Heavy rains lashed Australia's prime tourist beaches on Sunday, provoking warnings that flooding in vast areas of the northeast could soon hit tourist areas and Queensland's state capital Brisbane, forecasters said.
Officials at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said flooding had been reported on Sunday in parts of Brisbane, while flood warnings had been issued for rivers in the Sunshine Coast to the north.
Rainfall of up to 50mm an hour had been reported in some areas, they said. A close watch was also being kept on the Gold Coast, popular with international sun-seekers and an essential part of Queensland's economy.
Floods have already hit the state's coal industry hard, with mines flooded, road and rail links washed away while a string of mining companies have made "force majeure" declarations. The key coal port of Gladstone has had almost no coal to load, with ships queueing up and widely expected eventually to look elsewhere.
Any damage to Queensland's tourist industry or to the densely populated state capital would be a serious further blow. The government has said the damage so far is already likely to cost more than A$1 billion ($1 billion).
Senior weather forecaster Brett Harrison said there had been reports of flooding in some areas of Brisbane on Sunday.
"There's reports of flash flooding in low lying areas in Brisbane," he told Reuters. "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.
"There is a possibility of moderate to major flooding for areas west of Brisbane."
Flood warnings were issued for several rivers in the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, and senior hydrologist Jeff Perkins said a close eye would be kept on the Gold Coast to the south as well, although the fears there were primarily of flash flooding.
"We have been getting up to 50 mm in an hour. In an urban area the drainage system cannot cope," Perkins said. "The Gold Coast - it should be less, but still close enough that we will be watching it like a hawk. The Gold Coast is really susceptible to really heavy rainfall."
River levels have stayed stubbornly high in other areas of the state and the latest rains also brought flooding on the Mary River, whose waters in the towns of Gympie and Maryborough were steadily going up on Sunday.
Water levels in Gympie were forecast to reach 17 metres overnight after up to 190 millimetres of rain fell in the Mary River's headwaters on Sunday.
Coal stocks, meanwhile, have been running low at the key coal port of Dalrymple Bay, but the port said it was receiving enough coal by rail to keep loading ships. Gladstone to the south has said it may be days to weeks before it starts getting coal supplies back to normal.
