The live height of the Diamantina River at Birdsville, with its recent range and trend — a rising river is the first sign the roads may be cut. Official flood warnings linked.
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From Town Tools. For the current version, visit https://www.towntools.org/birdsville-queensland-au/is-the-river-rising
The Diamantina River runs along the eastern edge of town. Birdsville itself sits on the dry bank, but when the river is up the surrounding Channel Country floods across the roads in and out — so a rising river is often the first sign a cut-off may be coming. This page shows the live gauge height at Birdsville and where it sits against the river's own recent range.
It is not a flood warning. The official warnings come from the Bureau of Meteorology and the council, linked below.
Diamantina River · Diamantina River at Birdsville
No current reading for Diamantina River
The gauge isn’t reporting a recent value, so we won’t guess at one. The official flood-vigilance level is set by Bureau of Meteorology — Queensland flood warnings.
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Level
stage height at the gauge
0.76 m – 1.02 m
Recent range
lowest and highest in the last 30 days at this gauge
The official flood warning is at Bureau of Meteorology — Queensland flood warnings
These numbers describe the river. They are not a flood warning — the official flood-vigilance level for this station is set by Bureau of Meteorology — Queensland flood warnings.
Official flood warnings for the Diamantina and the Channel Country are issued by the Bureau of Meteorology. This page shows the gauge height; the Bureau's warnings tell you what it means. In an emergency, call 000.
Birdsville sits on the dry bank, but the country around it is flat floodplain. When the Diamantina rises, water spreads across the approaches — the Birdsville Developmental Road, the Birdsville Track and the Eyre Developmental Road — and they can stay cut for days or weeks, long after any rain has passed.
The water often comes from far upstream
Much of the Diamantina's flow is born in the Queensland ranges hundreds of kilometres to the north and takes days to reach Birdsville, so the river here can rise under a clear sky. Local rain tells you little; the gauge and the Bureau's warnings tell you more.
What the number means
It is the river height at the Birdsville gauge in metres, as the Bureau of Meteorology records it — a provisional telemetered reading, not a flood level. We show where it sits against the river's own range over the last 30 days so you can see whether it is rising, steady or falling.
Queensland Disaster ManagementGet-ready information and alerts for Queensland. For live road closures, use the road reports linked in 'Roads In & Out'.