Scott Morrison says north Queensland farmers and other residents had been knocked off their feet by flooding and its aftermath, but would "get back up together".
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Wearing a scarf over his nose and mouth, the prime minister inspected dead cattle in flood-devastated northwest Queensland on Friday.
The prime minister flew into Cloncurry on Thursday night, where he met with local community members at the bowls club.
He spoke with a group of graziers on Friday morning at the town airport, ahead of taking part in a defence force helicopter fodder drop.
Then it was on to a Julia Creek property where cattle lay dead along the fence line - some of the estimated 500,000 to perish in the once-in-a-century flooding.
Mr Morrison said there was a "long road" ahead - lasting five to 10 years - for people who had been grazing cattle for generations.
"This will be again one of the most prosperous regions of the country ... and we are going to rebuild the cattle industry here," he told reporters.
"We've been knocked off our feet here a bit, right across the region, but we all get back up together."
He said the government was aware of the need to repair roads, restock and deal with debt and cash flow, as well as the human cost.
Authorities are racing to dispose of dead animals to limit the spread of disease.
Cattle, sheep and wildlife perished in the unprecedented two-week rains, which left large swathes of the state under water.
Their rotting carcasses pose a high risk of botulism and Q fever to clean-up crews and to local water supplies in flooded communities.
A RAAF transport aircraft was delivering 500 sets of personal protective equipment, provided by Queensland's health department, to Cloncurry, McKinlay, Richmond and Flinders shires on Friday.
The drop included eye protection, face masks and hand wash.
The federal government has announced a range of disaster relief efforts, including three months of support payments and one-off payments to help people get back on their feet.
As the emergency enters its 22nd day, assistance has been extended to 31 of Queensland's 77 councils.
In its latest summary, the Bureau of Meteorology reported Townsville received 1257mm of rain in the 10 days to February 6 - blitzing the previous 10-day record of 925.5mm set in January 1953.
Some areas of north Queensland received more than 2000mm over 12 days, with the Gulf Country and northwest Queensland also receiving record-breaking rainfall in previously drought-affected regions, including at Julia Creek and Richmond.
Australian Associated Press
