The widespread, flooding rains will provide a huge boost to the previously drought-stricken cattle country.

"This is bloody great - to start a year like this ... we haven't had this sort of rain since the '70s. It's been 30 years coming," he said.

The floods will provide job security for "two to three years" for local council workers and farming contractors.

"Things were getting tight ... but the whole community now has security in their jobs."

Mount Isa, Carpentaria, Flinders, Boulia and Richmond shires will now be eligible for natural disaster relief grants, following yesterday's activation for the Burke, Cloncurry and McKinlay shire councils.

Before the weekend's monsoonal rain, most of the affected areas were suffering from water shortages, with Cloncurry nearly dry.

Residents and farmers are now celebrating some of the best falls in years, with Mount Isa recording 170 millimetres of rain since New Year's Day - nearly as much as it received for the whole of 2008.

A remote rural town in far north-west Queensland is on stand-by to evacuate this morning as flood waters continue to rise.

Several towns remain isolated by floodwaters.

The State Government has activated disaster relief for eight regions affected by flooding, with the damage bill expected to top $15 million.

The 60 residents of the indigenous community of Urandangi, about 60 kilometres from the Northern Territory border, will learn their fate later today as water levels at Lake Nash and the Georgina River show no signs of receding.

Cr Britton said up to 200mm more rain fell on some properties in the area overnight, on top of heavy falls since New Year's day.

Elsewhere, rain eased overnight, but Mt Isa still received another 54mm since yesterday morning.

While Urandangi has been inundated with water - the river level is already at 6.6 metres and rising.

Road access is still available for the time being, Cr Britton said.

Floodwaters have blocked sections of the Barkly Highway, causing supplies of fresh food to run short.

Flood warnings remain in place for Gulf Rivers but rainfall has eased in the area since yesterday morning, giving State Emergency Services a break overnight.