Proposed Olympic venue flooded, with worst yet to come

Rockhampton is bracing for a flood peak on Thursday morning, as heavy rain from ex-cyclone Koji makes its way down the Fitzroy River – the waterway slated to host Olympic rowing in 2032.

Speaking by the banks of the river in the central Queensland city on Wednesday morning, Premier David Crisafulli said while the worst was yet to come, it would fall below the definition of a “major flood level”.

“Whilst this isn’t a major flood, it’s the first time this city’s been tested in nearly 10 years, and the work to pre-position assets, make sure that everyone’s working together, I believe has stood us in great stead to be able to go from response to recovery, whatever size it is,” he said.

Crisafulli said SES swiftwater rescue crews were “ahead of the game” going into the flood peak, with crews also delivering supplies and knocking on doors.

The Bureau of Meteorology has revised its flood peak estimate from eight to 7.5 metres, which was expected on Thursday morning.

Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams said that revision came as a relief to his city.

“I’ll take that any day,” he said.

“An eight [metre flood] has a bigger and wider impact to residential properties, understanding that a lot of our sporting facilities are underwater already, they’re impacted.

“Having a 7.5 reduces the number of properties that are residential properties that are impacted ... That’s a good thing, and we’ll work with those property owners to make sure that they are familiar with what they need to do.”

But Williams said it was important not to become complacent.

“It is still dangerous,” he said.

“You can hear the fish wall behind me, how powerful that is – hear that message to stay away from those floodwaters.”

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