Floodwaters lift the spirits of graziers in drought-ravaged outback Queensland

Graziers in outback Queensland say seeing rivers in the west swell with floodwaters is like welcoming home "an old friend".

Floodwaters from ex-Tropical Cyclone Trevor are moving slowly down western Queensland's major river systems, filling waterholes and dams left cracked and veined from years of drought.

Rain from Trevor has swelled river levels in catchments including the Georgina, Bulloo, Diamantina and Cooper Creek, and most recently, the Maranoa in southern Queensland.

Unlike the devastating floods in north Queensland earlier this year, which killed hundreds of thousands of cattle, the arrival of this water has been welcomed.

Marianne McCarthy, from Bulloo Downs near Thargomindah in the state's south-west, said she'd been lucky to have rainfall followed by flooding.

"With the floodwater, we've been swimming most afternoons where it tipped out in a little channel and it's nice and still," Ms McCarthy said.

"At Easter we had 50 millimetres and spent pretty much the whole weekend running around in the mud puddles."

Floodwater injects life into outback

Earlier this year, Ms McCarthy had only received 20mm of rain on her property and prior to that there had been no decent falls since 2017.

"We had sun showers of 2mm or 4mm but there's been no significant rain here for a very long time," she said.

"It was pretty dry, and we used to get a dust storm rolling through once or twice a week before this."

In the state's far south-west, John Cobb said his property Durham Downs, which the Cooper Creek runs through, had split into two contrasting environments.

Mr Cobb said while the bottom half was still looking dry, the flood should mean a better season for the few cattle he had left on the property.

"It varies from still droughted at the bottom end, to not being in as bad shape up the top, where some rain fell. We're just looking for a bit of follow up to keep it going," he said.

"Then the middle of the property where the river is, it's currently all under water but once that goes back there will be a lot of feed grown there, which'll ... set us up for the rest of the year and even into next year.

"We have quite a few staff who have only been here a few years and have never seen a flood so it's good for everybody to see."

Flying over his property Cluny Station, near Bedourie, Patrick Tully said there was nothing like seeing what looked like an ocean of water breathe life back into the region.

"It was looking pretty bleak. We got rid of 300 cows last year and we were thinking we might have to do the same at the start of this year before the storms and floods," Mr Tully said.

"It's like a giant sheet of water moving along, which is quite a contrast when there was no water. It's pretty astounding."

Longer grazing seasons

Properties on the edge of the Simpson Desert are experiencing a second flood of the Diamantina River this year.

Chook Kath, from Mount Leonard Station near Betoota, said the first flood was a "godsend".

"It was the only thing going for us. The rest of our outside country was shot to bits and we were staring down the barrel of a pretty dire situation and the first flood came and rescued us," Mr Kath said.

"We initially feared this second flood would knock down all the great feed that had grown from the initial flood and do more damage than good."

However, the second flood has been lower than the first and Mr Kath said it should see feed lasting a couple months longer than expected.

"We should have green feed right through to December I think, whereas the first flood feed would have dried out by October.

"But the land outside of the river country is still struggling. The Mitchell grass has died so we're back to square one, it's going to have to come from seed so it's a long hard road back."

Tourist season delayed due to floods

Mayor of Diamantina Shire Council Geoff Morton, of Roseberth Station, said there would be minimal benefits from the second flood and he was worried it had stalled the beginning of the tourist season in a region famous for the Big Red Bash and Birdsville Races.

"It's probably a pity this flood has followed the first flood earlier this year because it's no extra good; you can't put these events in the bank unfortunately," Councillor Morton said.

"This flooding event will add an extra 10,000 tourists to our region.

"The downside is the tourists would already be in Birdsville but because of the road closures they haven't been able to get there.

"So it's going to be a very delayed start but once the water has receded we will see a boom of people, just in a compressed tourist season."