There are often weeks when the top ten most popular stories have little or no bearing on the biggest and gravest events of the moment.
This week, however, was not one of them.
As floodwaters inundated first Queensland, then northern New South Wales, then Victoria and Tasmania, readers weren't content with mere reports of devastation.
Instead, they sought specifics, pushing our interactive map of the floods miles ahead of all other stories for the second week in a row.
Perhaps the terrible misfortune wrought on thousands of families made other Aussies ponder their own destinies.
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An article about how the Moon has 'caused zodiac signs to change' came in second.
The diversion to astrology proved only momentary, as immediately after it in the list appeared an extraordinary tale of generosity.
Asylum seekers Darwin, who themselves have no homes and barely any possessions, scraped together money to donate to the flood appeal.
The story prompted its own flood of comments, but whether it was more than a drop in the ocean of negative public opinion on asylum seekers remains to be seen.
Another light item took fourth place, with news audiences swapping images of tragedy for the glamour of a Golden Globes red-carpet gallery.
There was no joy for Aussie actors at the ceremony, but no doubt some Australian viewers derived joy from Ricky Gervais's irreverant ribbing of the American-ness of it all in his opening speech.
His spiel has been watched on YouTube by more than three million people ... and counting.
The little-publicised plight of Australian Copts protesting persecution took fifth place. Recent attacks on the Christian community in Egypt have enraged leaders worldwide and fuelled an energetic message-board discussion on our site.
It was back to sodden Queensland for number six, but again it wasn't the media's take on events that news consumers were after.
Dramatic amateur footage of cars being swept away in Toowoomba's fatal flash floods rapidly went viral online, bringing the terror of the disaster to YouTube viewers worldwide.
Oddly enough, apples came in seventh, with consumers being urged to boycott Chinese apples coming into Australia. Concerns that the foreign fruit would hurt local growers may have been exacerbated by the horticultural catastrophe in Southeast Queensland, the nation's fruitbowl.
In eighth place, a gallery of flood photos drew clicks as the water flowed into northern NSW.
Echuca and Horsham in Victoria were the next flood-stricken towns to catch the attention of our readers.
This week's final item summed up the strongest sentiment to emerge as the raging torrents subsided to the north.
Our guide to how you can help Queensland's flood victims clicked its way into tenth place, capping off readers' interest in specific locations and first-hand stories with an obvious desire to lend a hand.
This week's top ten comes as a heartening reminder that now matter how desensitised news audiences may be to stories of catastrophe, they still step in when the neighbours are in real need.
