NSW floods Macarthur: Camden residents, businesses survey the aftermath

A southwest Sydney business owner says the true extent of the damage to his restaurant is “a mystery” as floodwaters are yet to recede.

While shocking images of streets under water show the impact of the wild weather in southwestern Sydney, some areas managed to escape the flooding with water just lapping at the door step.

Some businesses in Camden remain waterlogged with the owners left wondering when they will be able to properly survey the damage.

Joseph Maruzza runs Enzo Cucina at Camden and watched on the security footage as waters overran the restaurant.

Restaurant owner Joseph Maruzza standing next to floodwater crossing the Cowpasture Bridge. On the opposite side of The Nepean River is his restaurant which was flooded. Picture: Julian Andrews

“It was a bit weird watching the restaurant go under,” he said.

“At 2am we lost power so the last bit of vision we saw was the carpark going under.

“I am guessing it went up about 1.5 metres in the restaurant.”

On Thursday morning, Mr Maruzza was unable to access the business and stood as close as he could to see it.

“It was tough to see something you have put so much effort into taken over by water,” he said.

“We have been here almost four years and I have never seen anything like it … we were warned by the SES but I didn’t think it would get to what it did.

“We don’t even know the true extent of the impact just yet.”

Mr Maruzza said they have lost thousands of dollars in stock, but his main concern is the functions that were booked.

“We do have most of them on email but we did have a booking diary which I’m worried we have lost,” he said.

“The rest of what we will have to deal with is a mystery because there is no power so we don’t know what it looks like.”

Floodwater crossing the Cowpasture Bridge in Camden cuts the community in half. Picture: Julian Andrews

Mr Maruzza said it is a waiting game to see when they will be able to access the restaurant.

He said they have had so many supportive messages from the community, and he was really grateful.

“We want to be back up and running soon, so we can feed everyone,” Mr Maruzza said.

“Anyone who has a function booked, please reach out so we can make sure we have a record of it.”

Graham Gallagher, a resident of Chellaston Street in Camden, who was told to consider evacuating last night from his home but opted to stay to protect his house. Picture: Julian Andrews

When a flood evacuation warning came through for Chellaston St, Camden one resident decided to stay and see how it would play out.

In just three hours on Wednesday afternoon, the water had swelled up and was lapping at his backyard.

But Graham Gallagher wasn’t phased.

“It didn‘t come past my shed but did go up a bit there,” he said.

Drone video images of flooding of the Nepean River at Camden, NSW on Thursday morning. Picture: TNV

“My neighbour across the road evacuated after the water came into his property and he lost a bit of gear there.

“We had a warning so we put some sandbags up just in case.”

Mr Gallagher said it has been a “circus” on the street as a long line of people drove down to check out the floodwaters.

Drone video images of flooding of the Nepean River at Camden. Picture: TNV

Mr Gallagher said the water had receded quite a bit on Thursday, but people were still coming down to have a look.

“I reckon we had about 300 cars this morning, I should have had a coffee cart or something,” he joked.

“I could have made a fortune.

“On Wednesday night, it was crazy because people just wanted to check it out.”

Graham Gallagher, a resident of Chellaston Street in Camden, says the water just lapped the boundary of his property. Picture: Julian Andrews

Mr Gallagher said he was not concerned by the floodwaters, but said it was incredible to see just how quickly it could rise.

He said it was great to see the community banding together, adding he had a couple of offers to help move things if needed.

“Even this lovely lady who was walking past that I was chatting too offered to help when I said I needed to move some couches,” Mr Gallagher said.

Graham Gallagher surveys the floodwaters at the end of his street. Picture: Julian Andrews

“She walked in and – they are heavy duty lounges – and just hiked them like it was no issue.

“That‘s what people in this area like though.”

Meanwhile, it was a “hairy” time for Picton on Wednesday which saw the SES issue an evacuation warning as the Stonequarry Creek bridge was closed due to rising floodwaters.

It was deja vu for the local watering hole the George IV Inn which was destroyed by the floods in 2016.

