THE key dairy producing area of Bega has returned to a brilliant shade of green in the wake of this week's amazing rainfall as much of the South Coast was declared a natural disaster area yesterday.
Not that there were too many complaints.
As one wag said of a Bega dairy farmer, ''I'd probably need him to bite on an onion to wipe the smile off his face.''
South Coast farmers have a spring in their step as incredible rainfall totals keep rolling in from the Great Deluge of 2010.
For instance, Central Tilba received in the 48 hours to 9am yesterday 540.8mm of rain, or 21 inches, in the old measure, almost as much as it received for all of 2009 (573.2mm).
Even the announcement by the NSW Government that the Eurobodalla and Bega Valley shires had been declared natural disaster areas was not enough to destroy the mood. Bega Valley mayor Tony Allen said the estimated bill across the shire for damaged roads and bridges was $2 million ''but the good outweighed the bad''.
''The good news is phenomenal. It's just that we're a small council with a small ratepayer base and it's a big load to carry,'' he said.
Bega Cheese chairman and Bemboka dairy farmer Barry Irvin said the situation was desperate before Monday's rain and another downpour a week earlier. The drought had turned the fertile valley brown, forced farmers to hand-feed stock for 12 months and drained dams so that owners had to resort to water carting.
Now the Bega Valley was once again ''magnificently green''.
''It's fantastic,'' Mr Irvin said. ''The rain does so much on so many levels. It's filled our two major storages, all the stock dams are full as well.''
NSW Emergency Services Minister Steve Whan declared yesterday the Eurobodalla and Bega shires natural disaster areas, the trigger point being at least $240,000 damage in each local government area. He also toured parts of Eurobodalla.
''These declarations mean that a range of people who have suffered property damage, including residents, primary producers and business owners, can seek assistance,'' he said.
Eurobodalla Shire director of roads Warren Sharpe said the damage bill there was still being estimated with many roads still under water and inaccessible.
Residents were able to access previously cut-off communities of Congo, Bingie and Potato Point from lunchtime yesterday but it would be days before roads were reopened to Nerrigundah.
Mr Sharpe said lakeside businesses at Tuross Lake were still being flooded because of the phenomenal amount of water running into it, even despite the waterway being opened a week ago.
The Princes Highway had reopened.
Kerry Morgan from the Tilba Sweet Spot at Central Tilba said the sun was shining there yesterday. ''It's so green. There's lots of pot holes in the ground. But everyone survived it,'' she said.
A NSW State Emergency Service spokesman said between Saturday and yesterday it received 49 calls for help in Bega and 134 calls for help in Eurobodalla with all but a handful finalised.
Mr Whan also paid tribute to the tireless work of the SES.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported startling rainfall figures for the 24 hours to 9am yesterday 276mm for Central Tilba, 271mm for Bodalla, 185mm for Eurobodalla, 162mm for Narooma, 158mm for Moruya Heads and 129mm for Bega.
In the ACT, Actew said total dam storages had increased from 48.8 per cent on Friday to 51 per cent yesterday. About 4500 megalitres of water had gone into the dams, equivalent to about a month's water supply under the current targets.
Cotter Dam was at 100 per cent capacity, Corin Dam at 50 per cent, Bendora Dam at 67.3 per cent and Googong at 48.5 per cent.
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