An 80-year-old farmer and his horse have died mustering cattle to higher ground away from floodwaters on a north-west Queensland property at Monto on Friday.
The body of an elderly farmer who failed to return home on Friday night after mustering cattle away from floodwaters on his property, Lagoona Station, was found Saturday morning.
Police, SES volunteers and neighbours started searching the property, west of Bundaberg, on Friday when he was reported missing. Police requested the RACQ CareFlight Bundaberg helicopter start an aerial search at daybreak.
A CareFlight spokesman said the helicopter crew informed police shortly after that they had found the body of the man's horse about 1km away from the homestead and soon after the ground party found the man's body. Police did not release his name.
"Floodwaters were still high and weren't receding," the CareFlight spokesman said.
Flood warnings issued by the Bureau of Meteorology continue for nearby districts inland of Rockhampton and Gladstone after widespread rainfalls of between 30 to 60mm in Central Highlands.
Forecaster Michael Paech said Moranbah, 560km, north of Monto, received a record 169mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am Saturday. This was the greatest rainfall in one day at Moranbah since records began in 1973. Its average monthly rainfall for February is 101mm.
Heavy rains also fell inland of Mackay with 297mm at Munburra Road, 252mm at Mt Dukes and 246mm at Sarina.
