In late 2023, the Queensland Government and the Queensland Reconstruction Authority announced more than $18 million in funding for a range of flood study and resilience projects under the Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
North Burnett Regional Council (Council) was successful in receiving funding to undertake multiple projects to increase flood risk awareness and to help communities prepare for, respond to and recover from flood events.
Neighbouring Councils and non-government organisations have also received funding to deliver projects in the North Burnett region. Projects include:
| The Burnett and Tributaries Catchment Flood Study | Bundaberg, North Burnett, South Burnett and Gympie Regional Councils, and Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council |
| Community Flood Action Plans | North Burnett Regional Council |
| Big Map Exercises | Disaster Relief Australia and Red Earth Community Foundation |
The first stage of these projects is to engage with the community to listen to your stories and collect information about your experience with flooding in the North Burnett.
All community members are invited to contribute to the projects by sharing information they have such as flood marks; photos; videos; newspaper clippings; observations about flood behaviour; community infrastructure which is important to you and your flood preparedness; how and where you find disaster information during events; what information might be useful in future flood events.
Mayor Hotz explained, “I encourage anyone with historical information to share about flooding in the North Burnett to take part and share their knowledge, whether its photos and video or simply your memories of flood behaviour e.g. how fast the water rose in a particular area or how it impacted your property.
“The more we understand about flood risks within our catchment, the better prepared our community will be to respond to future floods” Mayor Les Hotz stated.
You can share information with us in a variety of ways including at in-person sessions in Monto, Eidsvold, Mundubbera, Gayndah, Mt Perry and Biggenden.
| Biggenden Memorial Hall *
Address: 22 Victoria Street Time: 9.30am – 3.30pm Date: Saturday 5 October 2024 |
Monto Community Hall *
Address: 51 Newton Street Time: 9.30am – 3.30pm Date: Sunday 13 October 2024 |
| Gayndah Community Hall
Address: 32 Capper Street Time: 11am – 7pm Date: Wednesday 9 October 2024 |
Eidsvold Community Hall
Address: 54 Moreton Street Time: 9am – 12pm Date: Saturday 19 October 2024 |
| Mundubbera Community Hall *
Address: 26 Lyons Street Time: 9.30pm – 3.30pm Date: Saturday 12 October 2024 |
Mount Perry Community Hall
Address: 62 Heusman Street Time: 2pm – 5pm Date: Saturday 19 October 2024 |
* These sessions are being held in conjunction with the Big Map Exercises being hosted by Red Earth Community Foundation and Disaster Relief Australia and are open to everyone within the North Burnett.
The due date for submission of your information is by Friday 25 October 2024.
If you are unable to attend an in-person session, there are other ways you can participate including by an online or paper-based survey, online feedback using an interactive mapping tool https://anz.planengage.com/burnettriver or contacting Council by phone on 1300 696 272.
Council is grateful to the Australian and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements for their financial contribution to the projects.
For further information on each project and community engagement visit https://northburnett.qld.gov.au/flood-resilience-projects/