Children rescued in floodwaters as showers ease
Three children clinging to a tree in floodwaters have been rescued after more rain struck northern Australia.
However wet weather in Queensland has finally begun to ease in the countdown to Christmas.
Multiple crews were called after three girls sought refuge in the tree located in the flooded Barron River near Mareeba on Sunday night.
“There were three of them in the centre of the river hanging on to a tree about 15m out (from the river bank),” a Queensland Fire Department spokesperson told AAP.
The girls – aged 13 and 14 – are believed to have been part of a group of children who had been swimming in the floodwaters.
They clung to the tree for almost two hours before they were rescued about 7pm.
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It marked the third water rescue in a wet couple of days in the rain-hit state.
Emergency crews were called to Granite Creek near Cairns on Saturday night, finding a 65-year-old man and his dog on the roof of a truck stuck in floodwaters.
The man was later taken to hospital to be assessed.
Earlier a 45-year-old man was rescued – then fined.
Crews retrieved the man after his vehicle was stuck in floodwaters near Bundaberg north of Brisbane on Thursday night.
“After checking he was ok, police determined the man had driven past multiple road signs before running into trouble,” a police statement said.
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He was fined $838 and lost six demerit points for disobeying road access signs and driving without due care and attention.
“You cannot drive into floodwaters with the mindset of ‘it’ll be all right’,” Senior Sergeant Derek Garner said.
“Poor decisions can put your life, your family’s lives and emergency services’ lives at risk every time you decide to risk it.”
Roads were cut off during a wet week, capped by storms and intense rainfall across the tropical coast and Tablelands late on Sunday.
Mount Aunt near Mareeba was one of the worst affected, recording 156mm.
Flooding hit after some regions soaked up more than 340mm of rainfall in six hours.
The north Queensland region spanning Ingham to Proserpine recorded seven day rainfall totals ranging from 300mm to 500mm by Monday morning.
At one stage the deluge triggered flood warnings for 10 rivers across the state.
However, only a couple of warnings remained on Monday after the tropical low and coastal trough that brought widespread rainfall moved offshore.
Holiday-makers are set to return with flooded roads reopening including critical sections of the major arterial Bruce Highway.
A dry and sunny day is forecast across the majority of Queensland on Tuesday.
However, the Bureau of Meteorology said north of Cairns may receive isolated showers with the risk of a storm.
Isolated showers in Queensland’s central and north coast with possible storms inland have been forecast for Christmas Day.
