- Australian floods history. Natural Disasters, Cultural Responses: Case Studies toward a Global Environmental History. [2] Damage initially was estimated at A$ 1 billion [3] before it was raised to $2. Three-quarters of Queensland's local areas were declared disaster zones. 9 km 3 (2 cu mi) of water crossed the Queensland–South Australian border with most of it coming from massive floods in the Georgina River. These extended periods of elevated rainfall were closely associated with Explore Australian disasters using the interactive Disaster Mapper and browse historical records by hazard, location and year. The severity and frequency of these events pose ongoing challenges for disaster preparedness, infrastructure resilience, and public safety. ^ Emergency Management Australia. Jan 23, 2011 · In late December and January, the worst floods in Australia’s history caused record-breaking destruction across Queensland! At their peak they covered 75% of the state, an area the size of Apr 2, 2025 · Floodwaters near Windorah, Jundah, and other towns rose to higher levels than those seen in 1974, a historic year for outback flooding and the wettest year on record in Australia. May 22, 2025 · A natural disaster has been declared in Australia after unprecedented floods in New South Wales. Human changes to the environment often increase the intensity and Mar 2, 2022 · The Australia floods caused by record-breaking “rain bomb” wreaked havoc across the southeast coast, causing school closures, power outages and thousands to evacuate from homes. [citation needed] In 2021, there was a huge flood in NSW and Queensland. Learn more about ArcGIS Experience Builder The 1956 Murray River flood involved the rising of waters in the Murray River and flooding of many towns in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. 5 m (5 ft) deep in late May, which is a quarter of its maximum recorded depth of 6 m (20 ft). Suburbs of Sydney experienced the worst flooding in 60 years, [7] and the events were described by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian as "one in 100-year" flooding. Suburbs located near the riverbanks were particularly vulnerable to the rising waters. It resulted in record-breaking Because in South Australia the river flows in a gorge, only minor flooding occurred, and only in the immediate vicinity of the channel, but the many lagoons adjacent to the main channels, previously dry, were filled. Major rivers, creeks, and catchments overflowed, resulting in severe disruption Unknown to most people, the Australian Aborigines have many traditions surprisingly similar to parts of the book of Genesis, especially those regarding Creation and Noah’s Flood. As part of our Australia and New Zealand Drought Atlas we May 22, 2025 · Four people have died and several were missing as major flooding in New South Wales (NSW) left about 50,000 people isolated by floodwaters. The deadliest event took place in New South Wales in 1852. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported that areas around Sydney and in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions were drenched with 400 to 600 millimeters (16 to 24 inches) of rain across four days, with the most extreme totals approaching one May 21, 2023 · The Brisbane Floods in 2011 affected the city of Brisbane, Australia. Record-breaking floods across north Queensland have now turned deadly, with one woman drowning while being rescued on Sunday May 23, 2025 · Record-breaking floods in eastern Australia have killed four people and stranded tens of thousands after days of relentless rain. ^ "ADF Serials – Mirage III". Mar 8, 2022 · At least 20 people have died, 20,000 homes flooded and more than 60,000 people placed under evacuation warnings as Australia continues to be swamped by some of the worst floods in the country’s Severe storms in Australia, encompassing events like cyclones, have resulted in significant damage across the country. Flooding on the Murrumbidgee River devastated the town of Gundagai, killing 89 people. We estimate a gauge average rate of mean sea level rise over the 1966–2019 period of 1. Climate change is contributing to the increase in severe weather events in Australia. May 15, 2025 · In February 2022, eastern Australia experienced an extreme flood due to a combination of intense rainfall and close to saturation initial soil water conditions. It defines the nature and extent of flooding across the landscape by providing information such as the extent, level and velocity of floodwaters and the distribution of flood flows. Jul 7, 2024 · History of floods Queensland Flood History 2010 - present This list of significant disaster events in Queensland includes all hazards including floods, heavy rainfall, cyclones and also bushfires where Queensland local government areas have been activated for funding assistance measures the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) - joint Commonwealth and State government funding An In-depth Analysis of Recent Decade's Floods in Australia Motivation: Between 2010 and 2022, eastern Australia experienced diverse total annual rainfall (July to June). How this compares to floods in our past The east coast is a common place for heavy rainfall and flooding. Triggered by a combination of weather factors, including the La Niña phenomenon, Queensland experienced unprecedented rainfall leading to widespread flooding. Early Floods Several notable earlier floods are recorded. These were record-breaking water levels. Hazards, Disasters and Survival. The most catastrophic floods in economic terms were those that struck Queensland, New South Wales, and Topics > Flood > Learn about flooding Flood history South Australian flood events Although South Australia does not often experience major flooding, these historical flood events show the range of floods our state can experience. Throughout its past, Australia has faced a number of disasters which have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Here is a history of the state's worst floods. . More than 500 people were rescued in the flooding emergency in New South Wales state north of Sydney. