McKinlay graziers face 'biggest flood on record'

As Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily moves across the north west interior, properties around McKinlay and Kynuna have been inundated with rainfall totals between 500mm to 300mm in 48 hours.

Wade McConachy at Moorooka Station, 15 kilometres south of McKinlay, said he had almost received his average annual rainfall in two days.

"We had 309mm in two days and our average is around 14 inches (355mm)," Mr McConachy said.

"The water reached the workshop shed but it hasn't reached the house. At its highest peak it would have been three foot of water around the house.

"Water has started to recede. The weather at the moment (January 31) is still overcast and a bit stormy looking, I hope it doesn't rain anymore."

After having a chat to neighbours, Mr McConachy said this was the biggest flood on record.

"I was having a chat to Billy Allison at Broadlands, he has been here all his life and his record books go back to 1952 and he couldn't see anything that compared to this scale of rainfall," Mr McConachy said.

"We've had a lot of flooding. I got up in a helicopter yesterday and we have lost two dams, more than 10 kilometres worth of fencing, it has ripped rail line assembles out, floodgates, everything.

"We haven't lost any cattle, luckily, it is still quite warm here so they aren't getting that hypothermia like they did in 2019.

"We've had a lot more rain than we did in 2019, and it is worse flooding than what was in 2019 and a lot more infrastructure damage."

At Moonamarra Station, six kilometres north of McKinlay, Robert Bulley said he had received nine inches (228mm) over three days.

"It was good soaking rain, but it was everyone upstream of me that got stupid rain that has caused all the dramas," Mr Bulley said.

"All my river country has gone under, plus some. I flew over at its peak and I saw half the cattle that was suppose to be in that paddock so hoping the other half might be in the neighbours somewhere. Expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

"Floodwaters are about a kilometre from the house, but there is more water coming downstream now but we don't know how big it will get from the rain upstream. Cannington got big rain overnight between three to four inches."

Mr Bulley said he had lost masses of infrastructure to the flood.

"It is going to be massive, we've lost anywhere the water came down. I went for a drive along the bitumen and there are fences down that I wouldn't have thought would be down in 100 years," he said.

"This flooding is much bigger than in 2019 and 2023. Last year the flooding was big but it went up and down quick.

"Anything along the McKinlay, Gilliat and Diamantina rivers have copped it."

At Glenholme, 70 kilometres south of McKinlay, Will Allan said he had recorded 704mm for the month of January.

"I'm currently at Longford (between Cloncurry and Julia Creek), so I'm not sure how the stock is at Glenholme at the moment, we should be ok down there," Mr Allan said.

"We've got some good hard ridges through there so they shouldn't flood or anything.

"It's so hard to assess the damage or losses that people face at the moment, given roads are cut and it's difficult to manoeuvre around the properties with so much water."

Many roads remain closed around the north west as ex-tropical cyclone Kirrily begins to track north.

The Landsborough Highway from Winton to Cloncurry remains closed. Flinders Highway from Cloncurry to Julia Creek is closed. Cloncurry to Four Ways and Julia Creek to Four Ways are closed. Cloncurry to Duchess and Dajarra are closed. As are many other roads in between.