Much-needed rain arrives in NSW

FARMERS in drought-stricken parts of NSW are cheering after receiving much-needed widespread rain.

FARMERS in drought-stricken parts of NSW are cheering after receiving much-needed widespread rain.

There’s been significant rainfall across most of the state, except for the north east, with the highest totals recorded at Wanaaring (83mm) near Bourke, Thredbo (65mm) and Albury (59mm) over the weekend, a Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman said today. It’s also been raining fairly well in the central west since 9am, with 22mm recorded at Mudgee and 14mm at Orange, she added. Caron Chester, regional services manager for NSW Farmers’ Association West, says she drove 600km through heavy rain from Broken Hill to Nyngan.

“It was really quite hairy in places because some of the dip areas were getting quite full of water,” she said.

“It was like looking at lakes, it was incredible.

“I was staying at the Riverside Caravan Park and this morning I woke up and it was more like the Lakeside Caravan Park,” she joked. Speaking from the Nyngan Show, Ms Chester said the downpour hasn’t put a dampener on the annual event.

“It has been a massive amount of water, but it has been wonderful,” she said.

“I think it’s really nice to come out to a show knowing that because it’s raining so heavily there’s nothing you can do because you can’t work in the field.

“The ones who want to go out and do some cropping, it’s too muddy to get out there,” she said.