'He was gone': Golfers give CPR after man struck by lightning near Brisbane

A man has told how he and other golfers desperately worked to save the life of a man struck by lightning on a golf course north of Brisbane.

The injured golfer was rushed to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a critical condition after he was struck by lightning at Wantima Country Club Golf course in Brendale, Queensland Ambulance Service said.

Rex Schaller, 55, said he, brother in-law Keith Lightbody, and nephew Craig Lightbody were sheltering from the storm by a toilet block when they spotted the other golfer standing under a tree on the course.

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Seconds later he was hit by lightning.

Schaller, from the Sunshine Coast, said the man was knocked onto the ground and they thought he had been killed.

"There was bolts of lightning all over the place," he said.

"He's lying down, he's been hit. I thought the man was dead."

The men decided to rush to help despite the dangerous conditions.

"We made the decision to borrow someone's cart and head over to him," he said.

The man was unconscious and Schaller said he thought it was already too late.

"He was gone," he said.

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Schaller and a friend of the injured man gave CPR while Keith Lightbody helped and Craig Lightbody called the ambulance.

"We wouldn't give up on him," Schaller said.

"His team mate and myself were swapping over."

Schaller said the force of the lightning appeared to have broken the man's golf club in two.

Queensland Ambulance said they were there within 14 minutes.

The medics then took over and managed to get the man's heart beating, he said.

"The crews carried on in this horrendous weather - these people are amazing," he said.

"I really hope that he's okay."

The man remains in an induced coma.

Massive storm hits hits wide area

More than 5000 properties across south-east Queensland lost power as storms hit on Sunday.

Lightning also obliterated a tree in Arana Hills, north-west of Brisbane.

Ipswich was drenched by the heavy downpour, which delayed flights and made roads dangerous.

On the Gold Coast, surfers used their boards as shelters, while a sunflower festival in Toowoomba was blasted by wild winds and rain.

Meanwhile, residents of Burketown in north-west Queensland are dealing with major flooding on the Gregory River.

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It is now predicted to have reached its peak.

Emergency crews are continuing to go door to door to evacuate residents.

The state government said disaster relief funding was on the way.