Missing man found as Bundaberg cleans up
A man who went missing in floodwaters has been found alive – two days later he disappeared from a houseboat.
Source: Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro
A man has been found alive two days after disappearing into a flooded river from a houseboat, as a developing weather system threatens to bring more destructive rain.
The 51-year-old man from Sharon, near Bundaberg on the Queensland coast, was reported missing at 1am on Friday.
His disappearance sparked a two-day search of the Burnett River, which hit a major flood peak of about 7.4 metres on Wednesday morning.
He was found safe and well at 9am on Sunday at a Wood Road address in Sharon and taken to Bundaberg Hospital for assessment.
Bundaberg is one of many Queensland communities in recovery mode after more than 350 homes and businesses were inundated by flooding.
The disaster has claimed the lives of two backpackers from China who drove off a bridge on their way from Brisbane to the rain-hit North Burnett region.
There were rescues at Mossman and Redlynch in Far North Queensland on Sunday morning after heavy rain caused flash flooding and river rises.
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Major flood warnings were current on Monday morning for the Thomson River at Longreach, Upper Balonne River at Surat and Cooper Creek at Windorah.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the Thomson River was rising incredibly slowly at Longreach, frustrating residents.
“This has been water that’s been in the system and coming for a long time,” he told reporters.
“And because of a lack of gauges in many parts, they have been flying blind.”
Only a handful of campers remain at a local evacuation site.
Flooding in the regional city of Rockhampton would much lower than recorded earlier in 2026, the premier said.
There are 58 Queensland local government areas receiving assistance in response to the relentless rain and subsequent flooding that has swamped the state since Christmas.
Meanwhile, troops are expected to land in Australia’s top end as residents begin clean-up efforts, while other regions brace for more heavy rain.
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Australian Defence Force members are due to arrive in Katherine, in the Northern Territory’s north, on Monday after a weekend request from NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro.
The flooding in Katherine is the worst in almost 30 years, with crocodiles sighted around town.
The number of homes and businesses affected is still being tallied, but the Insurance Council of Australia has declared it a significant event.
Vision of the Daly River community showed floodwaters reaching roof height, with Finocchiaro saying the NT was still in an emergency response phase.
Record river levels have completely overwhelmed the community, reaching 16.38 metres at the police station by Saturday afternoon.
“We’ve been working really well with our federal counterparts through this response phase for this unprecedented flooding territory-wide,” Finocchiaro said on social media on Sunday.
“It’s really important that continues into the recovery phase, and floodwaters haven’t even subsided, but it’s front-of-mind that we need to rebuild the Territory together.”
Late on Sunday, federal Territories Minister Kristy McBain told ABC News the request for ADF assistance had been approved.
“We have now enacted additional ADF support in the Katherine region for clean-up,” she said.
“A number of members of RAAF Tindal Base have already been out helping the community in their own capacity. That will now be formalised through ADF channels.”
Emergency services personnel from Victoria have also arrived to help.
While there’s still an active weather event across the Northern Territory, the Bureau of Meteorology warned the focus of the more intense weather had shifted away from the top end.
-with AAP
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