Coochiemudlo Island disaster profile
Coochiemudlo Island is a small, 5km2 subtropical island ten minutes by ferry from Victoria Point. Primarily residential, it features bushland, rich natural habitats and three beaches.
On this page:
Natural hazards
All natural hazards are possible. Understanding your risk and taking steps to prepare can help reduce the impacts of a disaster.
Use the Hazard Areas interactive map layers on the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard to help identify bushfire, flood/storm tide and landslide risk in your area.
Severe thunderstorms are the most common local natural hazard. Thunderstorms can develop quickly and bring heavy rain, damaging winds and lightning, resulting in localised flooding, power outages, fallen trees and debris hazards. Lightning associated with thunderstorms may also ignite bushfires.
Other potential natural hazards on Coochiemudlo Island include:
Bushfire
The main areas of high bushfire risk on Coochiemudlo Island are in the Melaleuca wetlands and the Doug and Mary Morton Reserve, with an area of bushland near Oakes Street deemed very high risk.
Because bushfire is a risk to all properties in Redland City, all residents should have a bushfire survival plan and all properties should be bushfire ready.
You can see bushfire hazard mapping for your area on the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.
Properties adjacent to bushland are at higher risk of ember attack. Even if your property is not adjacent to bushland, ember attack is still a real risk as embers can travel kilometres ahead of a fire.
Council utilises a range of fire mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of bushfire on Council owned land and impact to surrounding areas. For more information, visit Bushfire risk mitigation program and check out the Planned Burn Program page for a map and list of locations.
For bushfire preparedness, visit the Queensland Fire Department website.
Flood / storm tide
Coochiemudlo Island’s primary risk of flooding is tidal inundation.
A storm tide event is most likely to cause inundation to the golf course, the length of Victoria Parade South which includes the island’s jetty and boat ramp and Victoria Parade East.
Small pockets in other areas of the island may also experience storm tide inundation such as along William Street, the eastern end of James Street, and the area between Tageruba and Elizabeth Streets, Perulpa Streets and Victoria Parade South.
Residents should check creek flood mapping and storm tide mapping information for their suburb.
Local roads and access routes may be temporarily affected during severe weather. Check the Disaster Dashboard and Flood Cameras for the latest road conditions to plan the safest routes during severe weather.
Landslide
Limited areas of medium to high risk are primarily along the western coastline of the island.
Most residential development is located adjacent to, not within, identified landslide risk areas.
You can see landslide hazard mapping for your area on the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.
For more information on landslides, visit Get Ready Queensland.
Learn more about natural disaster risks on Redlands Coast.
Critical infrastructure
Critical infrastructure on Coochiemudlo Island includes essential services such as electricity, water, sewerage, telecommunications and sea transport.
Preparing for service disruptions and isolation
During a disaster, island residents and visitors may experience isolation due to disrupted transport links, flooding or other hazards. Impacts to essential services may also continue after a disaster, including disruptions to power, telecommunications and transport services.
Monitor official emergency information channels and be prepared for extended periods without access to some services. Consider how you will access emergency information if internet, mobile phone or power services become unavailable on the island.
Ensure your household emergency kit has 5 to 7 days supply of essential items, including food, drinking water, medications, pet supplies and other necessities.
Loss of electricity
Power outages can occur during severe weather, flooding, bushfire or other emergency events. Be prepared for the loss of lights, refrigeration, air conditioning, electric cooking appliances and the ability to charge devices.
Stay well clear of fallen powerlines and any objects in contact with them. To report fallen powerlines, electric shocks and tingles or other electricity emergencies, call 000 or Energex Emergencies on 13 19 62.
Power outages can be reported on 13 62 62, and are listed on the Disaster Dashboard or Energex Outage Finder.
Energex offer a notification service for Emergency and Planned outages visit the Energex Notifications page to register for this service.
Telecommunications interruptions
Power outages may affect mobile phone coverage, internet services and landline communications on the island. While many mobile phone towers have battery backup systems, these operate for a limited time. NBN services, VoIP phones and cordless landline phones require power and may not operate during prolonged outages. If you have NBN, visit what happens during a power outage for information about how your connection type may be be affected.
Keep mobile devices charged and include power banks or other backup charging options in your emergency kit. Consider having alternative ways to receive emergency information if telecommunications services are disrupted.
For advice on preparing an emergency kit and planning for disruptions to critical infrastructure, visit Get Ready Queensland.
Gas, water and wastewater systems
Many properties on the islands have on-site wastewater systems, water tanks, or use gas bottles to service hot water systems and cooking appliances. Residents should ensure gas cylinders are secure and maintained. On-site wastewater or water tank systems and may not operate during extended power outages.
Seqwater supplies bulk drinking water through the SEQ Water Grid, and Redland City Council delivers it to most properties in Redland City. Some properties use rainwater tanks. For planned and unplanned water and sewerage outages, visit the Service Interruptions page.
For advice on preparing an emergency kit and planning for disruptions to critical infrastructure, visit Get Ready Queensland.
Sea transport
Access to and from the island relies on the vehicle barge and passenger ferry from Victoria Point, which may be suspended during severe weather or disrupted due to debris in the water.
Residents and visitors to Coochiemudlo Island should monitor their local sea transport operators for service changes during disasters:
Evacuation
During a disaster or emergency, local Evacuation Centres or Assembly Areas may be activated as required.
Do not travel to an Evacuation Centre or Assembly Area unless it has been announced that it is activated and open.
Check the latest evacuation advice and activated Evacuation Centres
If an evacuation is issued, follow the directions of emergency services and refer to the Evacuation in a disaster page about evacuating safely.
Residents should prepare for the possibility of evacuation by ensuring their household emergency plan and emergency kit is up-to-date.
Nominated Evacuation Centre for Coochiemudlo Island
The nominated location below may not be activated for every emergency and may change depending on the type of disaster, affected areas and local conditions. Always check the
Disaster Dashboard and other official emergency communication channels before travelling.
41b Elizabeth Street, Coochiemudlo Island
Ph: 3289 8999