Tourists are stuck in pockets of outback Queensland and councils are warning the isolation could drag on after another burst of rain pushed rivers higher and forced more road closures across the north and central west.
In Winton, the shire council began voluntary evacuations for some low lying homes on Elderslie Street as the town prepared for another rise in floodwaters.
Mayor Cathy White said travellers staying at a local motel were among those moved while SES crews from Rockhampton and Gladstone helped residents shore up properties with sandbags.
White said all roads surrounding the town are currently closed, adding the situation was changing day by day as crews waited for water to ease and damage to be assessed before reopening routes.
With the highways cut, some travellers have spent close to a week in town waiting for a safe run to Mount Isa, Darwin or the coast.
In the McKinlay Shire, Mayor Janene Fegan said graziers were bracing for heavy stock losses particularly among calves, after floodwaters spread across broad plains and drainage channels.
There is no official livestock loss figure yet but Fegan said some producers believed they could have lost around half their cattle.
Flooding has also disrupted freight and essential services in parts of the north west with roads, rail lines and some regional airstrips affected.
Cloncurry Airport has suffered significant damage, underscoring the dependence of remote communities on reliable transport links during the wet season when long detours are often impossible.
Weather forecasters say the immediate deluge has eased in places but the ground remains saturated and even modest daily falls can prolong flooding in flat country.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned further isolated heavy rain could trigger renewed river rises in already flooded catchments.
On the river gauges, major flooding is continuing along the Flinders River downstream of Richmond with the Flinders at Walkers Bend reported at 13.47 metres and rising and expected to stay above major flood level well into next week as upstream flows arrive.
Along the Western River at Winton, moderate flooding has been recorded with the level expected to remain above moderate flood level into Monday.
The Queensland and Commonwealth governments have announced a jointly funded $2 million emergency fodder support package for producers in the McKinlay Shire, with requests to be managed through local councils while pilots continue fodder drops and mustering efforts to reach stranded stock.
Police have again urged travellers to avoid driving through floodwaters and to obey road closure signs, warning those who skirt barricades face prosecution.
The Queensland Government has pointed residents and travellers to local disaster dashboards, BOM warnings and QLDTraffic updates before attempting any trip through the region.