It took months to rebuild, and was shut for over 15 months.

On Wednesday, local SES units worked to flatten the sides of the Picton bridge to allow the water to flow over the bridge without flooding the main street. Picture: Adelaide Lang

Co-owner Ross Robinson said due to proximity to the creek, and it‘s nature to flood there are already plans in place.

“It‘s become like a drill,” he said.

“We had sandbags at the ready and we had a great bunch of locals chipping in, I couldn't count the amount of people that stopped to help.

“We also have a flood barrier system that, touch wood, we haven‘t needed to use yet.”

Co-owner Andrew Cryer said it was a bit worrying from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday, and the day had been “up and down” due to the rain.

“We were on the lookout,” he said.

“Thankfully though it has receded and there was no clean-up.

“We are leaving the sandbags and the barrier in place just in case something happens tonight.”

Emily Jones and Luke Simpson are pouring beers at The George IV Inn after it reopened when Stonequarry Creek receded. Picture: Annie Lewis Photo taken on March 3, 2022.

Mr Robinson and Mr Cryer said the pub is open, and the beer tap is flowing so locals are welcome to pop in.

“Live music will be back tomorrow too,” Mr Robinson said.

“We plan to see The George keep going for a few hundred more years.”

Residents were urged to stay away from floodwaters after emergency services had to rescue a stranded woman.

About 7pm on Wednesday, Highway Patrol officers from Camden responded to an urgent radio message regarding a young lady clinging to a tree in flood waters from the Nepean River that had engulfed Belgenney Reserve at Camden.

A Traffic and Highway Patrol officer commandeers a boat to rescue a woman at Belgenney Reserve, Camden. Picture: Traffic and Highway Patrol Command NSW Police

According to NSW Police, she had been playing on a body board adjacent to the flood waters before being swept away.

The officer was unable to reach her through the floodwaters so commandeered a small boat, and with the assistance of the owner and in failing light, the officer was able to reach the woman and bring her to safety.

“This incident could have easily ended very differently,” NSW Police said in a statement.

“Fast-flowing water hides fallen trees, fences and other snags that legs can easily be caught in. Please don’t play near flood water.”

In the past 24 hours, Fire and Rescue Macarthur and Wollondilly crews have responded to more than 30 emergency flooding and rescue calls across our region.

And Warragamba Fire and Rescue firefighters battled floodwaters to carry out a rescue of a furry kind at Wallacia.

Teddy was in need of a rescue from a Wallacia property. Fire and Rescue NSW

Just before midday on Thursday, Teddy, the Irish wolfhound, was having life-threatening complications after an operation a few days earlier.

With Bents Basin Road covered by floodwaters and impassable, two firefighters from Warragamba Fire Station accessed the property by driving over the Old Silverdale Hillclimb bush track in one of their own 4-wheel drives.

The firefighters successfully reached ‘Teddy,’ who’s now being treated by a veterinarian, with his relieved owner by his side.

Shocking aerial photos showed parts of Camden, including Cowpasture Bridge, underwater as floods completely inundate the region.

The Poplar Tourist Caravan Park, which backs on to the Nepean River, was evacuated as the water covered the grounds that would normally be home to travellers.

Earlier on Thursday, traffic was backed up on the Camden Bypass throughout the day as residents are left with only one option to cross the Nepean River over to the other side.

Drone video images of flooding of the Nepean River at Camden, NSW on Thursday morning – March 3. Picture: TNV

As the wild weather moved in on Wednesday, Stephen Cooper, dressed in just a shirt, shorts and sandals, and some mates worked hard to lift beehives and move them out of the rapidly rising floodwaters.

He has been a volunteer at the Camden Community Garden for 12 years, and has been a resident in the area since the 1980s and while he has seen devastating floods prior to this, such as in 2016, he said the water came out of nowhere this time.

“The water was already coming through about 6pm, but that was coming through from town,” he said.

“That was just flowing out but it didn’t become a problem until the river reached bridge level around here.”

In 2016, when the garden flooded he said it happened quite slowly but it was “moving so quickly” on Wednesday night.

