Stunning pictures show desert bursting with life after flooding rains

The famously dry desert in Australia has surprised everyone after unusual weather turned the area unrecognisable.

Australia’s wet winter has brought the Red Centre to life, with new images showing how Queensland’s Channel Country desert has turned a stunning green.

With a third consecutive La Nina period on the way for only the fourth time since records began, large parts of Australia have seen unrelenting rainfall with little chance for the ground to dry up.

Between these La Nina events, which raise the likelihood of greater rainfall from the Pacific Ocean, and this year’s Indian Ocean Dipole, its west coast equivalent, Australia has seen the perfect storm of factors for unusual levels of rain.

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Parts of Queensland’s Channel Country that have been dry for years now coming to life. Picture: A Kube Aviation / Georgie Mann Photography.

While this has led to a number of devastating floods along the country’s east coast, it is having the unique effect on parts of central Australia that are not accustomed to prolonged rainfall.

Large areas of remote land in central Australia which are typically known for being baking hot and bone dry are flowing with water in a rare event.

A network of rivers above Channel Country, QLD that directs water throughout central Australia. Picture: A Kube Aviation / Georgie Mann Photography.

Cattle station manager Nathan Keogh, whose property in Durham Downs is more than 500 kilometres west of Charleville, told the Weekend Australian the rain was a blessing for the cattle.

“We couldn’t ask for anything better. We’re getting good rains at the right time,” he said.

“The stars couldn’t have aligned more perfectly. The cattle are fat and the pastures couldn’t be better.

“It lifts everybody’s spirits. It can be hard out here in drought times, but this is a game changer. It’s a lot easier when it’s green.”

Flowing rivers in Channel Country, Queensland. Picture: A Kube Aviation / Georgie Mann Photography.

The region experiences flooding rains roughly once a decade, which spread across floodplains through Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory into Lake Eyre, bringing out some of the most unique wildflower scenery in the country.

Originally published as Stunning pictures show desert bursting with life after flooding rains