Instead of being devastated by his property being hit by floodwaters in western Queensland, a tourist attraction owner has compared it to winning the lottery.
Drone footage has quickly confirmed floodwaters completely inundated Richard Kinnon’s popular tourist attraction in February.
Instead of being devastated by the sight of his underwater western Queensland site, Mr Kinnon compared it to winning the lottery.
Longreach graziers needed all the water they could get after a dry 2024.
So Mr Kinnon was ecstatic when the nearby Thomson River flooded after record rainfall in the north, even if it meant his property went under.
He happily shared footage from the drone his son flew around his tourist attraction Outback Pioneers which confirmed widespread flooding.
“It’s a beautiful thing. It’s like winning the lottery,” Richard said.
“It looks like a lot of water, but it is an amazing sight.
“Our city cousins would see devastation, but it’s not. For our graziers, this couldn’t be better.”
Roads were cut and communities isolated with a big clean-up ahead at Outback Pioneers, but there were no complaints.
“Someone said to me ‘I hope you can get back on track’. But the thing is, we are on track — this (flooding) is normal,” Richard said.
“Every February, this is what should happen.”
Queensland is still being impacted by record rainfall.
The state’s west endured flooding in February after weeks of wet weather finally reached its catchments.
Longreach Mayor Tony Rayner hoped there was more to come, with a number of communities low on water.
“A moderate flood is always a welcome flood,” he said.
“We are waiting for the wet season to come … to allow our properties to have enough feed and water to get through the year.”
February 2025 is officially the wettest month in history for some north Queensland towns, with Paluma, near Townsville, receiving two metres of rainfall, double what Sydney receives in a year.