A north Queensland MP whose electorate was ravaged by Cyclone Debbie is urging authorities to concentrate their clean-up efforts on tourism hotspots.
Liberal National Party MP George Christensen cut short his attendance at parliament in Canberra this week to be with his local community.
He has asked Australian Defence Force personnel to prioritise tourism hubs in the Whitsundays, including Airlie Beach.
"These gale force winds into the Airlie Beach area - it's just a complete mess," he told ABC radio on Thursday.
"Getting that tourism hub back to a pristine condition probably is the best thing we can do for the local economy."
The prime minister and opposition leader will head to cyclone-hit north Queensland on Thursday to inspect damage and see relief efforts first-hand.
Malcolm Turnbull has urged people not to cancel holidays to the region.
Mr Christensen said there were trees down at his family's property and about 15 per cent of their sugar cane crop has been lost, but the damage was manageable.
Nearby, homes had been damaged and roofs ripped off.
His major concern is the Pioneer River, upstream of Mackay, breaking its banks following torrential rains.
"It is raging like something I have never seen ... we've never seen it break its banks in my living memory," he said.
"I am very, very worried when that breaches the city areas and what's going to happen."
There's expected to be massive economic impacts for farmers in the cyclone zone tourism, with Debbie inflicting significant damage to Whitsunday Island resorts.
A 300km stretch of cane fields has been ravaged in a region responsible for about half of Australia's $2 billion sugar industry.
About 1200 Australian Defence Force personnel have been committed to the recovery operation, Queensland Assist 17, to support emergency services workers and volunteers.
They will be supported by RAAF aircraft and HMAS Choules, a landing ship with a range of disaster relief capabilities.
Keith Pitt, a fellow north Queensland government backbencher, urged locals to steer clear of floodwaters.
"What we do not need is people out there who need to be rescued, who put themselves at risk unnecessarily and tie up emergency resources which could be doing other work," he told reporters in Canberra.
