Australia Weather News

WA's Kimberley is in the midst of one of its biggest wet seasons on record, causing headaches for emergency services, remote communities and cattle stations cut off by flooding, but it has not been all bad news for the region.

The rainfall that caused rivers to swell and break their banks has also turned pastures green, and caused waterfalls to flow on a grand scale.

Now tourism operators are capitalising on the natural spectacles being created, and there is a push by local tourism authorities to rebadge the wet season the "waterfall season".

Michael McConachy runs scenic flight charters from Kununurra, and said the falls had invigorated what was traditionally a quiet time of year.

"The tourism's definitely up for this year just due to the high amounts of rain we've had since January, and we've certainly had more people do scenic flights over the waterfalls around the East Kimberley," he said.

"One of the things we've been working on within the East Kimberley marketing group is to rebrand it as the waterfall season - it's something we're really keen to do.

"People are prepared to travel around the world to look at amazing waterfalls, but we've got pretty spectacular waterfalls in our own country in the East Kimberley, so it would be a good way to remind people to come and have a look."

While tourists and locals alike are relishing the spectacular falls and full swimming holes, authorities are being kept busy delivering emergency supplies to hundreds of remote residents.

Chopper delivers fuel to isolated communities

A helicopter has been flown from New South Wales to deliver around 100,000 litres of diesel fuel to stations and communities that have lost road access, and planes are being used to deliver a range of other essential goods.

"We'll be assisting those communities and stations to ensure they've got adequate fuel supplies in the way of diesel for power generation ... but also making sure there is sufficient food and medical supplies to get by," Fire and Emergency Services district officer Leon Gardiner said.

"It will be an interesting challenge with the tyranny of distance in this region ... just that extra planning, the distances, the fuel used, the timing, it all just adds to that challenge."

Among the communities that will be relying on the food drops is Ngallagunda, which sits halfway up the Gibb River Road in the central Kimberley.

Resident Linette Russ said the 20 or so people who were sticking out the wet season at their remote home had been flooded in since before Christmas.

"This has been the biggest rain we've had in years, not that we're complaining, because it's just beautiful," she said.

"But it does make it difficult ... we did get down to our last bag of flour, and had no sugar left.

"We can't thank the emergency services enough for their support, it really does make all the difference."

Rainfall records falling

Meanwhile, the rainfall is breaking records across the region.

Kununurra has received double the rainfall if usually does within the first few months of the wet, with 877 millimetres falling to the end of January.

The town of Halls Creek has to date had its wettest season since records began in 1945, while Broome has had its biggest wet season in 20 years.

Neil Bennett from the Bureau of Meteorology said it was so far ranking among the biggest five wet seasons on record.

"I don't think it will come as a surprise to people in the Kimberley that this is one of the wettest wet seasons they've had for a considerable period of time," he said.

"What we've seen is rather than there being a lot of tropical cyclones, we've seen a lot of tropical lows.

"We've had six in the Kimberley so far, and they've all brought with them very heavy rainfall.

"So it has been exceptionally wet, and there don't appear to be any signs of it slowing up just yet."