'It's about saving the cattle': NW hammered by 500mm rain

More surprising than that, however, was the presence of these high totals so far inland, including in the rural town of Middleton.

Grazier Anita Salmon had recorded 520mm at the Brackenburgh property on January 29 - a three day total that she said rapidly reaching the over 760mm she recorded in 2019.

"It's still raining. It's heavy too," Mrs Salmon said on Monday afternoon.

"The channels behind our house have come up around our solar panels and the pig pens...the channels are 2km wide, probably more.

"I've been here for nearly six years and it's the highest I've seen them. I was here in 2019 and it isn't all that different to this amount of rain.

"But this weather is so much warmer than it was in 2019. Our cattle won't be loving it but it's better conditions...better conditions in a crap situation."

While Mrs Salmon lost many head of cattle during the 2019 floods, she wasn't sure whether she had suffered any losses to her 10,000 head Brahman breeding herd or steers as of Monday afternoon.

"We don't know what we've lost, but we've had some cattle down stream and they've been trapped for a while," she said.

"The helicopters can't fly in this weather so we don't know what's happened to them and we hope they're okay and on high ground. We won't know until it dries."

Mrs Salmon, who manages her parents' (John and Robyn Rodger) property with her husband David, said the couple have had a "good start" to 2024 - with 100mm since Christmas leading up to last weekend.

"It was green...a good mouthful of feed around for the cattle. A great start to the season but it was hot - we had 45 degree days. I think it was 45 last Wednesday or Thursday too...a tough summer," she said.

"(After this rain) we will have ample feed. We're making history here with this, but we'll have a great season after it.

"It's a bit hard to prepare for a flood. You can handle a drought. You have good options, you can truck the cattle away, feed them lick or shift them to other paddocks...but in a flood, you've got to batten down the hatches and hope for the best."

While Mrs Salmon said she welcomed rain at any time of the year, the three day rainfall was "pushing it".

"There are a lot of people worse off than us. People have been evacuated from their homes (in Kynuna). We've got a metre or more to go before we go anywhere but fingers crossed we won't get there," she said.

"We're lucky we are high and dry in our house. I wouldn't know what to do if we had to evacuate and leave our dogs.

"We have solar and generators. We'll see the other side...(but) I should have been better prepared. I should have gotten my cattle out of the channels...who would've thought that a cyclone would make it this far inland with this much rain?

"For me it's all about the cattle. It's about saving them - it's their faces, that's why we do it...it's tough but we're tougher."

Mrs Salmon was surprised to read a weather app prediction of 6mm on January 29 - especially after she recorded in excess of 100mm by 2pm.

The community is banding together - with regular phone call check-ins and social media keeping the region connected and up to date with regular updates.

"We're in this together," Mrs Salmon said.

Overnight on January 28, rainfall was recorded across the north west, with areas around Kynuna and Middleton recording some of the highest totals.

Pete Baruciak shared a photo of McKinlay River on Monday morning.

"1.7 metres and rising. Tipped out 130mm overnight," he said.

"That's 198mm in the last 48 hours...(with) four trucks stuck in town."

David Baker recorded 396mm at Llanrheidol in three days, and 350mm at Mayfair.

"More coming," he said.

Tiffany Daley recorded 75mm at Dinga Ding Station at McKinlay.

"75mm since Friday night...and still raining," she said on Monday.

Jeffrey Batt received 48mm at Kooroora, McKinlay.

Robyn Connolly Rutherfurd received 51mm at Cloncurry.

Patrice Elliott recorded 60mm at Winton on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Colin Blacklock recorded 79mm at Lavera, 100 north of Julia Creek.

Arthur Mcbeath saw 13mm in a storm at Feluga, north of Tully on January 28.

On January 27, Colin Blacklock received 79mm at Lavera, 100km north of Julia Creek.

Tanya Murphy recorded 223mm at Maiden Springs, north of Hughenden on January 27.

"Grateful and unbelievable and a once in a lifetime event, I feel," she said.

Georgetown also saw plenty of rainfall.

From Australia Day, John Bethel measured over 100mm at Huonfels, north west of Georgetown.

"Measured 98.4mm...out of this cyclone and still raining. Big water coming down the Etheridge River," he said.

"Measured another 15.4 mm at Huonfels (on January 28)."

Ash Ryan recorded 51mm on January 27.

"Two inches in two hours at Rockdale station, Georgetown," she said.

Shirlee Young recorded 100mm at Western Creek Station in Georgetown.

"And still raining," she said on January 26.