Daintree Ferry to close due to flooding
Flood warnings – UPDATE
Douglas Shire Council has advised that the Daintree River Ferry will close from 6pm today (Sunday) due to flooding in the Daintree River creating unsafe conditions at night.
If conditions allow, the ferry will resume at daylight tomorrow (Monday) at 6am.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a moderate flood warning and forecast heavy rainfall to continue for the next 36 hours. Debris has been reported flowing down the river and road approaches to the vessel are expected to become inundated later today as water moves down the river.
And Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said people must be cognisant of the current weather conditions.
“People must be water-wise. If there is flooding, they must stay away. We live in a tropical area and we are faced with rising water levels,” he said.
Heavy rainfall
Heavy rainfall is expected to continue through the long weekend following widespread rainfall totals of 125-240 mm across the Daintree and Mossman River catchments in the 48 hours to 9am on Saturday.
Council said in a statement today that the Douglas Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) is working closely with the ferry operators to monitor the river conditions and is encouraging everyone to avoid travelling in the area.
“The ferry operators will secure the vessel, monitor the situation, and advise when it is safe to operate again. The road to Daintree Village is flooded at Barratt’s Creek Bridge, south of the village, and can’t be driven on. Catchments are now saturated, and river levels are expected to remain high over the next few days.
“Remember, if it’s flooded, forget it. Residents can keep an eye on road conditions and river levels via flood cameras at the Douglas Dashboard. You can also follow the Douglas Disaster Information Facebook page.”