Almost half of the residents in the tiny Queensland town of Tully have turned out to welcome Prince William as he continues his visit to flood-hit Queensland.
Tully, one of the areas worst affected by last month's Cyclone Yasi, has a population of just 5000 and an estimated 2000 people turned out at the local sports ground to greet the prince.
They filled the grandstand and surrounded parts of the sports oval four and five deep as the prince's Black Hawk helicopter touched down.
"This is a very small town and for a prince to come here and show his concern will give us a tremendous lift," said local police Sergeant Mike Bailey.
His colleague Senior Sargeant Peter Williamson said the prince was "extremely upset" by what he saw when he flew into the town on Saturday.
"He said the only positive was that there was no serious injury or loss of life."
Adrian House, of the Queensland Ambulance Service at nearby Mission Beach, said the prince was extremely approachable.
"Something like this gives us a great lift. It has an overwhelmingly positive effect."
Captain Michael Bennett of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service said the prince had obviously done his homework.
"He had a very good knowledge of what had happened and the issues affecting us," he said.
Prince William walked along the boundary of the sports oval shaking hands and one woman presented him with a bouquet of flowers.
He received a huge cheer as he waved farewell and departed in his helicopter to continue his visit to Cairns.
