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A major military operation is under way to evacuate an entire town ravaged by flooding in Far North Queensland.
Two Australian Defence Force Chinooks flew in today to the rural community of Wujal Wujal, about 115 kilometres north of Cairns, where up to 300 people have been stranded for days.
A massive wall of water had prevented crews from accessing the town sooner.
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"That community has never seen water through Wujal Wujal like that and the pace that that water came through at," Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said.
Up to 120 people were being flown to the safety of Cooktown today, with more evacuations planned tomorrow.
'Grave concerns' for man after home destroyed
In neighbouring Degarra, the search for an 85-year-old man missing since Sunday night continued after authorities confirmed his property had been destroyed by the flood.
Chelepy said rescuers, who had mounted an extensive land and water search, had "grave concerns" for his welfare.
"Our crews on the ground are working tirelessly to search through flood waters and on land to locate this man who remains unaccounted for," he said.
"The conditions are difficult due to flooding and debris, however search efforts will continue as waters begin to recede."
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Remarkable stories of rescues
Across the region, exhausted crews spent the day wading through water to save lives after 230 more rescues were carried out overnight.
Remarkable stories have emerged of local heroes navigating crocodile-infested waters to help strangers stuck in trees and a man standing waist-deep in water.
"These are the stories of which every Australian can be proud … the true Australian spirit that we see time and time again," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Good Samaritan Gavin Dear said the real hero was helicopter pilot Magoo.
"He made 16 helicopter trips landing on the roof there and he took them all out one by one," Dear told Today.
Albanese revealed financial help would be available from tomorrow.
He and Premier Steven Miles will travel to the affected communities later this week.
"Just as we have stood shoulder to shoulder with them and provided all that they needed during the disaster, we will be there with them during this cleanup," Miles said.
Works to get critical power water and supplies back are under way but it will take weeks to fix major roads that are cutting off communities all the way from Innisfail to Cooktown.
"It's just dire. We've gotta get these people through, we need to get people on the ground," Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said.
Flood-hit residents kayak to damaged homes
Holloways Beach in Cairns' north was one of the worst-hit suburbs.
One road gave way completely, forcing locals to kayak across in an attempt to reach their flooded homes, several of which were uninsured.
Streets covered in ruined furniture and family photos tell the story.
Keith and Marie have lived in the suburb for 26 years. They were struggling to deal with the damage until three strangers turned up in a truck today to clear out all the mud and lift the damaged goods onto the footpath.
"[It's] quite devastating but the mud was unbelievable and how fast it came up. Just unbelievable," Marie said.
"And just, I just can't imagine the damage of the whole suburb what they're going through too."
Forecasters face criticism
As the region begins the long road to recovery, the Bureau of Meteorology has faced criticism in Wujal Wujal and parts of Cairns for not warning residents earlier about the extent of the flooding.
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt defended the forecasters.
"It's not a perfect science. The Bureau of Meteorology do the absolute best they can with the science they have available," he said.
