Floods create an outback wonderland | QLD News | Breaking News in Queensland

Flood waters from Queensland's recent big wet are slowly making their way to the Simpson Desert.

AAP

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HEAVY rain in Queensland has sparked inland floods, transforming Australia's Simpson Desert into a wonderland of waterways teeming with plants and wildlife.

Fish have made their way into the rivers, waterbirds have flocked to the area in their thousands and mammals, like hopping mice and the rare long-haired rat, are expected to flourish.

But the beauty won't last, and might not come again for another 10 years or more.

Not-for-profit conservation group Bush Heritage, which buys and manages large reserves across the country, says its Ethabuka and Cravens Peak reserves have both benefited from what is developing into the best rainfall event since the 1970s.

Bush Heritage ecologist Max Tischler, who has just flown over the region, said it was a spectacular sight, with a huge volume of water making its way across western Queensland and into central Australia.

"It's really quite extensive, the size of the floodouts are really quite immense, Mr Tischler told AAP.

"It's just an immense expanse of water that is snaking its way south, through the rangelands and plains and the sand dunes."

And with the water comes life, as birds and then a host of small mammals respond.

"Ducks and other birds are starting to congregate on some of the waterholes," Mr Tischler said.

"As the floodwaters start to shrink back to the more permanent channels and waterholes we'll see a real concentration of waterbirds.

"The floodwaters will probably continue to make their way across the desert for another month or so.

"But the water will remain in the deeper waterholes and the deeper channels for well into the year, probably until next summer."

And though the floods recede, their impact will be longer lasting, potentially restoring some areas to the conditions that existed before grazing began many years ago.

The soaking rains revive the native food chain, providing wildlife with a sustainable future.

With this year's floods a tourism bonanza also beckons as 2010 shapes up as a fantastic year to visit the region.

"There is going to be an enormous amount of water making the rivers flow and producing a green flush," Mr Tischler said.

"At the moment flying is the only way you can get out there - not many of the locals are moving about, because all of the roads are flooded.

"But within a few months most areas will be accessible to vehicles and to see it on the ground will then be quite spectacular."

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