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civil engineering and public health. ^ "06 Sep 1943 – DIVEBOMBER'S CRASH SETS MILL ON FIRE 2 Airmen Ki" Argus. One was the Brisbane Metropolitan area where all-time record daily rainfall in Jan 12, 2015 · In a recent paper we presented at an indigenous language conference in Japan, we analysed 18 stories from around Australia’s coast. May 26, 2025 · The deadly floods that swept across New South Wales this week were intensified by the climate crisis, scientists said even as tens of thousands of people remained cut off. The Australian Flood Risk Information Portal enables access to flood study information. Floods are also known to not only devastate lives to hurt, though. Search from 4,668 Australian Floods stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock. Mauch, Christof, and Christian Pfister, eds. Dairy stocks and livestock suffer losses. What were the specific histories and impacts of floods and freshes? How did settlers survive, conceptualize, and Apr 6, 2025 · We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Aug 25, 2025 · The flooding left drivers trapped in their cars as floodwaters rose, while others were shocked by the scenes unfolding around them. The 2010–11 Queensland floods were a significant natural disaster that impacted the Australian state of Queensland from December 2010 to January 2011. Apr 20, 2015 · Facts about Australian Floods 5: Major General Michael Slater Major General Michael Slater was the head of the recovery taskforce. At least five people Create web apps and pages visually with drag-and-drop. Understanding the characteristics and patterns of A Flood Study is a comprehensive technical investigation of flood behaviour. Towns along the Fitzroy and Burnett Mar 6, 2025 · As much of Australia watches Cyclone Alfred as it bears down on South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, many of those same communities who lived through the torrential rains and floods of late 2021 and early 2022 are still trying to recover from the disruption and devastation Oct 25, 2022 · Eastern Australia is experiencing major flooding for the fifth time in 19 months due to record-breaking wet weather that is predicted to stretch into next year. [1][2][3] As of 21 March 2025, Western Queensland Of all the States and Territories of Australia, South Australia has the lowest rainfall, yet the State still experiences floods and until now had no consolidated record of its flood history. Relentless rains submerge towns, causing deaths and isolating residents. Labor entered the May 2019 federal elections with a commanding lead in preference polling, but Morrison and the coalition scored a stunning victory to maintain power. Some 50,000 people Mar 3, 2022 · In any case, we do know extreme events like this will occur more frequently in a warmer world. Lives, houses, and industrial facilities May 23, 2025 · The death toll has risen to five and 50,000 remain isolated as floods hammer the NSW Mid North Coast. Presented here is a chronology of flooding in South Australia from European settlement in 1836 to 2005. In the years between large floods, significant development of the floodplain had occurred, encouraged by the locals’ faith in Somerset Dam to alleviate flooding. The damage was first thought to be A$1 billion, but it later grew to A$2. May 22, 2025 · 2 of 6 | Record floodwaters on Australia’s east coast left three people dead and one missing, officials said Thursday, as more heavy rain was forecast in the region. Oct 30, 2024 · INTRODUCTION A recurring theme in the traditional narrative of Australian cultural history is the premise that the Aboriginal population had existed in uninterrupted isolation until 1788, when British settlement brought this so-called land of hunter-gatherers into contact with the wider world (Urwin, Bradley, Mcniven, Russell, & Yulianti Farid, 2023). Selected past events are described below. For the first time, get 1 free month of iStock exclusive photos, illustrations, and more. But the severity of recent floods has been uncommon. This is a list of the deadliest floods worldwide, with a minimum of 60 deaths. Sep 20, 2025 · The first recorded flood in Australia’s history dates back to 1789, just one year after the arrival of the First Fleet, when the Tank Stream in Sydney overflowed due to heavy rainfall. Mar 12, 2024 · Key Takeaways: Australia has a long history of severe weather events that have left a lasting impact on the country. The idea for this book and DVD was put to my immediate predecessor as Parliamentary Secretary with May 23, 2025 · Officials say record floodwaters on Australia’s east coast have left four people dead and one missing as rain eased over the disaster area. Two centres within this area were devastated by floods unprecedented in living memory. However, Indigenous Australian oral histories and archaeological evidence suggest that significant flooding events occurred long before European settlement, with communities adapting to cyclical flood patterns The History of disasters of Australia is an outline of natural disasters in Australia and its territories. An already soaked state had the wettest January in its recorded history in January 2011. by Neil Godfrey Filed under: Evolution, Science Tags: Cane: First Footprints, Current sea level rise, Dreamtime, Flood myth May 23, 2025 · Australia grapples with severe floods in New South Wales. 