Central Coast weather: Region copped twice monthly rainfall in three days
Daredevil whitewater kayakers’ take on ‘hidden gem’ as the Central Coast copped twice the monthly rainfall in just three days.
Central Coast
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While most people are advised to avoid floodwaters at all cost, some dare devil kayakers have rushed to it with incredible images of them tackling swollen Piles and Mooney Mooney creeks.
It comes as the Central Coast recorded more than twice the average October monthly rainfall in just three days causing multiple road closures, two flood rescues and more than 230 calls for assistance.
Palm Beach ferries are diverting to Patonga due to strong winds and huge swells with a hazardous surf warning remaining in place until at least midnight Tuesday.
NSW State Emergency Service (SES) crews were kept busy with about 150 calls for assistance to the Gosford Unit and about 80 for Wyong.
Gosford SES controller Rolf Garda said the majority were for leaking roofs with at least two flood rescues involving motorists trapped in their cars at Burns Rd, Ourimbah and Milina Rd, Holgate, where four people had to be rescued from a luxury BMW.
The SES was offering sandbag collection at its Erina and Wyong depots as torrential rain bucketed the region.
In the three days to 9am Tuesday 196.6mm of rain was recorded at the Narara weather station, more than double the average October monthly rainfall figure of 84.5mm.
It was the same story at Mangrove Mountain where 150mm of rain was recorded in the three days to 9am Tuesday and 128.4mm fell at Norah Head — again more than double the October average of 63.9mm.
There were grave fears for how the severe weather would affect Wamberal after an east coast low pressure system in June washed most of the sand off the beach and left dozens of homes teetering on the edge of collapse.
One of the affected residents Margaret Brice said emergency works to place thousands of tonnes of rocks and rock-bags at the foot of the erosion had held up on the most part with “some vulnerabilities in front of one house” following a collapse of the works.
Meanwhile the big wet provided an adrenaline-fuelled ride for a couple of kayakers who took to Piles Creek on Monday at the height of the flooding.
Alex McIntyre has been whitewater kayaking internationally since a young age.
“I used to look at Piles (Creek) and the characteristics of the creek all the time and thought at the right flow it would be good to kayak,” he said.
He said he did his first decent on the creek during flooding in October 2018 with a German friend who was over kayaking with him.
“It has to rain a lot and you have to be ready to get on the river straight away as it doesn’t have a big catchment so it disappears very quickly,” Mr McIntyre told the Express Advocate.
“We usually put in at the Girrakool car park on Piles Creek and kayak to the Mooney Mooney Creek and get picked up near the bridge on the Old Pacific Highway.”
He also has incredible video of him kayaking on the upper Mooney Mooney Creek during past torrential rain events, which involves a 3km hike to get there.
“It normally takes us, to do Piles Creek, about two-three hours depending on the conditions,” he said.
“It’s my little hidden gem in the kayaking world — right in my backyard.”
The Central Coast can expect more wet weather with showers and storms forecast for Wednesday and Thursday before easing on Friday.