Cairns flooding: Powerful moment Aussie locals save a cow from raging floodwaters

Extraordinary footage has emerged of the moment a group of Aussies banded together to rescue a cow stranded by floodwaters in Far North Queensland.

The region has been battered by its worst flood in almost 50 years in the aftermath of ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper.

The Cairns region copped 600mm of rain within 40 hours up to Monday morning with towns north of the tourist hotspot forecast to receive another 300mm within hours.

The wild weather has left behind a trail of destruction with major roads cut off, Cairns Airport inundated with water and entire communities flooded, forcing thousands of evacuations.

The race is now on to relocate livestock to higher ground as footage emerged of desperate efforts to rescue cows from rising floodwaters.

Hundreds of cattle from Lower Freshwater were swept up in the floodwaters on Sunday.

Locals jumped into action after several cows were swept down the fast flowing Barron River. 

They knotted a rope from their shoelaces to rescue the first of four calves.

A video showed six men working together in pouring rain to pull a cow over the fence onto the flooded Captain Cook Highway at a bridge near Kuranda.

The stunned cow sat on the flooded road and was comforted by a rescuer before the animal was taken to higher ground.

Local tourism operator Bazz Goes, from Cairns Canyoning, was among the heroes involved in the rescue effort.

‘Me and my mate we’ve jumped in the truck and gone for a drive and one of our friends has shown us the cows coming down the Barron River,’ Mr Goes told Channel Nine’s Today.

‘That was just one of the locations that we went to to help out and see where we could lend a helping hand, but there’s many people around still trying to sort their sandbags out, trying to block any sort of water coming in and just find some dry ground to stand on and keep their toes from getting wet.

‘It’s been pretty full on!’ 

The extraordinary footage has since gone viral worldwide with those involved in the rescue hailed as ‘bloody legends’.

‘Breaks my heart knowing so many animals will perish during these floods but so grateful to everyone who does their best to rescue as many as they can, thank you!’ one viewer commented.

Another added: ‘What a wonderful job you have all done, be proud of yourselves.’

A third wrote: ‘Watching this from Sydney. Absolutely wonderful how the community up there is pulling together and rescuing the cattle. Well done to you all!

Viewers from the other side of the world were also stunned by the heartwarming footage.

‘Thank god for kind people. The animals will be just afraid as humans in that situation. We are hoping and praying that you all come through ok. From Wales and Yorkshire