Motorcyclist found dead after being washed away in Queensland floodwaters

The body of a 54-year-old motorcyclist has been found after he was washed away in floodwaters near Gympie, Queensland, early Wednesday morning.

Queensland Police confirmed local man Philip Gary Lambert came off his motorcycle after attempting to ride over Green Creek at approximately 1:30am on Wednesday.

Emergency services discovered a backpack and helmet near the Greens Creek Bridge on Wednesday afternoon but failed to find a body.

The search recommenced on Thursday morning with Mr Lambert's body located at 11:30am in an area close to where his helmet and bag were.

"Given the level of the waters yesterday we weren't able to locate him yesterday," Acting Inspector Paul Algie said.

"The area where we located him today was now accessible as the water had gone down overnight.

"It's a timely reminder that if it's flooded, forget it," Inspector Algie said. "This is a tragic outcome."

Second fatality in Queensland floods

On Wednesday morning, the body of a 63-year-old woman was found in her car, which was submerged in floodwaters west of Eumundi, on the Sunshine Coast.

Police later identified the woman as Philippa Tayler.

Over 600mm of rain has been dumped in some parts of southeast Queensland, triggered by a slow-moving low pressure system.

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The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for intense rainfall of up to 300mm possibly causing "dangerous and life-threatening flash floods" from Maryborough to the NSW border from Thursday afternoon.

Damaging winds, with gusts of up to 90km/h from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast have also been forecast.

"I am very concerned that if that rain does return to the coast and it gets dumped in the Mary catchment, then we will have real problems in the Gympie area," Inspector Algie said

with AAP

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