Riverine and flash flooding information for areas between Barossa Creek and Islet Rivulet, including Humphries Rivulet and surrounding minor waterways.

See also related flood guides for

• Moonah/ Derwent Park
• Claremont and surrounds

Version 2.1 November 2025 – See PDF version

To see map information in detail, go to www.gcc.tas.gov.au/residents/your-home/floods-and-stormwater/

Understand your flood risk and get ready

Parts of Glenorchy city and suburb and Montrose are at risk of flooding from

• Barossa Creek
• Humphries Rivulet
• Islet Rivulet and
• minor waterways in between.

The area is a floodplain, which means it is a high-risk area for flooding.

It is important you understand what a flood can look like in your area so you can be prepared. You are likely to have a flood that causes significant damage in the area at least once in your lifetime. Tasmanians need to prepare for flood events that may not happen often as well as the minor flooding they may have experienced. 

Glenorchy and Montrose are prone to flash flooding, depending on how rain falls across Kunanyi/ Mount Wellington. This means there can be little warning before waterways flood. There can also be stormwater run-off in other places if there is heavy rain. This can be difficult to predict.

Flooding may isolate parts of Glenorchy for up to 6 hours but is more likely to be for just a few hours. You should prepare for isolation plus power or telecommunications outages.

Some roads around Glenorchy and Montrose may flood. Traffic is likely to be congested. Travel may be difficult or impossible. If you are safe at home or somewhere else you are at the time, it is usually best you stay there until the flooding goes down. If you need to leave during a flood, make sure your route is safe.  If your home could become flooded, it is a good idea to think about

• where you would go, and
• how you could get there.

Are you at risk of flood?

Past flooding events around Glenorchy include:

• May 2018 – The Southern Tasmanian Extreme Weather Event caused flooding around Hobart. There was 236mm of rain on Kunanyi/ Mount Wellington. 
• April 1960 – About 200mm of rain fell over 3 days causing damage across Hobart.
• June 1947 – Two separate flooding events impacted Glenorchy and Montrose.

What should I do?

• • Check the map to see whether your home or business could flood.

• • Assess your home or business and prepare it to minimise possible flood damage.

• • Check if you can safely get to your home, work, or school during a flood.

• • Prepare a Home Emergency Plan. Consider if you need to evacuate before a flood. See Get Ready for Emergencies– A guide for individuals and households to prepare for emergencies.

• • If you are a primary producer, the Farm Flood Readiness Kit provides advice on preparing for a flood to help protect your business and stock.

• • If you run a business or other organisation, check out the Tasmanian Government’s Emergency Ready Business tool online

• • If you may be isolated and you must have access to services, you may need to evacuate early.

• • If you are camping in a flood prone area, make sure you stay informed and move to higher ground early if a flood is likely.

Floods like the one shown in the map, or worse, will occur again. No two floods are the same.

If you live in a low-lying area or near a watercourse, your house may flood. Even if your home is safe, you may need to detour around flooded areas or your road access may be cut. Never drive into or enter flood waters. Roads and bridges may be washed out or unsafe. Avoid travel during floods.

Knowing what to do can save your life and help protect your property. Having a Home Emergency Plan is one of the best ways to prepare. Decide on weather and rainfall triggers for when to act.

Bureau of Meteorology Forecasts, Warnings, and Observations

Whenever heavy rain is expected in an area, the Bureau issues

• a Flood Watch
• Severe Weather Warning and/or
• Thunderstorm Warning for heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding.

The time between the warning and heavy rain falling can vary from an hour to 24 hours or more. It is best to act on the warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology rather than wait for local flooding alerts.

Tracking Rainfall on Kunanyi/ Mount Wellington can help predict flooding around Glenorchy and Montrose.

The Mt Koonya Radar is useful to see when and where heavy rainfall is falling.

Understand the warnings and key information

Keep aware of what is happening around you. Check forecasts, observations and warnings regularly.

• • TasALERT.com

• • your local ABC radio station or

• • the Bureau of Meteorology’s website.

