Australia Weather News

Central Queensland residents are being warned to steer clear of floodwaters, as Rockhampton's Fitzroy River nears its forecasted flood peak.

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting the river will peak on Thursday morning, near a moderate level of 7.5 metres.

It reached the minor flood level of 7 metres at the Quay Street guage just after midnight on Wednesday morning.

Several social media posts this week showed people swimming and playing in floodwaters, prompting an urgent reminder from police 'not to put their lives at risk'.

The Queensland Police Service has issued 17 flood-related warnings to the Rockhampton community in the last three days.

"It is difficult to see hazards in floodwaters such as drains, sharp objects, animals, and strong currents," Capricornia District Superintendent Mark Burgess said.

"Floodwaters could also be contaminated with sewage, bacteria and debris, which has the potential to cause serious illnesses."

Rockhampton mayor Tony Williams echoed those sentiments.

"[Don't] play or go into them at all … we have crocodiles in this system as well," Mr Williams said.

Thursday's predicted peak is lower than the previous forecast of just below 8 metres.

As a result, the mayor confirmed the council would not be opening an evacuation centre but was as "ready as it possibly could be".

"This flood is a marathon … it's taking its time to reach that peak," Mr Williams said.

He said up to 280 properties may be affected, mostly with water into backyards.

The river height was not expected to significantly drop for several days.

"A lot of our sporting fields and clubs will see an impact to their facilities," Mr Williams said.

Speaking in Rockhampton on Wednesday morning, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said while it was not a major flood, it was the first time the city had "been tested" with a flood in 10 years.

He said various housing services had been working with the homeless population in the past week.

"They're offered support, every one of them are," Mr Crisafulli said.

Crocodile risk

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Morgan Pumpa described the event as "blue sky flooding".

"[There's] a lot happening with the amount of water that we have in the landscape, even though we have clear skies above us," Ms Pumpa said.

"It can be really challenging for something like the Fitzroy River that is so expansive to really get that timing right on point, but we're not seeing it move as quickly as those other higher peaks that were upstream."

Rockhampton State Emergency Service controller Jasper Humphries confirmed there had been crocodile sightings in floodwaters.

"I should urge anyone that has a sighting to report it to the relevant authority," he said.

Sightings can be reported to the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation via their website, phone line or the QWildlife app.

Central Queensland crocodile farm owner John Lever said small crocodiles would be increasingly on the move as they cling onto debris for reprieve and get washed downstream.

However, that was not the case for the bigger crocodiles.

"They go to the edge of the water where it's not flowing very fast, but the edge of the water keeps moving up the banks," Mr Lever said. 

"So they get redistributed to areas where they've never been before and when the water recedes, they become landlocked and then quite often try to walk back to the river."

He said if they can't make it back to the river, they may take up residence in a body of water that hasn't had crocodiles in it before.

"Golf courses [are] a classic example," he said.

He said thanks to the farm's location, there was no risk of the farm flooding and crocodile eggs or animals washed away.