A warning, this story contains content that some viewers might find distressing. Double the size of Victoria, that is how widespread flood-affected areas of outback Queensland are as homes downstream of the deluge are put in the firing line. Water broke the banks of a makeshift levee in Thargomindah in the states south-west over night forcing the evacuation of one hundred residents. Further north, the extent of the devastation is laid bare as floodwaters recede. Stock losses are expected to be catastrophic and graziers have put a desperate call out for fuel.
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00:00A sleepless night as Bargaminda locals raced to erect a temporary levee to protect their
00:10tiny town against the approaching torrent of floodwaters.
00:14They worked here till 2 or 3 o'clock this morning, up again early then probably up past
00:205, 6 o'clock this morning, into it again.
00:23But it still couldn't keep the water out.
00:26Everybody woke in the middle of the night as water gushed into their homes.
00:30Last night was a bit post-apocalyptic, everybody was running around getting themselves sorted.
00:3412 homes were inundated, forcing the evacuation of nearly 100 residents and it's still rising.
00:43But the valiant Outback spirit remains unbroken.
00:46The new top mode of transport, kayaks, tinnies and blow-up tubes, doubling as delivery services.
00:53They don't have enough beer but they have everything else.
00:56Upstream, floodwaters are slowly receding, laying bare the extent of the devastation.
01:02The magnitude of stock losses unknown and yet to be realised.
01:07Losing our livestock to us out here is similar to us losing someone we love because they
01:11are our lifeline, they're what we do this for.
01:14The area of land covered by floodwater at the moment in Western Queensland is double
01:19the size of Victoria.
01:21This is what the vast majority of roads in the South West currently look like, vital
01:26supply routes turned to river rapids and expected to remain that way for some time.
01:32The only way to get around at the moment is by air and even that's proving to be a challenge
01:37in its own right.
01:38We've got to be able to get people in the air and they need the fuel to be able to do
01:42that so it's an important part of the puzzle that needs to be resolved.
01:45Now concerns with more rain forecast for mid-week, what progress has been made could
01:51be undone.
01:52This rainfall is likely to worsen or prolong existing flooding and may also create some
01:57new flooding.
01:58The message from locals, in the land of drought and flooding rains, they'll weather whatever
02:04comes.