Australia's outback floods spread further across the country's flat inland plains yesterday, leaving kangaroos stranded on fences and sheep hanging from branches of trees.
A third of the state of Queensland, Australia's second-largest state, was under water as monsoon rains continued to flood vast tracts of land in Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
Weather forecasters said a cyclone could develop off the Queensland coast in the next few days, bringing more rain and flooding in northern Australia.
"It looks like a big ocean, a big brown ocean," said police Sgt Trevor Girling at Longreach in central Queensland.
In New South Wales, a farmer said he estimated he had lost 4,000 sheep in floodwaters that have flowed down the country's river systems from the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Mr Robert Dowling, who owns the Yantabangee Station northeast of Broken Hill, said he saw dead sheep in trees and on fences when he flew over his property yesterday. "You've got to fly it to believe the amount of water around," Mr Dowling told reporters.
On Tuesday, the monsoon rains sent waterfalls cascading down the giant Uluru (Ayers Rock) in central Northern Territory.
As rains eased in the Northern Territory, the floodwaters travelled south into South Australia as three major river systems broke their banks, flooding into the flat desert landscape.
But the South Australian Environment Minister, Mr Iain Evans, said the floods would soon bring colour and life to the outback.
Within months, when the waters recede, much of inland Australia would be carpeted with wild flowers and a multitude of desert shrubs and trees would begin to grow.
"This is a special event and those who enjoy outback travel should take advantage of it," Mr Evans said. "Birds that follow the effects of the rain have already responded and arrived in the previously parched desert areas.
"And there are frogs everywhere. Their calls can be heard from all directions and all sandy areas are covered in tracks made during their nocturnal wanderings."