Burke Shire: Mayor fears a remote township’s population will be decimated amid cyclone, monsoon threat

Residents are being evacuated from an anxious Qld community as it waits for a triple-threat of monsoons, flooding and a possible cyclone that could spark a population exodus.

Burke Shire Council Mayor Ernie Camp said he had major concerns about what the expected deluge could do to the region, given it was already saturated from prolonged wet weather.

An outback Queensland mayor says his community is gripped with mental anguish as the township stands by for monsoonal storms, flooding, and the growing threat of a cyclone.

Burke Shire Council Mayor Ernie Camp said he had major concerns about what the expected deluge could do to the region, given it was already saturated from prolonged wet weather.

Mr Camp said he harboured fears that the region’s population would be decimated if its residents faced more months of isolation, as witnessed in last year’s flooding.

Chances increase of a cyclone forming in Gulf of Carpentaria

“It’s an area that just recently received heavy rainfall and flooding levels, not as bad as 2023 but equal to the event in 2010,” Mr Camp said.

“It was still a major flooding event and now having this tropical low or possible cyclone again with heavy rainfall for that part of the shire is nerve racking for all residents in the Burke Shire.”

It comes as the Bureau of Meteorology on Wednesday issued a tropical cyclone watch alert for the southern Gulf coast, west of Burketown.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the slow-moving Tropical Low 07U was likely to bring gale-force winds, heavy rainfall and storm tides to the southern Gulf of Carpentaria later on Thursday and Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the slow moving Tropical Low 07U was likely to bring gale force winds, heavy rainfall and storm tides to the southern Gulf of Carpentaria later Thursday and Friday. Photo: The Bureau of Meteorology

It said 07U was moving slowly in The Gulf of Carpentaria with a moderate chance – 40 per cent – of strengthening into a tropical cyclone overnight on Thursday or during Friday.

On Friday it is expected to move southwest over the southern Gulf coast and then to weaken overland before moving west over the Northern Territory at the weekend.

Forecasters issued a tropical cyclone advice notice on Thursday morning with a watch zone from Port Roper in the Northern Territory to Queensland’s Burketown, including Mornington Island and Borroloola, but not including Ngukurr.

Burke Shire Mayor Ernie Camp has major fears for his community ahead of a looming triple whammy of weather threats. Picture: Evan Morgan

The Bureau warned gales with damaging wind gusts to 100 kilometres an hour could develop along the coast between Port McArthur and Mornington Island on Friday morning.

Damaging wind gusts could extend west to Port Roper in the Northern Territory and east to Burketown in Queensland during Friday depending on the movement of 07U.

They also warned residents of possible intense rainfall depending on the development of 07U and heavy rainfall developing along the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coast during Thursday, becoming more likely on Friday as 07U moves closer to the coast.

Storm tides were a risk to low-lying coastal areas between King Ash Bay and Port Roper where higher tides and large waves were expected.

In 2023, residents were cut off for more than six months as floods ravaged the region.

So severe was its impact that it forced Mr Camp and Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire chief executive Troy Fraser to head to Canberra and plead with the Prime Minister for help.

The mayor said up to 60 vulnerable residents had already been evacuated to prevent more difficult helicopter rescues once the floodwater comes, as was necessary in 2023.

Mr Camp said he had fears his electorate’s population would shrink if these types of systems continue to fall upon residents without improvements in resilient infrastructure.

Enhanced satellite images has shown rising floodwaters moving towards the outback town of Birdsville. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology.

“It just takes too long for the funding for that resilient infrastructure to materialise, even though it can happen very quickly in southeast Queensland,” he said.

“It’s the creek and river crossings... last year we saw Burketown isolated for three months and the Doomadgee Aboriginal community was technically cut off for more than six months.

“There seems to be two states, it’s those who have and those in The Gulf who haven’t.”

Mr Camp said he appreciated the disaster support from the government but felt neglected by state and federal members as “exhausted” residents face further traumatic storm impacts.

“The loss of a lot of personal items, damage to buildings, and a loss of much loved family pets ... people are certainly mentally drained, and more is coming before they really had time to heal mentally,” he said.

Elle Birchley and Harmony Dodd play in the water at the Old Diamantina River Crossing, Birdsville. Picture: Sam Watkins

“Please remember we had a really devastating event in 2023, you think people would be trying to least boost our morale or the morale of the leaders by reaching out to us, but there’s been very few reaching out to us.

“The isolation isn’t unusual up here, it happens whenever there is a real wet season and residents accept it.

“But you know, we’re well and truly in the 21st century, and we shouldn’t be as accepting, because we wouldn’t need to be accepting in many places down east coast.”