FARMERS along the Narran, Culgoa, Bokhara and Birrie river systems in the State’s far north are preparing for what are expected to be among the biggest flows since European settlement.
Mixed farmer Rory Treweeke, who runs 21,246 hectares across Angledool Station and the neighbouring “Narrandool”, said he’s expecting more than 14,000ha to be inundated.
“We’re expecting – with what’s gone on up at St George (Qld) (reaching 13.95m on Wednesday) and predictions from the Bureau (of Meteorology) – that we’ll get the biggest flood since European settlement,” Mr Treweeke said.
However, it’s the spread of the water that causes problems, with Department of Primary Industries director of regional services Greg Markwick, Dubbo, saying a lot stock were at risk on the lower Balonne floodplain, in particular along the Birrie River.
“We’ve got six helicopters in that region today (Wednesday) shifting sheep and shifting people,” he said.
“Then we’ll have to deal with the water coming down the Barwon/ Darling which will complicate the issue.”
Mr Markwick said Brenda Station on the Culgoa was of particular concern as it had limited safe country in a big flood.
“They’re right in the choke point at Brenda – they’ll be between a rock and a hard place,” he said.
Brenda Station managers Peter and Roslyn McSwan were still busy moving cattle to high ground yesterday, having got their sheep out of the way of any immediate threats on Tuesday.
Mrs McSwan said the 300mm of rain meant they didn’t get a dry window before the river started rising.
They had moved about 8000 to 9000 sheep away from the river, but with an expected peak of 6.1 metres and the possiblility of going higher, they didn’t have a lot places to put them.
Helicopter pilot Scott Bridle, who was moving stock at “Brenda”, said graders were being used to build a safe area where sheep could be held and fed if the water levels exceeded expectations.
“I’ve been flat out all week. From what the locals say it’s looking like getting to places it’s never been before,” Mr Bridle said.
Mr Treweeke said the previous record for the Narran River was the 1956 flood when the water reached 2.87 metres.
The ’56 flood was the third in three consecutive summers from 1954-56, and the ’56 flood far surpassed the floods of ’54 and ’55, he said.
This flood was expected to be bigger again.
“To have three big floods in a row is really quite exceptional – we’ve had three of 1956 size in consecutive years and this year could still be bigger,” Mr Treweeke said.
Mr Treweeke believed the flood of 1890 was higher than ’56, but the only evidence was a line of Coolabah trees – which germinate along the high water mark – growing above the 2011 flood peak (3.05m).
Flood gauging only began on the Narran in 1929 when the Jim Harper bridge was built.
Mr Treweeke had, on Tuesday, moved all his cattle with the help of Scott Bridle to higher ground and had since begun settling in to ride out the rise and fall of the tide.
On Tuesday night he said the water was already at a moderate flood level, but wasn’t expected to peak until February 16-17 at 3.1m or higher.
His current sorghum crop was gradually being swallowed by a rising Angledool Lake.
“If you’ve got floodplain country you don’t object to a flood because because you know you’re going to have at least one or two good seasons following it,” he said.
While Mr Treweeke was prepared for the oncoming water, he said others had been caught out by the 12 wet days preceding the flood, which made stock movements difficult.
At Weilmoringle, also on the Culgoa, Ed Fessey on “Bullabelalie” has also been preparing for water from Queensland.
He was hoping most of the 300 to 400mm of rain that fell on local properties drained before the Queensland water arrived.
He said this rain had caused a lot of grief for farmers on the eastern side of the lower Balonne flood plain, whose machinery was caught in the water.
Mr Fessey was lucky that his full-woolled sheep were on pastured country and could walk themselves to safety.
He also believed it could potentially be the biggest flood since 1890.
“The problem will be if the two floodwaters meet and the second is held up by the first,” he said.
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