A helicopter is on its way to rescue seven stranded travellers who have spent four days lost in wild weather in outback Western Australia.

A break in the rain and storms that have cut through much of WA this week allowed the helicopter to take off on Thursday morning (local time).

The group – the two elderly men, an elderly woman and four children aged 12 to 17 – were located by police from the air in the remote Goldfields region late on Wednesday.

Provisions were also dropped to them, before rescuers could return.

“One of the police officers was able to land and check on the welfare of the people and also give some supplies, food and water and some blankets,” WA acting assistant police commissioner Rod Wilde said.

“Fortunately, they were OK and with those supplies were able to wait out the night.”

Until Wednesday, the group of seven hadn’t been seen since they left Kalgoorlie-Boulder in two vehicles on Sunday. They were meant to drive about 650 kilometres north-east to the remote community of Tjuntjuntjarra but never arrived.

Western Australia Police earlier said they had grave concerns for all seven, after wild storms dumped a year’s rain – more than 300 millimetres – on the region since last Friday.

On Thursday, Paupiyala Tjarutja Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Jon Lark said news of the group’s location was a relief for the community of about 200 people.

“Everybody’s so relieved and so happy,” he told the ABC.

“Clearly from the photo we can see everybody is looking very fine and healthy and happy, of course this is how we hoped they would be.”

Once rescued, the travellers were is expected to be offered medical checks, before being flown home to Tjuntjuntjarra.

Meanwhile, flooding continued in WA’s north on Thursday, with warnings for Fitzroy Crossing, Noonkanbah, Looma and Willare in parts of Kimberley.

A major road connecting large parts of remote WA was also closed due to the weather.

However, the Eyre Highway between Norseman and Eucla, in the Goldfields, was made accessible to vehicles again on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, a monsoon trough has redeveloped over northern Australia, bringing showers, rain, thunderstorms and a risk of tropical cyclones to the Top End, northern WA and Far North Queensland.