The Richmond River is the main river in the Richmond Valley Local Government Area (LGA) and includes the area upstream of Casino down through to the village of Broadwater. The area includes the rural towns and villages of Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, Bungawalbin and Broadwater.
Knowing the flood potential of where you live, work and visit in the Richmond Valley is important to keeping yourself, your family and others safe during floods.
See below to find out more about floods in your area, and steps you can take before, during and after flooding.
Yes you are!
Casino sits on the Richmond River and hosts a population of approx. 10914. While the Richmond Valley has a long history of flooding, the Casino township has only experienced a few major floods over 15.30m where the CBD is affected.
The river through Casino is effectively a gorge with high banks, exposed rock beds and river bed levels dropping over 8m through town. Under very large flood events, waters break the banks upstream of Casino and bypass the town via a large flow path to the south. On the downstream (eastern) side of Casino, the topography flattens out to form an extensive floodplain.
In a major flood, a height of 17.5m on the Casino Gauge would see the majority of the Casino township and CBD flooded, along with a greater extent of flooding across the rural areas downstream. Water tends to back up the small gullies that exist on the river bank through Casino with particular problems noted in the Lennox Street/ Gilby Street/ West Street/ Diary Street area, the Little Street/ Barker Street/ Gitana Street area, the Windsor Avenue/ Hartley Street/ Queen Elizabeth Park area and the East Street/ Wharf Street area.
Downstream of Casino, flooding starts to occur once the river exceeds a level of 16.5m on the Casino Gauge. This results in significant rural flooding of the areas around Irvington and Tatham, and may close all access to Coraki and Lismore via the main arterial roads.
Yes you are!
Coraki is a small, historic town that was once an important river port at the junction of the Richmond and Wilson Rivers. Both the Richmond and Wilson rivers are prone to flooding with a long history of past floods, from 1954 (the flood of record) to present times. The last big flood in March 2017 was a result of prolonged rain and then the remnants of tropical cyclone Debbie moving down the coast.
After flowing through the rural areas of Tatham and Codrington, the Richmond River is joined by the Wilsons River at Coraki. Downstream of Coraki, the river approximately doubles in width to over 200m in places. The river then winds in a southerly direction to its junction with its second largest tributary, Bungawalbin Creek. In a major flood, water crosses the main street and enters low areas of the town. Local flooding in the Bungawalbin Creek system can cause extensive rural inundation south-west of Coraki. The locals refer to this area as "the backwater".
In a major flood the township of Coraki may become totally isolated until the flood waters fall with no access into or out of the town.
It is important that residents and businesses in Coraki, and surrounding areas are aware of their flood risk, have a plan and know when to act.
To understand what happens in a Coraki flood, it is important that all residents and businesses know:
The Coraki Gauge, is the guide for riverine flood levels that impact the Coraki area.
Please click on the Coraki FloodSafe Guide for information about the Coraki Gauge and what consequences occur at different flood heights.
Yes you are!
Woodburn has a long history of flooding bought about by extreme rain events, tropical cyclones or east coast lows. The flood of record occurred in 1954 with several significant floods occurring throughout the years including the last major flood in April 2017.
Woodburn sits at the junction of the Richmond River and Rocky Mouth Creek. Most of the houses in Woodburn are raised or on stilts. In a major flood, In a major flood, water will normally enter the majority of the shops and business premises and will enter low-levels of the raised houses within the town. The Woodburn community will usually get 2 to 3 days notice of impending flooding.
The rural areas surrounding Woodburn may be impacted earlier by flooding and are subjected to inundation and isolation. These areas include: Tuckurimba, Dungarubba, Kilgin, Green Forrest, Swan Bay, Reardon’s Lane, Boggy Creek, Rocky Mouth Creek and the lower parts of sections of New Italy.
To understand what happens in a Woodburn flood, it is important that all residents and businesses know:
The Woodburn Gauge, is the guide for riverine flood levels that impact the Woodburn area.
Please click on the Woodburn and Broadwater FloodSafe Guide for information about the Woodburn Gauge and what consequences occur at different flood heights.
Yes you are!
Bungawalbin has a long history of flooding bought about by extreme rain events.
Extensive inundation of rural areas can occur in moderate to major floods once the Boggy Creek levee overtops. Major floods can overtop the levee at Buckendoon and floodwaters flow north and east toward Tuckean Swamp which inundates the rural areas near Dungarubba and Kilgin.
Major flooding at Coraki and Woodburn could mean the Bora Ridge area could become an island and numerous properties could be isolated. Bungawalbin could be isolated for up to 1 -2 weeks.
Yes you are!
Broadwater is a small town on the banks of the Richmond River which has a long history of flooding. The flood of record occurred in 1954 with several significant floods occurring throughout the years including the last major flood in April 2017.
Flooding in Broadwater can be the result of the Richmond River local catchment flooding. Flooding also occurs when the Wilsons River breaks its banks upstream of Coraki and fills the Tuckean Swamp. This floods all of the area across the river from Broadwater around Dungarubba and Bagotville. This flood water also travels to the Tuckean Broadwater downstream of Broadwater.
Warning time for a Richmond River flood flood is typically 3-4 days, whereas local catchment flooding can occur within several hours of significant rainfall. Generally flooding does not create an immediate problem for the residents of Broadwater until flooding exceeds Major flood level. Soon after, arterial roads will start to close causing isolation of the Broadwater township and outlying rural areas including Riley's Hill.
To understand what happens in a Broadwater flood, it is important that all residents and businesses know:
The Broadwater Gauge, located at the Broadwater SES Headquarters, is the guide for riverine flood levels that impact the Broadwater area.
Please click on the Woodburn and Broadwater FloodSafe Guide for information about the Gauge and what consequences occur at different flood heights.
When a Prepare to Evacuate - Watch and Act is issued
When a Prepare to Evacuate - Watch and Act is issued, you should prepare to evacuate. Staying inside a house, even one which you think is high enough, may be very dangerous. If you are warned to evacuate it is always safest to move to a location away from the flood affected area before floodwater arrives.
When an Evacuate Now - Emergency Warning is issued
When an Evacuate Now - Emergency Warning is issued and you leave your house:
For information on roads, contact your local council for local road closures and Live Traffic NSW for major road closures.
