Grey nomads share dramatic images as ‘life-threatening’ floods hit Gold Coast

After months without rain, with the dry conditions contributing to devastating bushfires across the country, Australia welcomed the news that heavy rain was set to fall across the east coast this week.

However, some areas have now fallen victim to “dangerous and life-threatening” flash flooding, and grey nomads enjoying a break on the Gold Coast were among those hit by the extreme weather.

Dramatic photographs shared on the Caravan & Camping Australia Facebook page showed several caravans partially submerged underwater, after between 100 and 300mm of rain fell in a matter of hours on Friday night and into the early hours of Saturday morning.

One photo showed someone wading through the knee-deep flood water at the Big4 Gold Coast Holiday Park in Helensvale, alongside the caption: “This morning on the Gold Coast caravan park, came up so quick.”

Another photo appeared to show several tents and caravans submerged in the water.

Following the heavy downpour, the Bureau of Meteorology released a weather warning on Saturday morning, which read: “Dangerous and life threatening flash flooding is likely occurring with very dangerous thunderstorms impacting the Gold Coast. 145mm Recorded in 2 hours at Monterey Keys.”

A severe storm warning was cancelled at around 7am on Saturday morning, however the BoM stressed the importance of taking care on the roads, adding: “Heavy, intense rainfall has eased, but showers and thunderstorms still possible through the weekend. Take care on the roads – if it’s flooded, forget it.”

We moved to the Gold Coast to be closer to the water….😂#GoldCoastNews #flooding #nopicnic pic.twitter.com/U6bKni8DEC

— Tanja Turner (@TanFromAus) January 17, 2020

Theme parks on the Gold Coast, including Wet’n’Wild, Dreamworld, WhiteWater World and Movie World, were also closed on Saturday as a result of the extreme weather.

A statement on the Wet’n’Wild Facebook page said: “Please be aware that due to severe weather and flooding, Wet’n’Wild will be closed today for the safety of our guests and team members. Keep an eye on our website for any updates. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Many people took to social media to share their own images and footage of the flooding, with one woman joking that she had “moved to the Gold Coast to be closer to the water”.

Burleigh esplanade flooding . Gold Coast . Beach parks also flooded pic.twitter.com/CBPOVm4auc

— Ann 🇦🇺🌏 🤝💙💛 (@AnnQld1) January 17, 2020

The M1 at Helensvale was also closed on Saturday morning to all traffic, except heavy vehicles, as a result of the flash flooding, with the Department of Roads and Transport urging people to delay all journeys unless absolutely necessary.