A key railway line between Perth and Sydney is set to remain closed for another week, after floodwaters washed out parts of the track, but a group of local farmers say it could have been prevented.
A huge storm swept across central New South Wales early last month, causing widespread, record-breaking flooding from Eugowra to Condobolin.
Flash flooding caused damage to three sections of the Sydney-Perth rail corridor near Bogan Gate.
The line is one of two linking the cities, slashing freight capacity across the country.
A group of nearby farmers have spent 70 years and three generations fighting for changes to the infrastructure, claiming the raised track acts as a levee bank, blocking the natural path of the flooded Gunningbland Creek.
They said if there was enough water and pressure, the levee would break.
The line is managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the farmers said the company had failed to fulfil its duty of care and ignored their decades-long fight for action.
Wheat crops, fences and sheep were among the casualties of the latest flash flood.
Farmer Laurie Magill described the damage to his property as "massive".
His father bought their farm in 1952, and both have been pushing for more culverts to be added to the line in the years since.
Concrete culverts allowed stormwater to drain cleanly away, but the trans-Australian rail line was built up on a rocky bank, which Mr Magill said blocked the water and caused it to flood "a lot of country that shouldn't be flooding".
"That's the main problem with it," he said.
"They claim this ballast lets the water through, but it's nowhere near fast enough."
About 100 millimetres of rain fell in the November storm, and Mr Magill said flash flooding eventually blew the ballast out.
He estimated 40 to 50 of his stud sheep had drowned in resultant flooding, because the washouts allowed water to flow into places it wouldn't typically reach from the creek.
'Detailed' investigation to occur
James Buchanan is among the third generation of landowners who have taken up the fight to have the structure of the line changed.
He said ARTC were not taking the farmers fears seriously enough.
"Once it goes it's like pulling a plug out of a bathtub," he said.
"The bushfires demonstrated these public land managers needed to be good corporate neighbours, good corporate citizens."
The Parkes Shire Council has begun a flood study of the area, but the work has been on hold due to the latest inundation.
ARTC crews have also been on site repairing the damaged areas, and the section between Parkes and Condobolin was expected to reopen next Monday.
But Mr Buchanan said it wouldn't prevent the problem happening again.
"The pragmatic solution is just to fix it once and for all, this is a major freight route, once it's fixed it's fixed," he said.
In a statement, the ARTC said it was "aware of local concerns ... and has been working with the community".
It said a 2017 flood study found installing additional culverts would not improve the situation but once the water had drained it would re-evaluate.
"ARTC ... will carry out a detailed investigation and assessment of all rail structures and determine whether future works are required," the statement read.
