16/02/2026
Last week, Alice Springs had a close call.
There was damage — roads are still cut, infrastructure impacted, and localised flooding in low‑lying areas. But in the scheme of things, we were fortunate. It could have been far worse.
More than anything, it was a wake‑up call.
Alice Springs sits on the floodplain of Lhere Mparntwe / the Todd River. For the first time since 2000, the river broke its banks. It peaked at 3.45m at 4:15am on Thursday 12 February — slightly higher than the 1983 flood and about half a metre below the 1988 1‑in‑50‑year event.
In desert and semi‑arid country, water doesn’t give way.
Dry creek beds and drainage lines can sit quiet for years — until they don’t. As happened last week, intense rainfall in the Todd and Charles River catchments can generate a literal wall of water moving downstream with extraordinary force. What looks like a harmless crossing with a “Floodway” sign can become impassable within minutes.
If you live here long enough, you learn this: in Central Australia, you don’t just live in the landscape — you live in a catchment area.
Having access to accurate, real‑time information during these events can be the difference between getting home safely, being stranded or bogged, becoming tomorrow’s headline — or worse.
This is not alarmism — it’s practical literacy.
The bigger picture matters too. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, increasing the likelihood of intense, high‑impact rainfall events. As recent conditions showed, concentrated upstream rainfall can drive rapid river rises downstream. The river height plots tell that story clearly.
Ten years ago, an integrated approach to flood planning, preparation and response for Alice Springs was recommended. Some work has been done; some clearly still needs to be.
Last week’s event gives us a live case study — and an opportunity to strengthen our preparedness across households, organisations and government.
At an individual level, it starts with understanding:
- where you sit in relation to the floodplain,
- which roads are vulnerable and cut first,
- where to find authoritative, real‑time information,
and how to make calm, timely decisions.
Below are the key information sources for Alice Springs and the Northern Central region — but the principle applies anywhere:
In an emergency
SecureNT – Alerts and Warnings
https://securent.nt.gov.au/alerts-warnings
Bureau of Meteorology – NT River Heights
https://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDD60022.html
Before travelling
NT Road Report – Interactive Road Map
https://roadreport.nt.gov.au/road-map
Bushtel – Remote community road and service updates
https://bushtel.nt.gov.au/
Understanding the local catchment
NT Government – Alice Springs Floodplain Mapping
https://nt.gov.au/environment/water/water-in-the-nt/flooding-and-storm-surge/floodplain
Alice Springs Flood Mitigation Advisory Committee Report
https://dli.nt.gov.au/media/docs/flood-mitigation/dlpe_floodmitigation_alicesprings_final_web.pdf
Floods in Central Australia are rare — but they are not anomalies.
They are part of how this country works.
Preparation is not about fear of these events, it is about developing competence and landscape literacy.
- Know your landscape and how it responds to rainfall.
- Know your information sources.
- Plan early.
- Be decisive
That’s how we continue to live well in the desert — even when the river reminds us who’s really in charge.
