People whose homes and businesses went under in northwest Queensland's record floods will only be able to return when swollen rivers fully recede.
Damage to homes, businesses, properties and cattle stations in the state's northwest and the Gulf of Carpentaria is estimated to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, with thousands of livestock also killed by torrential rain and flooding.
Urandangi is still underwater, with all but two of the 20 residents of the community southwest of Mount Isa evacuated before the Georgina River broke its banks earlier this week.
About 400km north, Burketown's water supply is being restored and food resupply flights are under way, but police say residents can't return to their homes until the Albert River fully recedes.
"Sewage and other essential services like electricity are being assessed on a case-by-case basis as flood water recedes and safety allows," police said in a statement.
"QFES (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services) continue to complete damage assessments of infrastructure to ensure that as soon as flood water fully recedes, it is safe for residents to return."
State MP Robbie Katter said cattle station owners who opted to bunker down experienced first-hand the devastation the flooding caused.
"One producer said he had to go to sleep at night listening to the cows bellowing as they were washing away and drowning," the Member for Traeger told AAP.
"That's a pretty difficult thing to experience.
"There will be an added mental health dimension to this that will need to be addressed.
"More likely next week we'll get some firmer numbers on livestock loss, but it will be in the thousands or tens of thousands."
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said damaged roads across the region were closed, including the Flinders Highway, the Barkley Highway, the Burke Developmental Road, the Gulf Development Road, the Wills Development Road and all other Gulf roads.
The Lanesborough Highway has reopened between Morven and Cloncurry, and road crews are on-site to conduct extensive repairs on other roads.
"They'll be assessing the damage and making repairs as quickly as they can as flood waters recede and are receding," Mr Bailey told parliament on Thursday.
"My thoughts are with those who are experiencing this disaster in the northwest, for (the Department of) Transport will certainly be there to help them, and we'll certainly be working with the Member for Traeger to help his constituents recover from the situation."
