BRISBANE - Police are warning residents in far north Queensland to watch for crocodiles that may have been flushed out by rising flood waters.
A 3.5m crocodile was spotted at the Cattle Creek road block on the highway south of Ingham yesterday, and police said rising flood watersmay bring the reptiles into closer proximity to people.
Heavy rain has continued to pelt the region because of a persistent low pressure system.
Residents of Ingham, north of Townsville, are completely isolated after 124mm of rain overnight cut roads to the north and south of the town.
Townsville has received heavy downpours of more than 500 millimetres in the past week, cutting off access to the north.
The heaviest overnight falls were in the Johnstone and Tully catchments, which received between 100mm and 200mm.
The tiny town of Paluma, north of Townsville, has recorded a massive 939mm of rain since January 15.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the heavy rain is set to continue for at least the next few days, but said the low pressure system should move north, giving residents around Townsville a chance to clean up.
Flood warnings remain current for the Johnstone, Tully and lower Herbert Rivers, with minor flooding also occurring in the Barron, Russell and Mulgrave Rivers.
The rain has been a blessing for dams in far north Queensland, many of which have been filled to capacity.
The Burdekin Falls Dam - Queensland's largest with a capacity of 1.86 million megalitres - began spilling water last Friday. Levels also have risen at Proserpine's Peter Faust Dam and the Teemburra and Kinchant dams near Mackay.
