Central Coast flooding: Cow, pumpikin wash up on Umina beach
That’s a first: a bloated cow and pumpkins have washed up in the southern corner of Umina Beach. Read what else has washed up on coast beaches after floods. [Warning: graphic image]
Central Coast
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From shipping containers to medical supplies and even part of an off shore kingfish farming net — there has been plenty of unexpected things to wash up on Central Coast beaches.
But a bloated cow and a lot of pumpkins is a first in recent history.
A woman was out walking this morning when she discovered the grisly find in the far southern “kiddies corner” of the beach about 10am.
She said the cow was among “lots of different debris” including pumpkins strewn around the rocks.
The Express Advocate has been told Central Coast staff collected the dead animal and obtained details from its eartag, which have been passed on to the Department of Primary Industry, before it was disposed of at a specialist waste facility.
It is not known where the cow or the pumpkins have come from but the combination of flooded rivers, lakes and big seas has washed them up on Umina.
Hundreds of cattle have been lost in massive flooding on the Mid North Coast with one farmer from Mondrook, near Taree, losing 180 cattle alone.
The cows have ended up on streets of Taree, in the local primary school and people’s backyards.
The Bureau of Meteorology meanwhile has issued a flood warning earlier today for the Hawkesbury Ricer at North Richmond, Windsor and downstream.
The warning forecasts major flooding was likely to continue during Wednesday and Thursday at North Richmond and Windsor until the end of the week.
“The Hawkesbury River at Sackville has continued rising due to Colo River flows entering downstream, and the river is approaching a peak at Sackville at a similar level to the July 1990 flood,” the warning states.
“River levels at Lower Portland and Wisemans Ferry are also near their peak at the major flood level similar to the July 1990 flood.”
The dead cow is not the only items washing up on coast beaches with all manner of rubbish turning up including a rainwater tank and large wooden cable wheel at Patonga.
Residents are being advised to exercise caution as the clean up begins with lots of foreign objects being washed ashore.
Debris is almost inevitable following major weather events and the coast has had its share of weird and not-so-wonderful finds.
In May last year five 40 foot shipping containers washed up on Birdie Beach near Norah Head after container ship APL England hit rough seas 73km off Sydney.
Medical supplies including thousands of face masks, bits of yellow foam and flexible ducting also washed up on beaches from Norah Head to Forresters Beach after several stacks of containers on the Singapore flagged ship broke loose.
Two months later in June a human jaw bone with some teeth still in place washed up at Umina.
Toyah Evans was walking along the beach with her mum and two dogs when she made the grim discovery.
To this day police still have no idea who the jaw belonged to.
Then there was the rare Blainville’s beaked whale which washed up on The Entrance Beach on July 23 last year.
Initial necropsy reports at the time suggested it most likely died of illness.
Dead whales are not unusual but this species are not common to Central Coast waters and given there is so little known about Blainville’s beaked whale’s movements it was a mystery as to why the whale washed up here.
In December 2017 a huge buoy the size of a car washed up at North Entrance Beach after it broke free in big swells from Huon Aquaculture’s trial yellowtail king fish farm off Port Stephens.
TUESDAY 5.30PM UPDATE
Tuggerah Lakes flood levels will not exceed levels experienced in February 2020, however hundreds of properties remain severely impacted with a long recovery ahead.
As at 9.30am the flood levels were 1.21m with The Entrance Channel wide open with a width of around 150m. In 2020, flood levels peaked at 1.67m.
A swell increase is expected on Tuesday afternoon before the rain eases with predictions of sunshine and 26 degrees on Wednesday.
Wind speeds across the region were not as severe as predicted with gusts averaging 30 to 45km/h.
Central Coast Council has indicated there has been nine landslips at various locations across the coast with the most major landslip on Wisemans Ferry Road.
Many roads have reopened while local schools forced to close due to floodwaters are yet to announce if they will reopen tomorrow.
12.30 UPDATE
A massive gum tree more than 20m in height came crashing down in Saratoga this morning.
Around, 9am residents of Jirramba Ave were shocked to see the giant gum tree sprawled across the entire street and on top of a neighbouring resident’s van.
The neighbour told the Express he was in his vehicle about to leave when he heard the crack.
“I heard the crack, next thing the tree had taken out the power lines and came down,” he said.
“It came down on top of my van, a bit disappointing but at least no one was hurt.”
Central Coast Council workers sprung into action, breaking down the tree and the site is now clear.
The owners of the house where the tree once stood, who are away, will be shocked to find just a stump when they return.
It comes as a severe weather warning remains in place for the Central Coast with predictions of a further 80mm of rainfall along with strong winds.
Wyong and Gosford SES have clocked up 1000 requests for assistance over the past five days of torrential rain and localised flooding.
These include 40 flood rescues, 932 for leaking roofs and sandbagging requests and 28 for priority or immediate response requests such as voluntary evacuations.
Diggers at The Entrance has been set up as a community evacuation centre, with people in low lying areas asked to be prepared for evacuation.
Eleven coast schools remain closed, while around 100 roads are closed due to floodwaters.
While the flooding doesn’t appear as severe as the February 2020 floods, residents in low lying areas around Tuggerah Lakes, Wyong Creek, Lisarow and Ourimbah are once again inundated with water.
While rain is expected to ease Tuesday afternoon, with predictions of 29 degrees and sunshine on Wednesday, the water is expected to take a few days to subside.
Just after 11pm on Monday, Central Coast Rescue Squad and emergency services were called to a serious motor vehicle accident at the Ourimbah interchange on the M1 motorway.
“Crews arrived to find a single vehicle that had left the roundabout and collided with a tree trapping the passenger of the vehicle,” the rescue squad advised.
“Rescue crews removed the side of the vehicle, while NSW Ambulance paramedics assessed and treated the patient. They were soon extricated and transported to Gosford hospital in a serious but stable condition.”
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