Stranded in the back of a ute only just holding its ground in a torrent of water that came out of nowhere, was four months pregnant Robin Collie. She held her fourteen-month-old son Luke tight and waited with friend Donna Lee for help.

When the rescue chopper arrived, Luke was too small for a sling - the only option was a bag to winch him to safety.

"They zipped it right up, no little hole to peak out of or anything," Robin described.

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Once he reached his rescuers the crew unzipped the cargo and although upset, Luke was fine.

"He was right once I was in the chopper," Robin said.

Now back home Robin and Luke are both tired but well. Their ute however has seen better days.

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Robin says they didn't take any unnecessary risks before becoming stranded.

"The road was open. (They) just said 'drive safely' so I chucked it in 4WD and headed through, and everything was going really well," Robin said.

It was Australia Day when Robin and Donna headed into Biloela in central Queensland for supplies. They hit a block in the road - a fallen tree - and the car stalled.

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Dialling triple zero, they climbed into the tray of the ute. It was an anxious wait for help.

"The SES stayed on the phone, they kept in contact. They said the ute was the safest spot for us," Robin said.

Two hours later the RACQ Capricorn helicopter emerged on the horizon.

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Rescuer Garth Snaidero came prepared, emptying out his dive bag before being dispatched.

"No kid wants to go into a bag without their mum. Of course he was traumatised. I would've been, being put in the back of a black bag and winched up," Snaidero said.

To give you an idea about how quickly the water rose, when Robin first drove through it was only up to her running rail. But the water rose so quickly it reached her door handles within fifteen minutes and inundated her car. Marley the dog was left behind, but she too is now safe and sound - rescued yesterday after the floodwaters receded.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing for Robin though: she's now facing a backlash on social media.

"They don't understand that it was very shallow to start with. There was no road closure sign. It was just a 'drive safely' sign," she said.

She admits the crossing was a mistake – it's a lesson learnt the hard way.

This reporter is on Twitter at @AdamMarshallTT