North west graziers welcome $8m upgrades to the region's flood warning network

The project delivered a total of 67 new flood warning assets to the region on top of upgrades to seven existing pieces of infrastructure.

Locations that will benefit from the project included Boulia, Burke, Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Croydon, Diamantina, Etheridge, Flinders, Longreach, McKinlay, Richmond and Winton.

Upgrades to the flood warning network were designed to increase the flood resilience of communities following major flooding in the north west in 2019, which led to sigifncant production and infrastructure losses.

Though, the flood warning assets won't necessarily prevent the destruction of rising water, local graziers believe it would better warn people of the pending disaster.

Cloncurry-region grazier Jacqueline Curley and her family at Gipsy Plains understand the importance of early warnings for severe weather events.

Gipsy Plains lost about half of its herd in the 2019 north west flooding, mostly due to exposure and cold weather.

Ms Curley said the flood warning assets would keep landholders and communities in the loop of pending flood or high water rise events.

"Any warning is vital for any landholder from understanding the threat ahead," she said.

"When it's raining up stream, you don't particularly know what levels the river systems are going to be at.

"These upgrades will hopefully allow people to act quickly in the event they have to evacuate or to know whether the roads are blocked."

The $8 million project also included upgrades to locations across North and Far North Queensland. In total, 180 new flood warning assets were installed across 28 local government areas.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Senator Murray Watt said the project was part of a $242 million Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement package to support people in Queensland's north.

"A third La Nina season means an increased risk of cyclones and flooding across Northern Queensland," he said.

"Data from rain and river gauges will be incorporated into the Bureau of Meteorology's network and will improve forecasts and warnings for primary producers and communities."

A total of 59 additional flood cameras were installed in north west, far north and north Queensland along with new rain gauges and flood signage.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said extensive consultation with several stakeholders, including the Bureau of Meteorology and Sunwater, was undertaken within all affected local government areas.

"The work undertaken for these assets was extensive, including site assessments, surveys, approvals including cultural heritage checks and signoff from each council," the Deputy Premier said.

"We're committed to ensuring people in flood-prone communities have appropriate warning of flood events."