General News
12 September, 2026
Wettest title favourite
IN the lush, green heart of Far North Queensland’s Wet Tropics, rain isn’t just a persistent weather forecast – it’s a competitive sport.
For decades, the neighbouring communities of Babinda and Tully have engaged in an ongoing, friendly clash for bragging rights over Australia’s unofficial “Golden Gumboot” award.
After Babinda dramatically snatched victory last year by fewer than 24 millimetres of precipitation, the 2026 tally shows Babinda in a good position to claim yet another back-to-back win.
According to official Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) station records from January this year, Babinda Post Office had logged a massive 3738mm of rainfall to the end of August.
By contrast, Tully Sugar Mill recorded about 3369mm over the same period.
While both totals are extraordinary by any standard measure, Babinda’s nearly 370 mm advantage places the town in a commanding position as the region approaches the final stretch of the year.
The battle of the wettest towns is traditionally decided during the intense monsoonal bursts between January and April.
This year was no exception.
Tully experienced a particularly heavy early autumn, with March delivering a staggering 836.5mm of rain in a single month following a 641.9mm soaking in January.
Babinda copped even heavier downpours early in the year, led by a deluge in January that topped a huge 893mm, alongside a nearly as wet March – yielding 836mm.
Consistent mid-year showers across the region have steadily expanded Babinda’s lead throughout the ‘dry’ season months.
The rivalry between the two towns is deeply woven into local folklore.
It was famously thrust into the spotlight following the end of the 2025 season, when Babinda revelled in a razor-thin victory of 5324mm over Tully’s 5300mm. That win allowed Babinda to retain the coveted title after a 5724mm performance the year prior.
Tully’s residents, who proudly boast a giant 7.9m-high ‘Golden Gumboot’ monument in Banyan Park to commemorate their record-breaking 7925mm year in 1950, have naturally been eager to see the numbers tip back in their favour.
But Babinda certainly isn’t resting on its laurels – or for that matter, gumboots – just yet.
Rosanna Lennon, Babinda Post Office’s licensee who also records official BoM rainfall figures, told The Observer the 2026 wettest town friendly battle could definitely turn between now and the end of December.
“You only need a deluge to hit. or a cyclone or whatever, and it can flip the other way,” Ms Lennon said.
“So, I try not to think about it. I just record it every day.”
Even during quieter months, sudden torrential downpours are a way of life for residents, who take the friendly rivalry with good humour.
For now, Tully will need an unprecedented wet spring if it hopes to regain the crown.
“Although the weather is very unpredictable these years now, so it can just change,” Ms Lennon said.
“You just never know. We’re ahead by quite a bit, but you only need a really good downpour, and Tully could get it from us again.”