More hands make light work of flood damage at iconic Fraser Coast location

Sunday 9 March 2025. The effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred are being felt throughout south-east Queensland.

Alfred crossed the Queensland coast as a tropical low just north of Brisbane, bringing with it torrential rain and damaging winds.

While the state’s capital battled large-scale power outages, destructive storms were also unleashing their fury on the tourist town of Hervey Bay, about 290 kilometres north of the capital.

More than 300 millimetres of rain lashed the region in just six hours, resulting in flash flooding that swept cars off roads and forced many emergency rescues of residents trapped in their homes.

Swamped within the floodwater was Hervey Bay's Riviera Resort, a popular holiday destination and wedding venue since its arrival in 1994 as the city's first six-storey address.

All seven of the resort’s buildings and its underground carpark, housing vital infrastructure, were inundated.

Without power for almost a week, the resort’s 45 permanent residents, many of them retirees, were suddenly in crisis.

Fire pumps, the electrical switchboard and solar panel inverters all needed replacing, and with the elevator out of action everyone had to use the fire escapes to access their units – a difficult task for Riviera’s elderly residents.

Riviera Managers Tor and Yumei acted quickly to keep residents comfortable and connected, and the resort open.

They organised powerboards, torches and rechargeable LED lights for common property and fire escapes, spare batteries and a charger for the fire control panel, and a small generator to power a makeshift cafe set-up in the lobby.

They also sourced a large 25KVa generator to provide electricity to the resort’s apartments and common areas.

However, with a $10,000 weekly bill to pay for the generator, and mains power still 12 weeks away, an urgent solution was needed.

When South-East Queensland State Recovery Coordinators (SRCs) Justin O'Connor and Peter Matic visited Riviera Resort they were shocked by the damage.

SRCs assist disaster affected communities with their specific recovery needs, working with councils, businesses, industry and non-government organisations to address gaps in support and advocate for targeted recovery packages and local solutions.

“We felt compelled to help Riviera residents as soon as we saw their dire circumstances,” said Justin.

The SRCs immediately called Energy Queensland CEO Peter Scott seeking urgent assistance. 

Around a week later, a temporary switchboard was installed, restoring mains electricity and avoiding generator costs that could have snowballed dramatically.

Riviera Resort Manager Tor said the quick actions of the SRCs likely saved them tens of thousands of dollars.

“Our appreciation for their magnificent efforts is enormous,” said Tor.

With that major hurdle behind them, Tor and Yumei can fully focus on their road to recovery, and Riviera residents can again feel safe at home.