Residents in the Gulf of Carpentaria region of Far North Queensland have faced more damaging flooding. Normanton, Doomadgee, Gregory and Mount Isa have all been swamped, while the small outback town of Burketown (population 150) was hit hard over the weekend. There, the Albert River peaked at more than 7 metres on Friday… That’s higher than the 2011 record flood level of 6.78m. Most locals were evacuated, but those who remained in town say at least 40 homes were inundated. Authorities say the floodwaters “seem to have steadied”, but it’s expected to be weeks before they recede completely – leaving those in town cut off from help for several weeks. It adds to several months of isolation for communities in the Gulf, which has gone through one of its worst wet seasons in years. The damage bill – including heavy livestock losses – is expected to be hefty.