46 meters. The flooding had its beginnings in heavy rain in March 1900 [1] over a very broad area extending from North Mar 15, 2016 · To date, environmental histories of rivers, floods, and settlers in early colonial Australia (1788–1820) have meshed with colonial historiography rather than challenging it. 🐨🦘🇻🇬 picture from my window is of the Murray River (the longest river in Australia) which is a 2 hour drive from Adelaide. Simultaneously Urban flooding in a street in Morpeth, England, 2008 A flood is an overflow of water (or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. At least seven Jan 9, 2023 · An emergency services minister said it was "the worst flooding Western Australia has had in its history". [4] As of March Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes and hundreds of thousands more have been told to prepare to flee as parts of Australia’s southeast coast are inundated by the worst flooding in more than a decade. The top ten… The Victorian and Queensland floods, although occurring in other states, were deemed to be one of the worst floods Australia and New South Wales had experienced. Hundreds of From November 2010 to January 2011, a series of big floods hit Queensland, Australia. Power outages and infrastructure damage plague the Mid North Coast. The Australian Defence Force was activated at that time to evacuate and help the victims. Mar 22, 2021 · Australia’s Worst Floods in Decades Quicken Concerns About Climate Change In a country that suffered the harshest wildfires in its recorded history just a year ago, the deluge has become another Feb 21, 2025 · People across northern Queensland are still facing hardship and dislocation after being hit with 11 days of severe rainfall and flooding this month. Mar 2, 2022 · How does this compare to Australia’s previous floods? And can we expect more frequent floods at this scale under climate change? The answers aren’t straightforward. This is a list of all major natural disasters in Australian European history. p-33 Aug 1, 2017 · The Worst Disasters in Australian History Certain parts of Australia are susceptible to natural disasters such as floods. All tell tales of coastal flooding. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. This is where we are isolating. More than four months' worth of rain has fallen in the past two days - and at least one person is Feb 13, 2025 · A consistent approach to gathering flood risk information The Australian Flood Risk Information Portal (AFRIP) objective was to create a central online location where high-quality flood risk information is stored. Mar 1, 2022 · Local authorities have placed up to 300,000 people under evacuation warnings in one of the country's worst flooding incidents. This catastrophic event resulted in the destruction of nearly the entire settlement, claiming the lives of approximately 89 individuals, including many children, and forcing survivors to seek The 2025 New South Wales floods were a significant flooding event that impacted the New South Wales coast in May 2025, particularly the Mid North Coast and parts of the Hunter Valley region, including the towns of Taree, Wingham, Kempsey, Nambucca Heads, Sawtell, Dorrigo, Port Macquarie, and Coffs Harbour. This devastating event serves as a solemn reminder of the unpredictable power of natural disasters and the enduring spirit of the… May 24, 2025 · Five killed after torrential rain and flash flooding hits Australia Hundreds of flood-hit residents still in evacuation centres even as conditions improve Feb 13, 2025 · A consistent approach to gathering flood risk information The Australian Flood Risk Information Portal (AFRIP) objective was to create a central online location where high-quality flood risk information is stored. Allowing access to current and readily available data would help emergency managers to raise awareness on flood risks and hazards around Australia. The disaster resulted in at least two fatalities from flooding, 31 fatalities from a disease outbreak and prompted mass evacuation orders in Queensland's coastal regions. The floods occurred between late December 2010 and early January 2011. Missing from these studies are problem-oriented questions about the behaviors of rivers and people alike. [N 6] It has a total area of 7,688,287 km 2 (2,968,464 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania. It contains general May 23, 2025 · Incessant rain over the past three days has unleashed massive floods in eastern Australia, inundating streets, cutting off entire towns and destroying homes. The impact of May 23, 2025 · Record floods cut a destructive path through eastern Australia on Friday, caking houses in silt, washing out roads and separating 50,000 people from help. Two deaths have been confirmed. Build interactive, mobile adaptive experiences for your audiences. O'Gorman, Emily. Notable weather events in Australian history include floods, heatwaves, bushfires, cyclones, dust storms, and more. For more, see Appendix A of the Flood Hazard Risk Reduction Plan. About 90 towns and over 200,000 people were affected. These storms are a recurring natural hazard, impacting various regions and communities. Inundated roadways may leave towns isolated for weeks, according to news reports. Parts of New South Wales, Australia's Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. Dec 3, 2015 · Australia is the land of drought and