Tony Abbott's tour of drought-hit inland Australia got off to a sodden start when a heavy rain storm hit just as the Prime Minister began addressing a crowd of graziers in a sheep shed outside Bourke.

Mr Abbott had just inspected the Jandra station about 30 minutes outside the northwestern NSW town to view forlorn cattle chewing donated feed near a depleted pond.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, centre, visits Bourke as rain starts to fall. Credit:Peter Hannam

Visiting the nearby sheep shed to meet locals to discuss the drought conditions, light rain quickly turned into a serious downpour.

"I think we'd better get moving before we get stuck," Mr Abbott told an aide as he trudged across swelling pools of mud that had been dust minutes before.