Cane farmer Neil Douglas talks about his experience in the 2025 Ingham floods

Cane farmer Neil Douglas was cut off for days, with no communication with the outside world during the worst flooding he had ever seen in the Ingham region.

Wednesday February 13. Heavy rain causes flooding in North Queensland. Clean up after flooding in Ingham. Cane farmer Neil Douglas, (right) with son Daryl, was cut off on his property on Pippins Road without communication for days. Picture: Evan Morgan

Cane farmer Neil Douglas has been cut off for days, with no communication with the outside world during the worst flooding he had ever seen in the Ingham region.

He grows 13,000 tonne of cane and runs 350 head of cattle on his property called Lavina up in the hills along Pappins Road, 20km south of Ingham.

This is the worst floods that he can remember in the 46 years he has lived on Lavina but said a flooded Francis Creek and a communications blackout left him and his neighbours in the dark with no way to talk to family and friends.

“I’m cut off with Francis Creek. I got a generator. I’m right for power. But my family’s wanting to ring me when phones don’t work, and they want to bring you back into town,” the cane farmer said.

“I won’t leave my property. We’ve got animals to look after.

“My property is on Pappins Road. It’s up above Francis Creek and there’s been a big slide there, and all of the silt from it has come down and sealed the flat property in the paddocks.”

He said a number of his neighbours were also cut off and had no phone communication.

“There’s quite a few. There’s cattle properties and people working in town, and there’s a vet there too. “We’ve been all cut off with this rain event,” he said.

The cane farmer said this flood was the worst he had witnessed in the region.

“This is the highest. In ‘19 it was pretty high when Townsville had their own event. We got the overflow from Paluma and the creek come down. But this time it come higher,” he said.

Originally published as Cane farmer Neil Douglas talks about his experience in the 2025 Ingham floods