gympie flooding 2012

Gympie Flooding 2012

Gympie Flooding – 25 February 2012

UPDATE SUNDAY 26 Feb – 12.30pm – The Bureau site shows a peak of 15.44M at 7.12am and a height of 15.29M at 11.59am. The QLD Govt. website at http://highload.131940.qld.gov.au/ indicates the Bruce Highway was cut at Kybong yesterday afternoon – we are not aware of the current situation outside Gympie.  Read below for flood height information – taking the BOM river height reading and using the bridge height information given below, it is possible to work out when the highway in Gympie is open/closed and whether the alternative route presented through Gympie is available.  

25 Feb 2012 – Gympie is experiencing minor to moderate flooding due to heavy rains in the Mary River catchment.

Kidd Bridge on Exhibition Road to the Southside was inundated earlier today and closed to traffic.  The bridge is cut when flood waters reach 9.9 metres.  At 5.36pm this afternoon (Saturday 25-2-12), the height recorded at the monitoring station was 12.49 metres (2.59m above the bridge) above bridge and rising.

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting moderate flooding at Gympie, with a flood peak just over 16 metres expected during Sunday morning.  At this height, the Bruce highway will be cut at Inglewood Bridge (Bruce Highway 800m south of Big W).  This bridge goes under flood water at 13.4 metres so it will be likely to be cut this evening if the Mary River rises as predicted.  Traffic can bypass this bridge by following a detour route as per the map below.

Alternative Route through Gympie

Using flood heights and the BOM Mary River height readings from the link and information further down the page should give a reasonable view of Bruce Highway access through Gympie i.e. if the BOM reading (Mary River Height at Gympie – http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDQ65390/IDQ65390.040993.plt.shtml) is less than 13.4 metres, then the highway should be passable. Once Inglewood bridge is inundated, bypassing Inglewood Bridge is possible via Pengellys Bridge (provided the river height is less than 15.8M). Click map below for full size view. (NOTE: THE HIGHWAY MAY BE STILL BE CUT OUTSIDE GYMPIE – CHECK QLD Govt Traffic and Travel Information website at http://131940.qld.gov.au/)

The route south from Big W follows the Bruce Highway to the Normanby Off-ramp (the highway may be blocked by traffic control at this point diverting traffic up the off ramp). Turn left from the off ramp as directed by traffic control, up the hill (Hughes Terrace) till the next intersection (controlled by traffic lights). Turn right into Graham Street and follow Graham Street down to the Brisbane Road Intersection and turn right into Brisbane Road and follow it until it returns to the Bruce Highway.

Note: these directions are for your assistance only and rely on flood heights as provided. If the Mary River heights are near the bridge heights above and rising, it would be best to postpone travel if possible. Also, the Bruce Highway can become flooded at other points South of Gympie e.g. Kybong, so while it may be possible to drive through Gympie using the route above, travel to Brisbane may not be possible.

Hotlines

• SES: 132 500 (For assistance with flood or storm emergencies)
• Flood Warnings: 1300 659 219
• Road Closure: 1300 130 595
• Gympie Region Disaster Coordination Centre: 5482 6399
• Queensland Government’s Traffic and Travel Information line: 13 19 40.

Radio Updates

We recommend listening to ABC local radio who have been providing a very good coverage of all flooding in Quensland. To find the frequency of ABC local for your area, visit www.abc.net.au/reception/freq/ – Gympie/Wide Bay is 100.1FM.

Road Closures

Travelling during flood events is dangerous – flood water depths are not always obvious and can hide washouts etc. The best online source of official information for travellers is available at the QLD Govt Traffic and Travel Information website at http://131940.qld.gov.au/ (not sure why they would use a telephone number for this site as it is hard to remember). The RACQ website also provides details of road closures at http://www.racq.com.au/travel/Maps_and_Directions/road_conditions but the Government site seems better.

Other Websites

ABC Local radio has a Flood Emergeny section section in their website at http://www.abc.net.au/emergency/flood/ with helpful information and links

The Bureau of Meteorology has infomation on weather events and flood warnings:

• Mary River Height at Gympie Weir –http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDQ65390/IDQ65390.540215.plt.shtml
• Mary River Height at Gympie – http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDQ65390/IDQ65390.040993.plt.shtml
• Mary River Flood Warnings – http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20790.html
• BOM Radar Loop – 128K at Mt Kanighan – http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR083.loop.shtml#skip

HEIGHTS AT WHICH BRIDGES IN AND AROUND GYMPIE ARE CUT FROM FLOOD WATERS:-

• Kidd Bridge (Gympie to South Side) – 9.9 metres
• Inglewood Bridge (Bruce Highway 800m south of Big W) – 13.4 metres
• Bells Bridge (to Kilkivan off Bruce Hwy 12Km nth of Gympie) – 13.5metres
• Pengellys Bridge 15.85 metres
• Normanby Hill Bridge (Gympie to Mary Valley) – 15.54 metres (southern end)
• Six Mile Bridge (Bruce Hwy – Gympie south) – 17.00 metres

Note: Flood heights are sourced from Gympie Regional Council “GYMPIE C.B.D. FLOOD SUB PLAN” and therefore deemed accurate.

DRIVE CAREFULLY AND DO NOT DRIVE INTO FLOOD WATERS