Refuge mounds provide life-saving flood relief for livestock

North-west Queensland is flat. Vast and flat, covering hundreds of thousands of hectares

It's a region that provides the ideal landscape for cattle to roam and graze, and because of this it's the perfect spot for primary producers to raise beef cattle.

But come the annual monsoon season, these idyllic pastures can quickly turn into an inland ocean, creating a severe threat to life on the land.

In 2019 and 2024 this very situation resulted in catastrophic losses of hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, horses and goats that tragically died in floodwaters being unable to find refuge.

Faced with these challenges, primary producers are turning to new solutions to help them adapt the landscape and prevent future flood losses.

Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries (DPI) are supporting these efforts by advising producers to adopt a risk management approach when stocking paddocks on floodplains or adjacent to major watercourses.

One technique growing in popularity is the creation of flood refuge mounds – large, engineered earth mounds constructed on flood-prone paddocks.

Built at a height above anticipated flood levels, the mounds allow livestock to access higher ground out of harm’s way during severe events.

As floodwaters rise, livestock often instinctively move onto these elevated pads of land, but of course some need a little direction along the way.

Flood refuge mounds can also be developed to feature pasture, shade, and feeding areas, making them more attractive to livestock in a flooding situation.

Designing and constructing these mounds is complex and can be cost-prohibitive to primary producers operating on a smaller scale.

Acknowledging this, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) put forward a case for a $2 million on-farm resilience study in early 2024 through the Australian Government’s $91.8 million North Queensland Resilience Program.

Delivered by DPI, the funding was used to identify the feasibility of FRMs and other on-farm resilience measures across northern and western Queensland.

Several farmers in Carpentaria and Croydon who had recently built FRMs believed they were beneficial during the flooding in early-2026 in the state’s northwest.

DPI is working with primary producers throughout the region to better understand the effectiveness of the on-farm resilience study program.

Throughout history, adapting to risks has repeatedly shown an increase in the resilience of anyone who is willing to try.

Queensland primary producers are showing this ‘who dares wins’ spirit as they face a future of increased risk of floods, mitigated by the innovative advantage of flood refuge mounds for livestock.