Cloncurry and Camooweal have sweltered through 40-degree-plus conditions for the past 33 days and the weather bureau expects the heatwave to hang around for at least another week.

Paul Finlay, who runs the Camooweal Drovers Camp museum, said he never drove far because the bitumen could get so hot it could blow car tyres.

"It is pretty bloody hot up here at the moment, but if you are born here you are used to it," he said.

"You just have to get up early and get things done in the morning. You only go outside in the middle of the day if you want to die."

Cloncurry Shire mayor Greg Campbell said locals keen to embrace Australia Open fever and get out onto the town's courts would only do so when it had "cooled down" to 38 degrees.

"We would really love some shade cloths for our tennis courts. Even with shade, it will still be bloody hot, but at least there will be a bit of relief," he said.

"The town pool has been getting a good workout and airconditioners are cranked all the way up but nothing much out of the ordinary.

"You appreciate a cold beer and a bit of shade more at this time of year.

"We are well known for being a hot place, but we like to sell it as you always get a warm welcome when you come to Cloncurry."

Meanwhile, Birdsville, in the state's south-west, broke the Queensland record for the highest number of consecutive days of 45 degrees or more, which previously stood at six.

The town near the South Australian border had already sweated through six days where the mercury tipped the 45-degree mark and at 1.30pm on Friday, it reached 45 again to make it seven in seven.

Meteorologist Harry Clarke said the heatwave in northern and western Queensland was not expected to end for at least another week.

"Usually up there, you get a monsoon or storm activity which brings rain and cools things down, but so far this summer we haven’t had any of that," he said.

"The monsoon has been confined to the peninsula and there have been no cool southerly changes, the warm air mass over north-west Queensland has been stagnant and hasn’t been flushed out.

"It is difficult to attribute any event to global warming or climate change, but we know global warming will cause heatwaves to become more frequent and intense."

In terms of south-east Queensland, temperatures were forecast to peak about 38 degrees this weekend and towards the end of next week.

Gatton was due to hit 38 on Saturday and Thursday and Esk was expected to reach 37 on those days.

Brisbane was forecast to have a top of 34 on Saturday and 33 on several days next week.

"This lingering heat from north and west Queensland is extending into parts of the south-east with most places to peak this Saturday and climb again on Wednesday and Thursday," Mr Clarke said.

"There are some hints of a monsoon in northern Australia in a week, but it is still very uncertain where and whether it will happen at all.

"There is the potential for cooler conditions down the line, but there won't be much to break the heatwave for the next week at least."

*This article was first published on the Brisbane Times.