Several rural towns in NSW and QLD are running out of drinking water. For some, "day zero" is only months away.

Counting down to "day zero": Rural towns in water crisis

A Queensland town struggling through the drought has been touched by a massive donation of hay bales and water, which arrived on 20 semi trailers over the weekend.

The incredible donation to the drought-affected town of Stanthorpe was organised by members of Australia’s Muslim community, who have previously donated a similar amount to the town, about a month ago, according to 7 News.

Stanthorpe received the donation over the weekend of 438 bales of hay and 190,000 litres of water, which arrived on 20 semi trailers. Images of the scene went viral on social media, as stunned locals shared photos of the trucks rolling into town.

The town in Queensland’s south east has been majorly affected by the ongoing drought, and is tipped to run out of water over the summer months.

The group, Muslim Aid Australia, began working to assist with drought relief in Australia by raising funds to assist struggling Aussie towns. Their first donation, to the outback Queensland town of Goondiwindi, saw more than 150 tonnes of hay handed to the struggling area.

Riyaad Ally, from Muslim Aid Australia, said the group’s fundraising efforts to help the drought affected Aussie communities were extensive. He told 7 News they had received donations from local Aussie businesses, as well as organisations in Turkey and the United Kingdom.

“Everybody just wanted to unite. We had really amazing support from not only our donor base, but other organisations’ donor bases that all came together,” Mr Ally said.

He said the group was welcomed with open arms, but they “don’t need the thanks”.

“We do this because we love it.”