Extraordinary footage has emerged of the moment a group of Aussies came together to save a cow stranded by flooding in Far North Queensland.
The region has been hit by the worst flooding in almost fifty years, in the wake of ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper.
The Cairns region received 600mm of rain in 40 hours by Monday morning, while cities north of the tourism hotspot were expected to receive another 300mm within hours.
The wild weather has left a trail of destruction: major roads have been cut off, Cairns Airport has been flooded with water and entire communities have been flooded, forcing thousands of evacuations.
The race to move cattle to higher ground is now on, after images emerged of desperate attempts to rescue cows from rising waters.
This cow has been moved to higher ground after being rescued from raging waters
Hundreds of cattle from Lower Freshwater entered floodwaters on Sunday.
Locals took action after several cows were swept by the fast-flowing Barron River.
They tied a rope from their shoelaces to save the first of the four calves.
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 being 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 jumped in the truck and went for a drive and one of our friends showed us the cows coming down the Barron River,” Mr Goes told Channel Nine's Today.
“That was just one of the locations we went to to help and see where we could lend a hand, but there's still a lot of people trying to sort out their sandbags, hold back any kind of water that's coming in and just find some dry ground to stand on and avoid getting their toes wet.
Six men used all their strength to drag the distressed cow over the fence onto the flooded Captain Cook Highway
The cows were rescued from the fast-flowing Barron River (pictured on Monday)
“It's been pretty full!”
The extraordinary footage has since gone viral worldwide and those involved in the rescue effort have been hailed as 'bloody legends'.
'It breaks my heart to know that so many animals will die during these floods, but I am so grateful to everyone who is doing their best to save as many as they can, thank you!' one viewer responded.
Another added: “What an amazing job you all have done, be proud of yourselves.”
A third wrote: 'Watching this from Sydney. Absolutely amazing how the community there works together and saves the cattle. Well done everyone!
Viewers on the other side of the world were also stunned by the heartwarming images.
“Thank God for nice people. The animals will be just as scared as people in that situation. We hope and pray that you all get through this well. From Wales and Yorkshire