Qld. outback rain forecasts.

Currently at Pooncarie.

Not happy Jan.

Plan was to cross into Qld via Warri gate in a week's time & make our way via Noccundra, Thargo, Windorah & Bedourie to Boulia.

Suspect it could be many weeks before that once again becomes possible.

Frustrating but there is nothing can be done except 'go with the flow (pun intended)

Will wait until the end of the month to work out as best we can whether to find somewhere to prop & wait or develop a different route plan altogether.

A good friend of mine and an ex Birdsville local with still strong links and friends there told me today that Poeppel Corner, everyone knows where that is, recorded 350mm in the electric rain gauge over the weekend, so to say the desert is wet is an understatement.

Hi Guys,

I see on the TV news last night that a family has been rescued after becoming stuck on the Oodnadatta to Finke road and stranded for a couple of days. They were advised not to go, but stated because they were locals and knew the area well, they would be fine.

Just goes to show, that even locals can get it wrong sometimes.

Macca.

Then there is the bloke stuck on the Madigan who can't go back and can't go forward because its all too wet, has HF contact with VKS and plenty of supplies but was low on water until the rain started in ernest.
There is also a group somewhere in the Simpson who nobody has heard from.
Don the Birdsville ranger reckons it could be weeks before the bloke on the Madigan will be able to travel so they might chopper him out in the meantime.

Is the scale of this rain event unprecedented in this part of the country?

Whereas the amount of rainfall in western Queensland is not unprecedented in respect to previous figures, what seems to be slightly different has been the frequency, intensity and time scale of these rain events.
In regards to the frequency of these events, in scientific circles, the debate continues, where there is consensus is that they will be more intense with their impact..ie heavier rain and over a shorter amount of time..ie hours instead of days.
In any case, be safe and don't make the 6pm TV news bulletin.

Just an update from the Barcoo Shire Council this morning and they said quote "Major flooding higher than the January 1974 floods"

All this water will end up in one place.......the Cooper Creek and you know what that means.....