Australia Weather News

Residents near the Copperfield River in Far North Queensland's Gulf Country are being urged to evacuate now after the Etheridge Shire Council issued an emergency alert.

The council said there was a flash flood Emergency Warning about the Copperfield Dam and Copperfield River.

Residents around the Copperfield River and Einasleigh township must leave immediately.

Gregory Developmental Road between Einasleigh and Gulf Developmental Road has been closed due to the flooding, according to QLDTraffic.

Heavy rain also closed the Gilbert River Bridge between Croydon and Georgetown.

Mayor Barry Hughes said residents should quickly move to higher ground on the Einasleigh-Forsayth Road.

"The latest report is that houses are now being threatened with inundation if not already inundated," he said.

"We already have some of the residents that have left town that are situated at a muster point in a safe zone on the outskirts of town."

Police say heavy rain has led to spilling of the Copperfield Dam, leading to "very dangerous" conditions.

"It's over-topping the spillway over 6 metres, which is a massive amount of water," Cr Hughes said.

"We recorded rainfall of 250 millimetres in the catchment of the Copperfield River system overnight, which is contributing to the current height and the inflow of water that's coming over that spillway."

He said it was unknown when the flood would peak.

"We're sitting in close proximity to the low that's embedded in the monsoon trough and, with the ongoing heavy downpours that we're experiencing right across the catchment of the Gilbert, the Robertson, Copperfield and Einasleigh river systems, we're at the mercy of Mother Nature as we speak," he said.

Community evacuates

Chelsea Mosch at Jardine Station, north of Einasliegh, said she had never seen the water rise so quickly at the station before.

"It's rising pretty quickly. I think a metre every hour," Ms Mosch said.

"It's pretty crazy, it's all just come at once, but it's like a big ocean."

Ms Mosch said she was packing up to leave for higher ground, but she was hoping the water would not affect the house.

"It's pretty scary … it hasn't stopped raining all day, all night," she said.

Publican Tayla Wellby bought the Einasleigh Hotel on Friday, but had now evacuated her young family from the highest floodwaters in recent memory.

She said water had made it inside the pub and was still rising.

Along with a handful of customers, she said they were watching the rising Copperfield River following heavy rains.

"I do believe upstream have had a lot more than we have, which is why we have got all the water," she said.

"It has risen pretty quickly from this morning."

She said water levels were normal about 6:30am, but had covered the bridge by noon.

The water is now lapping on the other side of Daintree Road outside.

Ms Wellby said the former publican of 26 years told her he had never seen it so high.

"We are ready to go at a moment's notice. The car is packed, ready, and we'll leave as soon as we need to," she said.

The family who live at the pub plan to retreat to a nearby hill on the advice of locals.

Ms Wellby and husband Braydon, along with three children under four, relocated 300 kilometres inland from Townsville in recent weeks.

"And now we've got waterfront views," she said.

Roads cut

Meanwhile heavy rain is causing flooding on roads throughout north Queensland, with the Bruce Highway cut north of Ingham at Seymour River.

The highway section, about 130 kilometres north of Townsville, was cut early on Tuesday and drivers are being told to expect lengthy delays.

A moderate flood warning has been issued for the Herbert River and communities in the Lower Herbert area are expected to soon be isolated.

Mayor Ramon Jayo said the heavy rain was likely to force multiple road closures in the area by Tuesday evening.

"Any residents of the Lower Herbert should be considering their travel plans right now," he said.

Communities throughout the Hinchinbrook Shire, including as Ingham, suffered devastating flooding in early 2025 but Cr Jayo said no major flooding was expected during this event.

"We are expecting a little more rain but nothing substantial that would indicate we will have any major flooding to contend with," he said.

"But those things can change in a heartbeat."