	Advice (Yellow): an incident has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.
	Watch and Act (Orange): There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family
	Emergency Warning (Red): An Emergency Warning is the highest level of warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.
	Community update (Blue): Specific information and updates for affected communities regarding a particular event or incident.
	Incident (White): an incident is the initial occurrence of an event before it becomes an emergency warning. As soon as an incident is reported, TasALERT publishes basic information including the type and location of incident.

Flood levels around Glenorchy city and suburb

While no two floods are the same, the following descibes what may happen if there is flooding around Glenorchy and surrounding areas. Even if your property is not flooded, you need to think about access.  The rainfall amounts below that might cause such an event are examples: other levels of rainfall can cause flooding depending on

• how heavy it is
• how long the rain lasts
• how wet the ground is beforehand
• how full dams are, and
• where the rain falls.

A Minor Flood

Glenorchy area has a 5% chance or more of minor flooding happening in a year (Annual Exceedance Probability) This might result from, for example,

• up to about 68mm over 6 hours on Kunanyi/ Mount Wellington, and/or
• about 50mm around Glenorchy.

Minor flooding may impact

• some low-lying areas, around Grove Road,
• some sections of the intercity cycleway and foreshore areas at high tide.

A Moderate Flood

Glenorchy has between about 5% and 1% chance of moderate flooding happening in a year. This might result from, for example,

• between 69-86mm in 6 hours on Kunanyi/ Mount Wellington, or
• between about 50-65mm around Glenorchy.

Moderate flooding may flood some areas of

• Brooker Highway
• Grove Road surrounds
• Barossa Road/ Kalang Avenue
• Main Road
• Constance Avenue near the Oval
• Other low-lying properties near waterways – see the maps for more details.

Areas particularly at risk include

• between Terry St and Eady St
• some areas of Tolosa St
• the end of Moore Park Drive
• Nambour Place and surrounds
• Fleming Road and surrounds
• Wright Avenue
• Booth Avenue
• Some parts of Caulfield Avenue, Arnold Street, and McGough Street
• The Northgate carpark

Some school grounds may be inundated at Dominic College, Guilford Young, and Glenorchy Primary School.

A Major Flood

Glenorchy has about a 1% chance or less of major flooding in a year in the current climate. This may result from, for example,

• more than about 87mm in 6 hours or more on Kunanyi/ Mount Wellingto,n and/or
• more than 65mm around Glenorchy.

There would be extensive areas of flash flooding around Glenorchy CBD and surrounding areas.

• Many more areas around Glenorchy CBD, Grove Road and other low-lying areas are likely to be flooded – see maps for more details.
• While most people will be safe at home until flood waters go down, those around Grove Road, Glenorchy CBD and south of Barossa Creek can move away from flooding towards the Showgrounds and Dowsings Point if needed.
• Those north of Barossa Creek and south of Islet Rivulet are likely to be isolated for some hours until flood waters go down. Listen to ABC local radio or go to TasALERT.com for advice on where to go if you need to leave your home.

Unless there is an emergency or you are not safe where you are, you should shelter where you are during a flooding event.  Floods around Hobart rarely last more than a few hours. Traffic is likely to be very congested. Listen to ABC local radio or go to TasALERT for advice.

 

Go to TasALERT.com or listen to ABC local radio for detailed up to date information and advice during heavy rainfall events.

Know your risk, get ready, reduce risk where you can, connect with others, stay alert and act safe.

Before a flood

Get Ready for Emergencies – A guide for individuals and households to prepare for emergencies.

1. Know your risk

Flooding often happens in Tasmania and can cause widespread and significant damage. In the past 200 years there have been 78 flood related deaths in Tasmania. This guide is to help you understand flood risk in your area.

2. Prepare your household

Have an emergency plan that covers storms and floods

Thinking about what you would do in a storm or flood means you are more prepared and everyone is safer. Have an emergency plan that everyone in your household understands. There are checklists to help you think through your plan – see Get Ready for Emergencies – A guide for individuals and households to prepare for emergencies.
Check your plan regularly and test it by everyone in the household thinking through a flooding scenario that may affect your household.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

Regularly test batteries in radios and torches.

3. Reduce your risk from flooding where you can

• • Think about storms, flooding and other hazards when buying, maintaining or developing property.