“It suddenly became apparent we didn’t have very much time to move the rest of the bee hives after we had moved a couple,” he said.

“We had to move more than a dozen and the last one we ended up having to float out.

“We don’t know if we are going to lose a colony.”

The chicken coop went under water, so the volunteers moved the chooks to a shade house.

Then at 3am, Mr Cooper realised the shade house would go under.

“Unfortunately we lost five chickens,” he said.

“I have four chickens at home in my coop and I had to dry them with a hairdryer, never thought I would be doing that.”

Mr Cooper and a couple of friends worked through most of the night, with just an hour or so of sleep.

“We are still concerned about what we could still get,” he said.

Floodwater near The Equestrian Park in Camden. Picture: Julian Andrews

“If we get the forecast levels, it’s going to come up even higher.”

Mr Cooper thanked his fellow volunteers and community members who jumped to help.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own,” he said.

Eddie and Marie Van Vlemen live in a retirement village at Camden and were out on their normal morning walk on Thursday morning, when floodwaters blocked their path.

“We have lived in Menangle for a long, long time and we have just relocated here to the over 55 village,” Mrs Van Vlemen said.

Eddie and Marie Van Vlemen from Camden looking at the floodwater near The Equestrian Park. Picture: Julian Andrews

“We have seen floods in the area, but not so much Camden.

“It‘s different to see the bridge underwater, and it’s almost like we have a waterfront instead of the usual pastures we see.”

Mrs Van Vlemen, 77, pushes her husband, 82, on his wheelchair so they can enjoy the outdoors.

“We normally go on the walkway down past the town farm and the equestrian centre and do a round circle,” she said.

“It will be so muddy, and I can‘t really push him so I think we won’t be able to do our walks for a while which is a shame.”

Steven Ross has lived in the area for a couple of years, and was surveying the flooded Cowpasture Bridge on Thursday morning.

“It’s absolutely crazy,” he said.

“This is the first I have seen it like this, I knew that it could happen but it’s different to actually see it.

“I have an uncle and aunty up in Queensland who spent $30,000 on a new wall and it’s now gone, so they have it tough up there.”

Another Camden resident, who did not wish to be named, said she was fortunate she lived higher up in the town, so did not need to evacuate.

She said the biggest flood she remembered in the region was in 1964, followed by the 2016 flood.

“Hopefully the new councillors who are all about development will have a look at this and a rethink,” she said.

“Because what sort of insurance will they have?”

ROAD CLOSURES

Some roads in the region remain closed due to flooding. Please use an alternate route.

ROAD AND BRIDGE CLOSURES – CAMDEN

• Anthony Road, Leppington
• Cawdor Road/Sheathers Lane, Camden
• Kirkham Lane, Kirkham
• Sheathers Lane, Camden (between The Old Oaks Road and Cawdor Road)
• Smalls Road, Grasmere (at Sickles Creek)
• Camden Valley Way (between Macarthur Road and Camden View Drive), Narellan
• Cawdor Road (between Barsden Road and Burragorang Road), Camden
• Cut Hill Road, Cobbitty
• Cobbitty Bridge, Cobbitty
• Little Sandy Bridge, Camden
• Cowpasture Bridge, Camden
• Macquarie Grove Bridge, Kirkham

ROAD AND BRIDGE CLOSURES – WOLLONDILLY SHIRE

• Oberon-Colong Stock Route
• Douglas Park Gorge, Douglas Park
• Glendiver Road, The Oaks
• Abbotsford Road, Picton
• Broughton Pass, Appin
• Woodbridge Road (near Menangle Road), Menangle
• Menangle Road Bridge (at Nepean River), Menangle
• Eaglecreek Road, Werombi
• Werombi Road, Brownlow Hill
• Ferguson Road, Lakesland
• Cobbitty Road Bridge, Cobbitty
• Bents Basin Road (Causeway)
• Blaxland Crossing, Wallacia
• Old Razorback Road/ Doncaster Ave, Cawdor