In a year considered anything like normal, a place like Kajabbi, a tiny settlement 120 kilometres north east of Mount Isa, could expect 200 mm of rain to fall in 12 months.

Since the monsoon arrived in November last year, the now drenched remote outpost has counted 900 mm from the summer deluge that caused rivers and water tables to rise but stopped the flow of tourist traffic dead.

Jeff Bambrick, the owner of the Kalkadoon Hotel, named in honour of the local First Nations people who used the Kajabbi district as their last line of defence against mounted police during Queensland’s frontier wars, said his family, and six other residents, had been flooded in since Christmas Eve.

“Thankfully, although coming extremely close, our hotel was not flooded”, he said.

“Despite that however, we have had no through traffic since Christmas.

“We’ve had a day or two here and there where the roads have been ‘passable’ however no one’s venturing out this way on those days at the risk of becoming stranded with us.”

Bambrick said the local trade had been supportive, but in a town with only six other people that support was only going to stretch so far.

“We rely so heavily on traffic,” he said.

“The last few months have been financially draining, and we’re at the end of our tether.

“We need to keep our stock cold and the lawn mowed, so the bills keep piling up despite having no income.”

Bambrick said his wife, son, and daughter were currently staying in Mount Isa.

“There’s no point us all being stuck out here”, he said.

“I’m out here by myself with my two dogs to caretake the place – it’s tough mentally.”

Three hundred kilometres south of his hotel, the owners of the Dangi Pub in Urandangi, are wondering how they will stay afloat after flooding left their building condemned by health and safety officers.

Both stories have been taken forward by local MP and Katter’s Australian Party Leader Robbie Katter, who said he was frustrated that such cases had fallen outside the State Government’s ‘extenuating circumstances’ emergency funding guidelines.

Bambrick said he had received no financial support, despite trying several ministers’ offices to plead his case.

His so far futile attempts to secure financial help have been further hampered by the multiple agencies controlling the money, with three State Government ministers – Mark Furner (Agriculture); Leeanne Enoch (Housing) and Mark Ryan (Emergency Services) – all issuing funding announcements in the disaster’s wake from a larger portion of funding administered by the Commonwealth.

A media release issued by Furner on March 17 references that further funding requirements would be assessed over coming weeks, perhaps indicating that additional, as yet unannounced grants may be forthcoming, but which require clearance from the Prime Minister.

Locals who have also spoken to InQueensland say they are falling outside the income test, with payments to individuals requiring their weekly income to be below $988 and couples below $1367.

Structural assistance grants, one-off payments of up to $50,000 are only allocated to owner-occupiers whose homes are uninsured.

Other funds are targeted directly to agricultural operations or suppliers classified as an agribusiness.

Katter said the plight of the publicans should be considered extenuating circumstances.

“A lot of these specialised, privately-run facilities run off the smell of an oily rag out there,” he said.

“They’re not highly profitable but would almost be considered vital in these regions.

“The assistance provided misses the mark on a lot of these areas.”

Katter said the heartache and frustration was widespread and growing.

“The closure of the Dangi Pub will likely mean that the town will cease to exist, and is just the tip of the iceberg”, he said.

“The Tirranna Roadhouse, Kalkadoon Hotel, the Gregory Pub and many more have all felt the domino effect of this weather.

“All of these businesses have been on wobbly wheels, and in a fragile economic state for years.

“If some assistance isn’t provided, this will be the final blow for more than just the Dangi Pub.”

InQueensland has lodged further inquiries about additional sources of funding with the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA).