Just weeks ago, residents and graziers in Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria were celebrating one of the strongest wet seasons in a decade.
They are now preparing for a massive clean-up after unprecedented floods devastated infrastructure and livestock and caused the evacuation of entire towns.
Rain falls relentlessly
Since December, widespread rain and strong weather systems like ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie had saturated the gulf's north-flowing Nicholson, Gregory, Leichhardt and Flinders rivers.
The rivers began to flood, covering roads and isolating communities for about three months — a weather cycle and way of life that residents were well accustomed to.
But in March, when the wet season has usually wound down, the rain only intensified.
On March 2, the first of what would become several severe weather warnings was issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for widespread thunderstorms and flash flooding in the gulf.
Emergency services went on alert and prepared to increase food supply drops to the towns of Doomadgee, Burketown, Gregory, Normanton and Karumba.
Some towns had been recording several hundred millimetres of rain a day.
In the 48 hours to March 9, 533mm of rain fell across the Nicholson, Gregory and Leichhardt river catchments.
Battling unpredictable rivers
By March 9 the Gregory River at Riversleigh, near Lawn Hill, reached 18 metres high — surpassing the 1971 flood record of 10.8m.
At Doomadgee, the Nicholson River reached a record of 7.85m.
After about a week of relentless deluge, the skies finally cleared across the gulf.
But the north-flowing rivers were yet to carry large amounts of water from the Gregory catchment to Burketown.
By March 11 the majority of Burketown's 150 residents had been evacuated to neighbouring communities after the Albert River reached more than 7m on Friday afternoon — exceeding the 2011 record flood level of 6.78m.
About 40 houses in Burketown and several rural properties were inundated.
Along with those in Burketown, graziers further south in the Gregory region, as well as the small Aboriginal community of Bidunggu, were hardest hit by the flood.
Northern region emergency management coordinator Elliott Dunn said the nature of the gulf's river systems made it difficult to predict how severe the flood would be.
"We often just have to wait and see what happens," he said.
Catastrophic losses recorded
Damage assessments began after flood levels peaked on March 12.
Residents reported severe destruction to properties and roads and the mass loss of livestock.
As locals and emergency services prepared for the clean-up, communities were banding together across the region.
"Entire livelihoods have been lost," Mr Dunn said.
"Many people are going to have to build from scratch.
"The great thing to see is people really coming together to support each other."
