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Flooded Gulf of Carpentaria communities shocked by generosity as truckloads of donations arrive

Two triple road trains travelled from Sarina to Burketown with donated supplies. (Supplied: Cattle Kings)

Long-time stockman Matt Ferguson-Tait can't help but get emotional when he describes the scenes of devastation in the flood-ravaged Gulf of Carpentaria.

"When you drive into Burketown all you can see is hundreds of dead cattle piled on top of each other," he said.

"It's heartbreaking … just crushing."

Residents were not much better off, he said.

"They are just broken, worn out … they are completely on their own and it's taking a huge toll on their mental health."

Despite being based in Sarina, 1,500 kilometres away from the Gulf, Mr Ferguson-Tait sprang into action as soon as he heard that roads had opened across the region.

Aerial vision shows the extent of flooding at Burketown. (Supplied)
Donations were carted from Sarina, on the Queensland coast, to Burketown in the Gulf. (Supplied: Cattle Kings)

He used his role at agriculture goods supplier Cattle Kings to rustle up support from the industry.

"I approached some truck drivers and they were instantly in," he said.

"Once they were on board we were able to get our suppliers involved."

Before he knew it, he was accompanying two triple road trains full of cattle feed, mattresses, clothes, cleaning supplies and non-perishable food, on the trek to Burketown.

News of their convoy travelled as well and, as they drove through several outback towns, they collected even more donations.

A warm welcome

Mr Ferguson-Tait said when the trucks rolled into Burketown, residents had been shocked.

"Those people up in the Gulf are quite resilient and they don't know how to take charity," he said.

"When we pulled up the trucks, they all stood back because they didn't want to take something in case someone else needed it more than them."

Truckloads of donated cattle feed travelled to Burketown. (Supplied: Cattle Kings)
Burketown residents were shocked by the generosity of donors. (Supplied: Cattle Kings)

Townsville man Daniel Reddicliffe accompanied Mr Ferguson-Tait and the crew to help document their efforts.

He said the defeated state of the farmers struck a chord.

"When we got to Gregory, those people were just broken and worn out. It was hard not to tear up," he said.

Burketown residents are worn out, Mr Ferguson-Tait says. (Supplied: Cattle Kings)

'Forgotten about'

While a handful of one-off payments and loans have been announced by the state government, technicalities have created confusion and some residents are missing out.

Meanwhile, poor reception is preventing others from accessing much-needed financial support.

"It's woken me up to just how isolated these people are out there and forgotten about," Mr Reddicliffe said.

Piles of dead cattle litter the land around the Gulf. (Supplied: Cattle Kings)

Mr Ferguson-Tait called on the government to do more to help get towns on their feet.

"They need boots on the ground to help with getting these houses sorted because the mental impact is humungous," he said.

"They need help rounding up what cattle are left and getting them fed properly and healthy again."

Daniel Reddicliffe (left) and Matt Ferguson-Tait helped drop off the supplies. (Supplied: Daniel Reddicliffe)

Mr Reddicliffe slammed commercial media for what he said had been a lack of coverage in line with the scale of the catastrophe.

"People have lost everything they've worked for for generations … all of it, swept away," he said.

"And one of the top news stories on the news recently was a cat stuck under the bonnet of a car.

"Like, you gotta be kidding me."

Three weeks after the floods, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles and Opposition leader David Crisafulli visited hard-hit communities.

Mr Miles said additional staff would be brought in to help flood-affected residents navigate recovery grants.

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