Burrendong dam has gone from 8% full to 130% full over the last 6 months. Farmers have gone from one of the best harvests due to the rain to one of the worst harvests due to the rain – even small farms have lost $80,000 in the blink of an eye. The river has been higher than I have ever seen it, and the rain keeps interfering with my bike commute to work – a problem I never had before.
And then last week, the clouds took it to a whole new level. On Wednesday, the bike path bridge went under. On Thursday, the Serisier/“little” bridge went under, meaning there was only 1 way to get from one side of Dubbo to the other. Traffic chaos ensued – there were back-ups that would put Chicago or Sydney rush hour to shame. The highways in almost every direction from Dubbo are closed. A few remain open, but are covered with water. And I don’t mean there’s a bit of water on the road. We had a friend coming home from the coast who said the water was almost over the hood of her Forester and she couldn’t tell where the road came out on the other side. Several towns around central-west NSW are being evacuated or have already been cut off completely.
And there’s another major storm heading our way this week.
And the locusts are starting to move in. Guess the “worst locust outbreak in years” doesn’t pose much of a threat to the farmers anymore.
River lookout when Mom and Dad were here.
River lookout on Thursday.
Now it's all underwater - I can't even get in to take a similar pic.
For more pics you can check out this website
