“Further rises are likely as floodwaters continue to move downstream through the multiple rivers and creeks,” the BOM said.

Head of the northern District Disaster Management Group Elliott Dunn told the ABC that the authorities were keeping a close eye on river levels.

“Rainfall has not been as widespread as last year’s monsoon low, it’s been very isolated pockets of big falls,” he said. “Burketown and Doomadgee will be monitored over the next 24 hours to determine if re-supplies need to be flown in.”

The ABC reports that more than 600mm fell on Justin Gould’s Westmoreland station over three days, with floods sweeping away roads and infrastructure.

It was the most amount of rain the property had received in three days since 1973.

“We’ve had a look around in the chopper and we can see there is going to be some work to be done once we can get around,” Mr Gould told the ABC. “There’s a lot of fences and roads washed away.”

Meanwhile, authorities are watching another tropical low gaining strength in the Coral Sea off Queensland’s coast, which could develop into a cyclone late this week.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said north and far north Queensland would be in the cyclone’s path, although it told the ABC would be ‘unusual’ for another one to evolve so soon after Kirrily.

“If it approaches the coast, we could see some impacts north of about Mackay, including Townsville and possibly Cairns,” senior forecaster Shane Kennedy said. “We may start to see some impacts beginning from around Thursday. So that includes increasing rainfall and increasing winds.”

• Comment below