flooding rains, and in a recent paper we’ve shown that’s been the case for more than 500 years. Feb 8, 2011 · As flash floods, tidal surges, cyclones, burst riverbanks and downpours have impacted on much of Eastern Australia, we've heard many references to the floods that have gone before. The storm also triggered the largest blackout in Queensland history. [2] Caused by a slow-moving low pressure system and killing five people, [3][1] it was May 24, 2025 · SYDNEY, May 23 (Reuters) - The body of a man was found in a car trapped in floodwaters in Australia's southeast on Friday, raising the death toll to four, after three days of incessant rain cut May 22, 2025 · Record floodwaters on Australia's east coast left two people dead and two others missing, officials said Thursday, as more heavy rain was forecast in the area. Dec 18, 2023 · Floodwaters brought by northern Australia’s heaviest rain in decades left a number of families stranded on rooftops overnight — and even swept a crocodile into one town — as weather The 2009 Lake Eyre flood peaked at 1. Flood Country: An Environmental History of the Murray-Darling Basin. A deepening low pressure trough over south-east Australia, fed with tropical moisture from the The 1900 Western Australian floods were a series of flooding events from March to May 1900 that affected large areas of Western Australia, primarily in the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions, though it extended to cover most of the state except the more humid Kimberley and South West regions. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 1981. Jul 18, 2025 · The record-breaking floods that drenched the Mid North Coast of NSW in May are just the latest natural disaster to hit the region, with floods deeply woven into the fabric of the region's colonial Feb 11, 2022 · Using the new Australian National Collection of Homogenized Observations of Relative Sea Level (ANCHORS) dataset, we assess trends in Australian relative sea levels over recent decades and subsequent coastal flooding impacts. Choose the tools you need to interact with your 2D and 3D data. 2K comments · 40 shares Les Peters All Our Yesterdays Jan 13, 2011 · The worst flood in decades has hit the city of Brisbane, submerging scores of suburbs and forcing thousands of residents from their homes. Apr 4, 2025 · Flooding is a common type of disaster that occurs in Australia. [6] Some towns experienced the highest river peaks in decades, [7] and many places saw rivers peak multiple times. 0 International License. The worst floods in Australian history have occurred in the east, especially in Queensland and New South Wales. Although this is the popular rendition, it Mar 25, 2025 · In Australia's recent history, the Queensland Floods of 2025 have become one of the natural disasters with significant impact. Emergency services conduct numerous rescues. Extreme rainfall on the east coast of Australia beginning on 18 March 2021 led to widespread flooding in New South Wales, affecting regions from the North Coast to the Sydney metropolitan area in the south. – Devastating floods have submerged cities and towns in Queensland and New South Wales, forcing tens of thousands of residents to abandon their homes in one of the worst floods in recent history. These floods Mar 24, 2021 · Persistent, heavy rain fell for several days in early autumn in New South Wales, Australia, leading to the region’s worst flooding in six decades. More than 500 people were rescued in The 2025 Queensland floods refer to significant flooding that impacted the northeast Australian state of Queensland in late January, early February, into March and April 2025. Find out another disaster in Aberfan facts. May 22, 2025 · Four people have died and several were missing as major flooding in New South Wales (NSW) left about 50,000 people isolated by floodwaters. Nov 25, 2024 · The Australian Flood Risk Information Portal (AFRIP) objective was to create a central online location where high-quality flood risk information is stored. This page is a subpage of WikiProject Australian history. Photo: Shutterstock. ^ "This Day in History – Today in History with a distinctly Australian Flavour". Stay safe everyone ! Jan Lacerte and 4K others 4K reactions · 1. May 23, 2025 · Major flooding in eastern Australia has killed four people, and at least one person is missing in an extreme weather event with strong links to climate change, officials said Friday. And the rising death toll, ongoing evacuations and destroyed homes make this one of the most extreme natural disasters in colonial Australian history. 38 billion. Floods that have occurred in the country of Australia: Mar 8, 2012 · Some caused great loss of life, others devastated homes and infrastructure; these are the worst floods in Australian recorded history. Government provides disaster relief. These floods forced thousands of people to leave their homes. Floods in Australia 1893 Brisbane flood Flooding in Newcastle in 2007 Queensland 2010–2011 floods Australia has had numerous floods in the last 10 years, many of which have taken out homes, wildlife and many habitats. The Australian Flood Studies Database provides metadata on Australian flood studies and information on flood risk. Far-southeast communities in Aug 6, 2024 · The 1852 Gundagai floods in Australian history were catastrophic, claiming 89 lives and prompting national discussions on flood mitigation. Notably, three sets of consecutive wet years occurred during this period: 2010–11 and 2011–12, 2016–17 and 2020–21, and 2021–22 and 2022–23. numerous communities were affected and caused extensive damage. Edit this section May 23, 2025 · MELBOURNE, Australia — Record floodwaters on Australia's east coast have left four people dead and one missing, officials said Friday as rain eased over the disaster area. Mar 22, 2021 · Neighbours filmed one couple's home being carried along by flash floods in Taree north of Sydney Some 18,000 people have been evacuated from severe floods across New South Wales (NSW) in Australia Floods aren’t always erasing lives – Although Australia is incredibly known for its blazing bushfires and baking droughts, it might be hard to believe that Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth when its floods are also quite lethal. Jan 2, 2014 · 2014-01-02 Universal Floods and Australian Dreamtime Myths This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4. [1] In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. The record rainfall, now declared a natural disaster Other articles where Australian floods is discussed: Australia: The premiership of Scott Morrison (2018–22): …recent spate of cyclones and flooding. Flood histo ries are invariably built around these records, and they attracted early and ongoing scientific interest as well. EMA Publishing, ACT 1997. The natural disasters included here are all the notable events that resulted in significant loss of life or property due to natural, non-biological processes of the Earth within Australian territory. Heavy downpours are expected to continue. The tragedy led to community resilience and infrastructure rebuilding, and spurred advancements in flood management. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. This extended from the Mary River in Southeast Queensland (SEQ) to the Clarence River in Northeast NSW (NENSW). Nepean offers the longest flood history record in Australia. [1] The estimated reduction in Australia's GDP is about A$30 billion. 94 mm/yr with local variations around the Australian continent. Apr 7, 2023 · During February 2022 major riverine flooding occurred in an area which has the fastest population growth in Australia. These disasters range from natural to manmade in nature, although they all share something in common - a significant mark on the history of this country. May 23, 2025 · Days of heavy rain in the Australian state of New South Wales turned deadly as record floodwaters trapped people in their cars and homes. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2009. The big picture: Officials in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, made a natural disaster declaration in response to record rainfall that's isolated more than 50,000 people, with large amounts of The Gundagai floods of 1852 represent one of the deadliest natural disasters in Australian history, occurring when the Murrumbidgee River overflowed, devastating the town of Gundagai in New South Wales. Feb 2, 2025 · Steve Turton has received funding from the Australian Government. They were marked by heavy rainfall, widespread flooding, and severe social, economic, and environmental impact starting in January and lasting through March. Dec 18, 2023 · Floodwaters brought by northern Australia’s heaviest rain in decades left a number of families stranded on rooftops overnight — and even swept a crocodile into one town — as weather Summary In January 1974, Brisbane experienced its fourth-highest recorded flood when a large monsoonal trough and associated cyclone dumped huge rainfall into the Brisbane River catchment. Due to inflation, the monetary damage estimates are not comparable. The record rainfall, now declared a natural disaster Mar 10, 2025 · 1 of 7 | Australia’s prime minister cautioned that the fallout from a vicious tropical storm over the weekend was “far from over” as parts of two states remained inundated with perilous floodwaters on Monday, even as the initial threat from the deluge continued to recede. May 21, 2025 · Natural Hazards Research Australia chief executive Andrew Gissing said the flooding was the biggest on record for the area, and a one-in-500-year event. The Yugara and Yugarabul people have The 2022 south eastern Australia floods are a series of floods that have occurred in south-eastern Australia [nb 1] since October 2022. Climate change intensifies Retrieved 11 October 2025. A series of floods hit Queensland, Australia, beginning in December 2010. Browse 11,556 australian floods photos and images available, or search for australian floods 2020 to find more great photos and pictures. The flood was and still is considered the biggest flood in the recorded history of the Murray and described as "the greatest catastrophe in South Australia's history", [1] although few lives were lost. The Brisbane River reached a peak of 4. 6 September 1943. Keep reading as we've compiled statistics to give you an accurate picture of the state of flooding and its effects in Australia Queensland Flood Report Australia Day 1974. THE CONVERSATION: ‘One of the most extreme disasters in colonial Australian history’: climate scientists on the floods and our future risk Roads flooded in Brisbane 2022. [2] At least 90 towns and over 200,000 people were affected. The flood occurred due to higher than Nov 26, 2022 · What can we learn from the worst phase of flooding in Australia's recorded history? We need to properly address some of the mistakes of the past, according to one former emergency chief. The strongest La Niña event since 1973 [10] which fuelled the extensive flooding across Victoria in September 2010, brought wetter conditions across eastern Australia including the 2010–11 Queensland floods. This Window 5y · Public Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. ymxg wfr yksujp cgf0 m1 nmicc zvq joi nd sovev
