Local's photo stunt in outback town lauded for showing 'Aussie resilience'

The image of a man hanging out washing in chest-high floodwater has been held up as a symbol of Aussie resilience after many parts of the country were battered by floods in recent weeks.

The "impromptu" snap was taken by Thiwi Rowlands on Sunday in Birdsville — an outback town deep in central Queensland near the Northern Territory and South Australia borders.

"We were just updating family and friends who aren't in Birdsville on the floods and the progress of it," she told Yahoo News, explaining the image was staged. However, after sharing the photo online it evoked such a high level of emotion that it quickly spread across the internet.

"We live in a bubble here, literally... I had no idea the picture was going crazy," she admitted.

The making of the Birdsville image

Rowlands explained she was driving past a caravan park with her niece Khalli and her niece's partner Liam when she spotted a washing line peeking just above the stagnant floodwater, and saw an opportunity for a picture.

"I was like, 'Liam, you've got to get in there'... we took our tops off so he had some clothes and he jumped in the water for the picture," she said.

Birdsville flooding not a result of local rainfall

She explained the caravan site is on a gradual slope so she only had to wade through knee-high floodwater, but the water was up to Liam's chest while the trees in the background were even more submerged.

"Every time it floods those trees go under," Rowlands said, explaining the location is susceptible to flooding.

"It was a dry flood, so it isn't a result of any rainfall that we've had. This comes from all of the rainfall that's happened up north and all of that water is travelling down south, and we happen to be on that path."

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Why the image meant so much to Aussies

Rowlands said she was "shocked" by the online response but was delighted it was connecting people, believing she was able to capture the emotions as initially intended.

"I was trying to put across the resilience us people in the outback have," she said. "When there's stuff that happens to us we just handle it head on. You've got to roll with the punches."

Aussies praised the image online for it's "optimism" and said it was worthy of being on a stamp because it encapsulates the Aussie spirit.

"What a fantastic country we live in," one wrote. "Such a wonderful sense of humour," another remarked.

Flood warnings for northern Australia

Parts of Queensland and NSW were battered with intense flooding last month and thousands of residents were forced to flee their homes as roads turned to rivers, with some using kayaks to escape.

Western Australians are being warned a tropical cyclone is gathering strength as it travels over the Northern Territory, where 24-hour totals over 100mm have been recorded already. The Bureau of Meteorology says a flood watch extends into Western Australia's Kimberley region over the coming week.

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