Queensland graziers count staggering cost of record flooding
The rain set in at Joe and Stacey Tully’s place in western Queensland on the 21st of last month and did not let up until almost a week later. As the waters rose, the roads disappeared, and then the fences. Generators and equipment went under, and then stock that could not find higher ground began to die.
A military Blackhawk carrying hay in a sling arrives at Joe and Stacy Tully’s property in western Queensland.Credit: Stacy Tully
The Tullys run sheep and cattle on 66,000 hectares just south of the town of Windorah in Queensland’s channel country, where more than a year’s worth of rain fell in the record-breaking monsoon. Joe estimates he has lost around 5 per cent of his sheep, though it will be hard to know for certain before waters recede over coming weeks.
He reckons it will be at least two weeks before he can get a car out, but he says he has been far luckier than many of his neighbours upstream. His house at least remains dry.
More than 105,000 head of sheep, cattle and horses were dead or missing in the floods, according to disaster impact surveys compiled by the government until Monday evening.
“These are only early indications of the magnitude of this disaster, and while these preliminary numbers are shocking, we are expecting them to continue to climb as floodwaters recede,” said Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett.
“It’s heartbreaking to consider what western Queenslanders will be going through over the weeks and months as they discover the full extent of losses, and damage and the start the long slog to start again.”
The surveys show 3183 kilometres of fences are thought to be damaged, along with 4076 kilometres of private roads impacted.
State and federal government emergency assistance is already being provided and Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said a priority was being given to fodder-drops to ensure surviving stock on high ground did not starve.
Joe Tully described the arrival of a Blackhawk military helicopter bearing fodder in a sling on Tuesday morning as like something from a dream.
“We’ve got sheep stranded on low sandhills that have not had anything to eat in four or five days and they could be stuck there for days. Those hay drops are very, very helpful.”
Like others in the region, the Tullys lost stock to drought in each of the dry years of 2017, 2018 and 2019. They had just begun to recover when this year’s flood hit, with the catchment receiving more than a year’s worth of rain in a matter of days.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Jonathan How said on Monday that not only were rainfalls higher, but parts of the east of the state had already been charged by rainfall associated with Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which inundated regions of northern NSW and South East Queensland in March.
As a result, even more water is moving across sodden landscapes.
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