Townsville

In Townsville, locals woke to grey skies but only drizzle, and the news that predicted flooding levels did not materialise.

The easing conditions mean people who had been advised to leave six Townsville suburbs may have "dodged a bullet", the premier said, after earlier forecasts had suggested up to 1,700 homes were in danger.

Mr Duric lives across the street from the Ross River – overflowing and fast-moving – in Idalia, one of six suburbs labelled "black zones" in Townsville, one of the areas hardest hit by a flooding emergency in Queensland state in Australia.

The torrential rainfall in the state's north has claimed one life so far and forced thousands to flee their homes, with communities in Townsville, Ingham, and Cardwell among the hardest hit.

He also urged all residents located in the so-called "black-zone" of the floods - which includes six Townsville suburbs - to not return home, due to the ongoing threat posed by the nearby Ross River.