OVER half of Queensland has enjoyed the benefits of a giant irrigator as ex-Cyclone Olga swept through the centre of the State, dragging the monsoonal trough with it.
Almost the entire east coast of Queensland was inundated with falls up to 500mm.
Inland, falls were generally within 100-150mm east of a line from Longreach to Cloncurry - most of the area west of this line missed meaningful rain.
Publican Bob Harvey said Georgetown had received 150mm and the road to the east was cut at the Einasleigh River.
Croydon Mayor Corrie Pickering said the shire had recorded 375mm since Christmas; Olga had delivered about 175mm.
"All the dams and waterholes are full and creeks are flowing again - the shire looks set for a good year," she said.
Normanton and Karumba had worse flooding but levels were far from those of the devastating floods of 2009.
Carpentaria Shire CEO Mark Kelleher said Normanton and Karumba were cut off with all roads into the towns officially closed.
"The Mt Isa-Cloncurry roads are expected to reopen within a week weather permitting and the road east to Croydon and Normanton is closed at Norman River crossing where supplies were being trucked to the eastern side and offloaded onto boats," he said.
Further south, Julia Creek and Richmond both reported falls about 100-125mm.
The Flinders River at Richmond peaked at 7.5m
Richmond Shire CEO Michelle Clarke said the Flinders Highway had been closed briefly and the Richmond-Croydon road was closed indefinitely.
Longreach saleyards contractor Clayton Dolgner said Olga had dropped 90mm in the Longreach district and delivered wind gusts up to 125km/h. Mr Dolgner said 160km west of Longreach at Glen Kyree less than 4mm had been recorded.
Back toward the coast Sir Graham McCamley, Tartrus, Central Queensland, said the rain had been more than welcome as they had not had rain since March 2009.
"We had 315mm in two days and there is now almost 30,000 acres (12,140 hectares) under water," Mr McCamley said.
"Most of that country is normally pondage pasture created in 1953 when Queensland Stations erected a 25km bank to create it."
He said because of the drought he had to used the area for breeders; although the water was only half a metre deep he could lose some calves.
Stewart Nobbs, Yoman Brahman Stud, Moura, recorded 100m and said that figure was fairly general throughout the district.
The Register's man in Mackay, Ian Morgan, measured 450mm in his rain gauge from January 29, while there are reports from the Marlborough district of 500mm-plus in the past few days.
Biloela appears to have missed on the rain from Olga.
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