MAJOR flooding is currently heading down the Gilbert River catchment in North Queensland, with a team of choppers moving livestock and evacuating station homesteads.
More than 300mm of rain fell across 36 hours in parts of the Gilbert catchment, with the river going into station homesteads and concerns about infrastructure damage and stock losses.
The rain has sent big floods down the Einasleigh and Copperfield Rivers, with one source telling Beef Central that the Copperfield was rising by 1m/hour at one stage. Those rivers flow into the Gilbert catchment.
Etheridge Shire mayor Barry Hughes, who owns North Head station south of Forsayth, said for the past two days a team of six helicopters have been moving livestock and helping evacuate homesteads.
Video by Russell Lethbridge of Werrington Station.
“We are expecting a lot of infrastructure damage and significant livestock losses,” Cr Hughes said.
“We have had helicopters flying the full length of the river doing welfare checks on people who are surrounded by water and chose to stay. Our main focus now is on the river heading towards Strathmore.
“There is a massive amount of water heading towards the Gulf of Carpentaria.”
Cattle losses in Qld starting to build
Qld has had a big flood season, with the Department of Primary Industries reporting 70,210 head of cattle missing or deceased in floods across the northwest at the start of the year and the central district two weeks ago. That data is captured through voluntary producer surveys.
Some have suggested the stock losses in the northwest could rise to 100,000 head, many would have been sold as feeders in the middle of the year.
Infrastructure damage is also building up with 5000km of fencing and 7300km of private road wiped out.
Stock losses and infrastructure losses are still unclear from the Gilbert River floods, with the river system yet to peak and visibility still low.
Cr Hughes said he had been in contact with the premier and the relevant departments to discuss disaster funding arrangements.
“It is still very early days, but I am in constant contact with the agriculture minister and the premier but they have indicated that they stand ready to help in the event of stock losses or infrastructure losses.”
Starlink, UHF and helicopters keeping communications
In the Gilbert River catchment, the rivers have flooded some of the telephone infrastructure.
The council has dropped off Starlink dishes in certain areas for the grazing community to use and UHF radios in choppers have been the only form of communication this morning.