitzroy River at Rocky) and in the past boats have been moored down the river,” Mr Driscoll said.

Police said the Mirani man’s death on Sunday showed how dangerous conditions were, even for locals.

A severe weather warning remained in place last night for much of the state with heavy rain forecast over parts of the Channel Country, extending east into the Maranoa and Warrego, southern Central West, southern Central Highlands and Coalfields, Darling Downs and South East Coast.

Yesterday Windorah and Birdsville copped a drenching as an intense monsoonal low dumped heavy rain across the region.

Renewed river rises were occurring late yesterday in the Comet River at Rolleston following rainfall.

Fairbairn Dam will continue to spill over throughout this week with renewed inflows.

At 6pm last night minor flooding was easing on the Mackenzie and Dawson rivers and further rainfall is forecast for the upper Dawson and Comet catchments.

Minor flooding is occurring between Riverslea and Yaamba along the Fitzroy and the river at Rockhampton will remain below minor flood levels at this stage, though more inflow is expected.

CQ RAINFALL

Falls from 9am to 6pm yesterday:

- Rockhampton: 0.4mm

- Rolleston: 8mm

- Taroom: 13mm

- Longreach: 3.2mm

- St Lawrence post office: 4mm

- Windorah: 88mm

- Birdsville: 31mm

- Ballera: 44.4mm