• • Trim or remove trees and branches overhanging your home, business or near powerlines on your property.

• • Keep your gutters and drains clear.

4. Connect with others

Know your neighbours and get involved in your community. A connected community is a safer and more resilient community in an emergency and can help everyone recover better afterwards. Check that family and neighbours are safe and aware of what’s happening.

During

5. Keep up to date

Keep aware of what is happening around you. Check forecasts, observations and warnings regularly.

• • TasALERT

• • your local ABC radio station or

• • the Bureau of Meteorology’s website.

6. Act Safe

• • Supervise children.

• • Prepare for possible power, water or internet outages.

• • Check your emergency kit is ready to go.

• • Keep clear of flooded areas such as drains. NEVER walk, play, ride or drive in floodwater. You can’t always see what is under the water or how deep or fast-moving the water is. It is easy to be swept away and drown in as little as 20cm of fast-moving water. Flood water can be dangerous.

When your home may be flooded

• • Put household items up high to minimise possible damage.

• • Turn off the electricity and gas if it is safe to do so.

• • A great way to stop sewerage flowing back into your home is to place sandbags inside plastic bags and use them to block toilets and cover drains and sinks.

• • Leave while you can get out safely.

If you need to evacuate

• • Follow the advice from SES / Tasmania Police.

• • Take your emergency kit.

• • Go to friends or family in a safer place or an evacuation centre.

• • Let others know where you have gone.

Look after your animals

You are responsible for your animals in an emergency. If you have pets and other animals it will take you longer to evacuate in a flood or other emergency. Move livestock from flood prone areas well before flood waters may rise. For more information see

• • RSPCA’s guidance on preparing for animals in an emergency

• • the Primary producer farm flood readiness toolkit.

Avoid travelling during storms and after storms

• • Do not go sightseeing. Sightseers delay emergency services and cause accidents.

• • Watch out for hazards such as

    • • water over roads
    • • damaged powerlines
    • • landslides
    • • damaged roads
    • • falling trees or roofing iron.

• • Never drive through flood waters. Most deaths and rescues in floods are from people driving through flood waters.

• • Drive slowly and turn your headlights on roads not affected by flood waters.

After

• • Keep listening for ABC Local Radio updates, road re-openings, community meetings, etc.

• • If you left your home, do not return home until SES or Tasmania Police tell you it is safe to do so.

• • Be aware of road hazards, such as mud or debris on the road, damaged roads/bridges and crews working on clean-up and repairs.

If your home has been damaged

• • Stay at ground level while checking for damage. Be careful of fallen trees, broken glass, loose roofing or other hazards.

• • Wear strong boots, gloves and protective clothes.

• • Use a torch, never use matches or candles inside flood affected buildings.

• • Boil all drinking water until you are told the tap water is safe again.

• • Do not turn on it is tested by a licensed electrician or gas fitter for safety.

• • If your home is damaged and you need to stay somewhere else, take your emergency kit and pets with you

• • Take photos of any damage if safe for you to do so and contact your insurance company.

• • Supervise children.

• • Check neighbours are okay.

For further information go to www.ses.tas.gov.au

Staying informed and further information

Current warnings – TasALERT.com

Bureau of Meteorology 

Emergency Broadcasters – your local ABC radio station

TASSES Social Media – facebook.com/sestasmania

Preparing for Flood Emergencies ses.tas.gov.au/flood-plan/

National Relay Service (NRS) relayservice.gov.au

Glenorchy City Council                                            6216 6800

Local Emergency Broadcasters ABC 936AM

Disclaimer

The maps show potential flooding risks from consistent levels of rainfall across catchments, such as a 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP). In flooding events, rainfall is likely to be more inconsistent across a catchment, so these flood maps should be considered indicative only. The mapped areas of flood risk show higher probability of inundation. Other areas have lower probability of flooding, but in severe and rare events (rarer than 1%AEP), other lower areas may be also at risk of inundation.

The information in this guide is current at the date of publication. While every effort has been taken to ensure the validity and accuracy of the data presented, the State Emergency Service does not take responsibility for data error or omission. Please see the standard Tasmanian Government’s Copyright and Disclaimer Statement for more details.