Eighteen thousand head of cattle from the Top End of Australia will be walked to Hay in NSW.

The young cattle have been bought from the Australian Agricultural Company's properties, including Anthony's Lagoon and Brunette Downs in the Northern Territory, and will be trucked to Longreach.

Boss drover Bill Little is organising nine teams to then walk the record number of cattle south.

"Eighteen thousand, predominantly heifers from AACo properties mostly from the Northern Territory, they're going to Uardry station near Hay and we're hoping to walk them all the way," he said.

"The season's a bit up and down in places, but they'll be going direct, so I think we'll have a fair chance of getting through."

But with drought already causing shortages of feed in northern Australia, other mobs of cattle are already on the stock routes.

There's concerns about the already low water supplies.

In western Queensland, the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council is considering closing some of its stock routes and has staff out doing inspections this week.

It says it was unaware that such a large mob was on the way.

The Winton Shire Council had refused the project permits to pass through it's stock routes but its decision was overturned by the Queensland Government.

In a written statement, the Department of Natural Resources says "following inspections of sections of the route, the department determined that adequate feed and water was available along the route and revoked the Council’s refusal of the application.

"This decision was in accordance with section 145 of the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002.

"This provides an applicant with a natural justice opportunity to have a decision that they feel is unfair or unreasonable independently reviewed.

"The Act does not discriminate between stock from interstate or Queensland, or from stock within or outside a Council area.

"As a result of the department’s review, Winton Shire Council issued the required permits to the applicant."

Another mob part of the 18 000 is to be dropped in the Barcaldine district this weekend.