Flood waters that killed hundreds of thousands of cattle in outback Queensland are now doing the same in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Carpentaria Shire Mayor Jack Bawden says local graziers are facing an "absolute disaster" after flood waters arrived.
Water levels have peaked and are now slowly receding and he fears what farmers will find as the landscape slowly re-emerges.
"Stock losses are still an unknown at the moment but we think it could be 75 per cent, could be 80 per cent," he told AAP on Friday.
"It's just horrendous. It's been pretty distressing."
The beef-rich region is home to an estimated eight million head of cattle, and graziers are struggling to come terms with crippling losses.
Nine shires across Queensland are disaster-declared and AgForce boss Michael Guerin says it's still too early to quantify stock losses.
"We've heard a figure of 500,000. We believe it's north of that. But we won't actually know for a number of weeks," he told the ABC.
Authorities are racing to dispose of dead animals to limit the spread of disease.
Cattle, sheep and wildlife perished in the unprecedented two-week rains, which left large swathes of the state under water.
A RAAF transport aircraft delivered personal protective equipment, provided by Queensland's health department, to Cloncurry, McKinlay, Richmond and Flinders shires on Friday.
The drop included eye protection, face masks and hand wash.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also visited the region on Friday, touring flood-affected farms and speaking directly with graziers.
Mr Morrison said there was a long road ahead - lasting five to 10 years - for graziers who had been working the land for generations.
"This will be again one of the most prosperous regions of the country ... and we are going to rebuild the cattle industry here," he told reporters.
"We've been knocked off our feet here a bit, right across the region, but we all get back up together."
He said the government was aware of the need to repair roads, restock and deal with debt and cash flow, as well as the human cost.
There are a range of disaster relief options, including three months of support payments and one-off payments to help people get back on their feet.
In Townsville, Deputy Premier Jackie Trad met with leading insurers to ensure residents and businesses were treated fairly and that reconstruction would be headed primarily by local contractors.
"People are really hurting and there is a real need for a compassionate approach," she said.
"We all need to work together to recover Townsville and the north-west as quickly as possible."
Insurance Council of Australia chief executive Rob Whelan said 15,571 claims have been lodged so far with losses of about $606 million.
