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ABC News
ABC News
National
Hannah Jose

Farmers in parts of western NSW prepare for days of isolation as floodwaters swallow roads

Farmers in western NSW are preparing to be isolated from towns and services as rivers rise and cut off roads.

Major flooding is expected at Warren with river levels holding steady.

Towns like Tullamore and Trundle have been cut off from main roads and centres by floodwater, but river levels at Narromine seem to be easing.

Rainfall on Wednesday was not as high as forecast in most places, but some towns were hit hard.

Ten kilometres north of Tullamore, Neville Jones had 160 millimetres of rain on his property in the 24 hours to midnight on Wednesday. 

"The levee is holding at the moment but there's a well inside the levee bank and it's never filled up before since the levee was put in in 1982," Mr Jones said.

Nearby in Tullamore, