The Bureau of Meteorology said significant rain as a result of both Ex-Tropical Cyclone Charlotte and a monsoonal trough which has crossed the coast between Townsville and Cairns would only move as far south as Mt Isa in the west, and Mackay along the coast respectively.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Charlotte, which was downgraded to a rain depression after it crossed the coast early Monday morning near the Gilbert River Mouth, is drifting west southwest from Georgetown and Croydon across the bottom of the Gulf, but weakening as it progresses.

"The areas that have had the worst of the weather so far will continue to get the inclement weather at least until the weekend before things start to ease," a BOM spokesperson said this week.

That means further heavy rainfall and flooding are expected in the southeast Gulf Country and parts of Cape York Peninsula, with the rain transforming the State's North West from one of its biggest droughts into flooding.

Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) have been activated for Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Croydon, Tablelands and Hinchinbrook local government areas.

Acting Premier Paul Lucas said the joint State and Federal Government funded NDRRA provided assistance including personal hardship grants of $165 per person and up to $765 per family for directly impacted residents who have been unable to recover via their own means from the floods.

This NDRRA funding can be accessed through the Department of Communities.

Eighteen local Government areas are now eligible for NDRRA - Barcoo, Boulia, Burke, Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Diamantina, Doomadgee, Etheridge, Flinders, McKinlay, Mount Isa, Richmond, Winton, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Croydon, Tablelands and Hinchinbrook.

Current damage estimates sit at $26.1 million, but with water still high in some areas true damage assessments are yet to be finalised.

* Extract from a special flood report in Queensland Country Life, January 22 edition.