Australia Weather News

A record-breaking and continuous winter downpour has caused an explosion of colour in the Australian outback, with country from Coober Pedy in South Australia to Toowoomba in Queensland green and dotted with wildflowers.

The Department of Agriculture's Jenny Milson said it was the best display in decades.

"In terms of the flowers being in profusion like this and in such a large area, it would have to be close on the 30-year mark," she said.

"The interesting thing is, we do see the odd one of these wildflowers every few years, but what we haven't [had] before is the profusion that we're seeing.

"But [this year] we've had four months of this beautiful green and colourful season."

However, the wildflowers are not just pretty to look at — they actually serve a more practical purpose, providing shade that slows evaporation rates, allowing more water to seep into the ground.

This will help grasses and stock feeds grow as the area struggles to recover from four years of drought.

"They are going to provide good coverage and good protection and help water get into the soil better when we get summer rain," Ms Milson said.

"Then we can get some of the grasses coming back as well, the Mitchell Grass in particular, which really holds this landscape together."

Good season welcome after drought

The winter rain has been welcomed by the outback community, which has suffered from an extended drought.

Grazier and scenic tour pilot Phil Owens said it had put a smile on everyone's faces.

"This season has been pretty amazing," he said.

"You can't really explain it. It's been so refreshing, after this long drought, to get this winter rain.

"Everyone is sort of feeling phew, we've had some rain."

Mr Owens said the wet weather and cooler temperatures meant the tourist season had run longer, with people making the trip out to see the Channel Country in flood.

"The inland river system, when they get this … rain, just responds. It's just green, green everywhere," he said.

"You get a variety of the greens. You don't know there is so many colours of green, but there is probably half a dozen different greens, plus you get the reds with the sand dunes. It's pretty amazing."

Mr Owens' visitors have been surprised by the Channel Country, saying the beauty of the river systems was underrated.

Pat Wells, holidaying from Sydney with her husband, said the country was so green, it was unbelievable.

"It was so different to anything I've ever seen before, with all the little channels running here, there, everywhere," she said.

"It just went on and on, and it was just amazing."

Roller-coaster season for tour operators

Tour operator Allan Smith has been operating tours out of Longreach for 29 years, and has never seen a season like this.

"Over that time we have seen many different seasons, but we have never seen one quite as wet as this one," he said.

"We actually had an old bloke up in Winton say this is the wettest winter we've had since 1934.

"We have had wet winters before, but this has been the most consistent."

Mr Smith's business has lost a significant amount of money due to the wet weather forcing road closures.

"We probably lost a couple of weeks in cruises, and there would have been at least 10 longer tours that we had to divert," he said.

The rain has also meant some additional challenges, including a bogged bus.

"It actually became like a crust with quicksand underneath it, and the heavy vehicle just fell through and it had to be towed out by a tractor," Mr Smith said.

But he said overall, the rain had done more good than harm.

"It'll really bring the nature back and it'll set it up for next year to be a fantastic year for visitors and locals," he said.

"All we want is happy customers and a happy landscape."

Despite the road closures forcing people to rearrange their travel itinerates, the outback has still seen a record number of tourists passing through.

Numbers at the Longreach Visitor Information Centre are up 50 per cent on last year, due to people seeking out the latest on road conditions.