- Large parts of Queensland are flooded
- Two Chinese nationals went missing
- Their car was found in floodwater
A vehicle has been found in the search for two tourists who disappeared amid massive floods in central and southwest Queensland.
The Chinese nationals - a 26-year-old man and 23-year-old woman - were travelling from Brisbane to North Burnett and were last heard from on Sunday night.
Their last phone signal pinged at Kilkivan, which has been affected by heavy flooding.
Queensland Police confirmed on Wednesday a Silver Subaru Forester was found near Kilkivan. The vehicle is believed to belong to the missing tourists.
The pair were only reported missing on Wednesday after they failed to arrive at their destination.
'Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the two missing tourists are urged to contact police,' Queensland Police said in a statement.
'The search is ongoing.'
That search was assisted by the SES and police helicopter.
The discovery comes amid an ongoing flood crisis in Central Queensland.
Police issued a Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) declaration for Chinchilla due to the danger posed by rising floods.
A shelter was opened at Chinchilla Showgrounds while officers door-knocked homes to encourage at-risk residents to evacuate.
Bundaberg Regional Council mayor Helen Blackburn warned recovery from the flood damage 'could take months'.
'We're thinking a few hundred homes and properties have been impacted at this stage,' she said.
'Until we get some vision from Polair, who will be flying over the north side and providing streaming back to council, we won't know exactly what's gone on over there.
'They will be monitoring, they'll be making sure that any isolated properties up and down the river are reviewed and we're making sure that people are safe.'
Mayor Blackburn advised the town's main bridges would begin to reopen on Thursday and Friday.
'In the coming day or two, we will be looking to open the bridges again, and we'll also be looking to assess each property individually to ensure that those properties are safe to be habitable for people,' she said.
'There were 197 people in our evacuation centre, and there were many more that would have been staying with family and friends overnight.'
The Emergency Alert for Bundaberg was downgraded to Watch and Act on Wednesday night but residents were told it's still not safe to return to flooded areas.
Premier David Crisafulli urged the community to prepare for the worst.
'The impacts on homes and businesses won't be to the same number as we've seen before, but the impacts and the magnitude will hit home and hit hard very, very hard for a number of people,' he said.
'This community is resilient, it's tough, it bounces back from disasters as well as anywhere in the nation. That doesn't mean it should be left on its own.
'They need help and help they are going to get.'
About 2,000 homes around Bundaberg were without power on Wednesday, nearly 800 roads across Queensland were closed or damaged by Tuesday, an estimated 1,000 livestock were lost and nine schools shut.
Crisafulli instructed Queenslanders in flood zones to monitor to disaster.qld.gov.au for the latest information.
'There are people who will be impacted in the next 24 hours, that it might be the fourth time in 15 years – and yet they respond in a true Queensland way. It's a really good community for that,' he said.
'It's made of people who are made of really strong stuff. It's got a great fabric and while this will be a challenge, it's not a challenge that the community hasn't handled before and it's not a challenge that they're not up to.'
Western Downs Mayor Andrew Smith, who oversees Chinchilla, said the region saw 260mm of rain in 48 hours.
'The predictions for this water level are at least half a metre lower than 2010/2011, so we're not expecting the same impacts, and we always have to remember that a prediction is just a prediction,' he said.
Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams said council was on alert for potential flooding as upper catchments move downstream.
'At this stage we are monitoring those levels upstream and seeing how they move down. We'll continue to do that over the next week and respond should we need to,' he said.
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