THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The devastating floods that are sweeping through Queensland have reached the outer suburbs of the state's capital Brisbane and now threaten some of the country's most popular tourist destinations.
Heavy rain on Sunday fell on Australia's Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, prompting warnings of flash flooding, and a close watch was also being kept on the Gold Coast, a major draw for the state's tourism industry and an essential part of Queensland's economy.
At one of the region's busiest times of year for tourism, holidaymakers have been warned to stay away from campsites close to rivers. The bad weather and flood warnings are a further blow to Queensland tourism, which is already estimated to have suffered losses of $1bn (£640 million) as a result of the floods.
Brett Harrison, a weather forecaster, said there had been reports of flooding in low-lying areas of Brisbane and the situation was expected to worsen. Some basements and underground car parks were filling with water.
"It is not in the city at the moment but it is certainly going to increase over the next 24 to 48 hours. We are expecting heavy rain to continue during that time," he said. "There is a possibility of moderate to major flooding for areas west of Brisbane." >>> Bonnie Malkin, Rockhampton | Sunday, January 09, 2011
