So today has been the first day that Brisbane has been under any serious threat from the South East Queensland flooding. Evacuations have been occurring around low lying areas and a general sense of nervousnes is starting to rise. Experts predict floods will hit its peak in two days, these images come from the first evening and night taking in the effects so far from the flood waters.

For ANY usage rights on ALL of these photos please contact the photographer – Elleni Toumpas elleni@ltmusicphotography.com

At 5:00pm I decided I was sick of being cooped up in the house, and firstly decided to shoot the rising water in my local area. The intersection on Newmarket Road and Noble Street, Wilston is notorious for going under water so these first pics were taken around this area.

After deciding I needed a few more lenses I headed back home before venturing out to check out the Kangaroo Point cliffs and the West End damage.

Down at Kangaroo Point passers by were taking photos of debrie floating past, as other people called loved ones to report in on their wellbeing.

Down at West End, one of the first banks to break, saw many onlookers strolling down to check out the carnage.

As we stood there many pontoons and ferry walkways from up the river came rushing past.

With Brisbane’s only floating restaurant the Drift Restaurant (previously Oxley’s on the River) not fairing too well from the rising water.

As the sun set water levels down at West End were quickly rising

With local residents near the water already seeing property and belonging damage. This shot was taken in a residential apartment’s underground carpark. Some residents had not yet removed personally belongings left in storage.

After retreating back home for two hours and on reports that the Drift Restaurant was being left to sink with no possibilitiy of rescuing it and keeping it above water, I decided with my photography counterpart that it was time for part two of our photography documenting journey. On leaving our local area we noticed more business sandbagging and shutting up shop in hopes to keep rising water levels out.

We decided to head back to our view on the opposite side of the river to the floating restaurant to try and capture shots of it sinking. However on arriving on the banks at West End we first started surveying the growth in water from even only a few hours earlier.

The Drift Restaurant definitely had sunk a lot more also since we had been there last, and on reports from passers by that the restaurant had snapped in two, myself and my photography counterpart decided it be best to head over to that side of the river to try and get some shots.

Over at Milton alarms in most buildings were going off and a lot of power had already been shut off. Many residents were packing and leaving the area. Our last stop for the evening was the Brisbane CBD with nothing really affected there yet besides the QUT Gardens Point campus and its now underwater carpark.

It is only day one with the worse of the flooding still to come.

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For ANY usage rights on ALL of these photos please contact the photographer – Elleni Toumpas elleni@ltmusicphotography.com