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The torrent of Ithaca Creek.Credit:Matt Dennien

While the risk may have passed for residents along some of the Brisbane River’s more distant or elevated catchments,the river itself — and the ordeal for those whose homes or businesses are at its whim — is not finished yet.

After reaching a lower-than-expected major flood peak of 3.85 metres on the high tide in Brisbane city early Monday,below the 2011 high-water mark of 4.46 metres,the bloated river is set to rise above the major flood level for at least another day.

The weather bureau expects Tuesday morning’s peak to reach 3.7 metres. Heightened levels will remain for days as water from the upper catchments and controlled releases from the brimming Wivenhoe Dam make their way to Moreton Bay.

Speaking at a press conference,lord mayor Adrian Schrinner acknowledged that while the river may not have been as high as 2011,parts of the city had been flooded that may not have been inundated then.

The first day’s aftermath and cleanup efforts along Ithaca and Enoggera creeks in Brisbane’s inner north-west.Credit:Matt Dennien

“We’re going to be activating right across the city,the mud army 2.0,” Cr Schrinner said,referencing the hordes of helpers who turned out to help clean up more than a decade ago.

“At the moment our priority is to make sure that we get through this dangerous flooding point.”

Back in the northern suburbs,a gumboot-boat clad visitor to one sprawling creekfront Queenslander delivered a carton of beer to cheers,as backhoes and pressure washers hummed and beeped in the background.

Further along,where Enoggera and Ithaca creeks merge before flowing out through Kelvin Grove to the river at Newstead,another army was already at work on a stretch of single-story unit blocks. A washed-out car sat nearby,as two boys played in the brown liquid on a skimboard.

Tom and and a group of mates wait for the water to recede from his flooded house at William Parade,Yeronga.Credit:Brisbane Times

Families on foot,with schools closed,public transport suspended and pleas from authorities to work from home if possible,made the most of the first dry day since last week.

On the river’s south,the hilly river suburb of Yeronga was an island archipelago surrounding a vast sea that used to be a series of sporting ovals and parks.

Emergency services were called in to help evacuate ground-floor residents of the Regis Aged Care site,while those cut off by water and without power on higher floors prepared to spend another night.

Less than a kilometre north on the suburb’s new banks at William Parade,Tom and his mates were making a day of it.

“My house is flooded. I’ve got no power. What else do you want me to do then,sit here and drink beers while looking at the floodwater?” he said.

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