Parts of Australia's far north remain without power and drinking water after a tropical cyclone barged across the Queensland coast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Cyclone warnings have been cancelled, but far north residents still face the threat of major flooding as the system continues to impact the state.
Koji, a category one cyclone, has weakened to a tropical low as it slowly tracks inland through central Queensland on Monday, bringing heavy rain.
Thousands remain without power as authorities work around the clock to restore electricity to affected areas.
It was the most significant start to the wet season in years, Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson told AAP, with local falls of 400-600mm in 48 hours.
"There's been a lot of rain and I don't want to sound complacent, but we are used to a lot of rain," Cr Williamson said.
"We live in north Queensland. We get wet, and so it does produce some issues in terms of flash flooding or riverine flooding, but people, you know, people are used to it."
Koji caused significant damage to roads, several homes were inundated and the water supply was disrupted, with drinking water unavailable to homes in Gargett and Pinnacle.
"On the positive side, it started the wet season, but it started it safely, and people adhered to all the messaging," Cr Williamson said.
"There's been no loss of public life. There's been very minimal public housing damage. There's been a fair bit of road damage in parks and gardens, but all of that's fixable.
"The message is finally getting through."
Hamilton Island recorded winds of 113km/h when the weather system made landfall early on Sunday, but concerns about wild winds have abated with the main focus now on the impact of heavy rainfall.
The former cyclone moved inland west of Proserpine before tracking over the northern Central Highlands and Coalfields district overnight, west of Rockhampton.
Premier David Crisafulli was confident Queenslanders could handle whatever came their way.
"There is the risk in that next 24 to 48 hours of some really significant rainfall in patches," Mr Crisafulli told Nine's Today on Monday from Bowen.
"If people do the right thing and have those preparations, we'll continue to get through this unscathed."
He will chair the state disaster meeting from Proserpine later on Monday.
Flood watches remain in place for the Channel Country after the monsoon earlier devastated the state's northwest, isolating towns and properties.
The mammoth clean-up has barely begun, with conservative estimates of more than 45,000 livestock missing or dead.
"We will continue to watch and see the impact that the system could have - the last thing we want to see is more rainfall in areas that have copped more than a year's supply in less than a week," Mr Crisafulli said.
Fodder drops continue, and authorities are stockpiling antibiotics and veterinary supplies to treat surviving stock and combat infection.
"The economic impact for western Queensland, because of how important agriculture is to underpin those communities, will be large," Mr Crisafulli said.
"We're doing everything we can to spare as many cattle as possible and help those primary producers."
Australian Associated Press
