Cyclone heads for Queensland

A category five cyclone is charging across the Coral Sea towards north Queensland.

Tropical cyclone Ului is now southeast of the Solomon Islands after building rapidly from a category three on Saturday to a category five on Sunday morning.

Queensland's Bureau of Meteorology says the cyclone is packing wind gusts of up to 290 kilometres an hour.

Senior forecaster Brett Harrison said at midday on Sunday it was more than 15,000 kilometres northeast of the Whitsundays.

"It is moving about 15 kilometres per hour and it will get close to the north Queensland coast around mid-week, probably Wednesday," Mr Harrison said.

"It is expected to be a very intense system for the next couple of days and will most likely be a category five (if it reaches north Queensland's coast)."

The cyclone, in combination with a high pressure system in the Tasman Sea, is creating big swells and strong winds north of Cairns.

Meanwhile, the clean-up after months of heavy rain in southwest and central Queensland is also continuing.

Farmers were assessing their livestock and property losses on Sunday as Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin and peak farming groups inspect the flood damage at Windorah, Quilpie, Thargomindah and Charleville, in southwest Queensland.

Mr Mulherin is meeting with farmers, small business owners and mayors to discuss the situation He will do the same in Cunnamulla, St George and Roma on Monday.

- AAP