Once hunted almost to extinction, the population of humpback whales currently migrating down Australia's east coast has bounced back and is now greater than before whaling.

A court hears the charges against a man police allege threatened a 33-year-old woman at a Maroochydore business with a firearm before raping her, kidnapping her and driving hundreds of kilometres.

The 64-year-old man has died, and a woman in her 20s is in hospital after becoming trapped in a water tank at a regional Queensland home.

A Queensland council is ramping up efforts to protect staff following an alarming rise in verbal and physical abuse.

Parts of the state are still reeling from last season's flooding, storms and rainfall, with the majority of council areas disaster-declared already.

More than 53 hectares of bushland and riverine habitat will be cleared for a major upgrade to a regional Queensland dam, prompting environmentalists to raise concerns about protected lungfish and turtles.

Queensland brothers Jett and Hunter Lawrence help secure Australia's second consecutive Motocross of Nations title in Indiana.