Authorities are preparing for floodwaters to cut the Flinders Highway between Julia Creek and Cloncurry.

The remnants of tropical cyclone Kirrily have been sitting south of the towns and flooding has cut off regional mines including Cannington and Eloise, which have around 1200 staff between them. Operations have been scaled back. Aerodromes on the sites are functional.

The system was sitting over the south-east of Cloncurry Shire and the southern section of neighbouring McKinlay Shire, Cloncurry Mayor Greg Campbell said.

“So we’re going to see a bigger run in the Cloncurry River over the next couple of days when that water comes down,” Cr Campbell said. 

‘Operations at Cannington have wound back. They’re still getting their people in and out, but they’re just holding steady for the time being. 

“The rain around Cloncurry itself has just been awesome. Steady rain over the weekend, probably about two inches in total. There’ve been some high falls, but you don’t have to go too far north to see the falls drop right off. So, there’re parts of the shire that are still waiting.”

Meanwhile, services on the Great Northern Railway had been suspended as a precaution, Cr Campbell said.

It was a move that should be mirrored by anyone considering travelling to the north-west, he said.

“Especially for travellers who are not aware of the conditions and check any western road before you head off. Especially from a town, so you don’t get stranded between creeks, and just remember the old “if it’s flooded, forget it’, phrase. 

“It’s much better to be holed up in a town for a couple of days than stuck on the side of the road and not being able to go anywhere and then be expecting somebody to come and rescue you. 

“It’s much better to be a bit more cautious and pull up into town until you know the road’s open and the weather’s clear.”

The monsoon season may still have some more to deliver, Cr Campbell said.

“I think there’s still some more weather to come and our shire is still prepared; our neighbouring shire is prepared. 

“This is what we do; handle wet seasons with closed roads and floods and then get our crews and our operators back on the ground as quickly as possible once it clears up to get our roads open again. 

“This one seemed a bit different where it didn’t seem to drop a lot of rain on the east coast as it crossed and it’s coming through and saving it all up for the west, which we’re happy with.

“But as always, we’d love to be able to share it around all the graziers rather than it being concentrated in just a little area.” 

In other flood news, Savannah Gold has stood down crews as flood waters move through the Etheridge Shire.

Savannah has around 30 staff based in Georgetown operating the mill in the eastern Gulf of Carpentaria and another dozen on site about 120km south of town. 

A large system impacted the catchments of the Robertson, Copperfield and other rivers feeding the Gilbert River, said Etheridge Shire Mayor Barry Hughes.