Cyclone Ului forces island evac

TOURISTS have been evacuated from an island off the Qld coast as Cyclone Ului edges closer to the mainland.

More than 300 people are being evacuated from Great Barrier Reef islands amid warnings Cyclone Ului will hit the central Queensland coast this weekend.

The Morning Bulletin reports 150 holidaymakers have been evacuated from Heron Island, 90kms east of Keppel Bay.

Owners of the Heron Island Resort said they would complete the evacuation on Thursday, when 100 staff will be transported to Gladstone, leaving the reef paradise to the mercy of the vicious weather system.

Lady Elliot Island on evacuation watch

Police say tourists and residents on Lady Elliot Island, off Gladstone, will be evacuated over the next two days.

But, according to latest reports from Bundaberg News Mail, directors of the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort are puzzled by reports of the island's evacuation due to severe weather caused by Cyclone Ului.

Resort managing director Peter Gash said there were no plans to evacuate the island at this stage.

Mr Gash said they were watching the situation very closely, and could evacuate the staff and guests on the island by air within an hour if they had to, according to the paper.

Resort acting manager Phil Trattles said the weather on the island was fine at the moment.

“There’s a 20-knot wind, the sun is shining and the snorkelling boats are operating,” he told the paper.

Acting police inspector Julia Cook said ferries would bring 260 residents and visitors from Heron Island, and 70 people from Lady Elliot Island, to the mainland over the next two days.

"It's unknown what will occur, however for safety... Lady Elliot and Heron Island, they will commence evacuation today," she told the ABC.

She said any evacuation of the islands needed to be done early to avoid people being trapped by rough seas.

The Heron Island Resort said on its website that it would close as a precaution until Saturday, when the situation would be reassessed. Comment was being sought from the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort.

Central Qld prepares for Ului

In Rockhampton, the local disaster management committee is meeting to ensure the region is prepared.

The weather bureau expects Ului to cross the coast somewhere between Bowen and Gladstone on Saturday or Sunday.

It says the cyclone could bring swells of between eight and 10 metres, but that will depend on exactly where it hits and its intensity.

Even though the cyclone is expected to hit well north of Brisbane, the bureau says coastal communities in the southeast can expect dangerous surf conditions.

Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter said the disaster management committee was meeting on Wednesday morning to ensure communities were prepared.

He said a cyclone rated as category three or stronger could cause big problems.

"One of the issues we have to look at is tidal surge - the impact of the rising sea level in conjunction with wave activity and cyclonic activity," he told the ABC.

"A number of parts of our coastline are very exposed."

Dangerous conditions are also expected in the southeast.

Surfers hope for 'swell of the century'

Meanwhile, surfers are talking about what could be the 'swell of the century', with large waves already pounding the coastline.

Chief swell forecaster with Swellnet.com.au, Ben Matson, told the Sunshine Coast Daily the coast could expect some "very, very large waves."

“There are not many spots that can hold a swell of this size but Noosa revels in these conditions,” Mr Matson said.

“But it may even be too big for Noosa Heads.”

Professor Rodger Tomlinson, director of the Griffith Centre of Coastal Management, told Tweed Daily News five-metre swells were not unusual for this part of the coast.

He said if TC Ului followed the path of last year’s TC Hamish, and hovered north of Fraser Island, it would deliver the coast some protection.

At 4am (AEST) on Wednesday, Ului was 1240km northeast of Mackay and 1370km east of Cooktown, moving south at about 4km/h.

It is expected to track in a southerly direction for the next two days.

"Probably about Friday things will take a bit of a turn for the worse and the cyclone will start moving west-southwest towards the coast and it does look like it will cross the Queensland coast somewhere - most likely the central Queensland coast," Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior forecaster Tony Wedd said.

He said the cyclone and a high pressure system moving into the Tasman Sea would combine to create fresh winds and big swells.

"Beach conditions in the southeast for example will get pretty dangerous on the weekend," Mr Wedd said.

Keep up-to-date with the latest weather information for your area.

Check the Bureau of Meteorology site for up-to-date cyclone warnings.

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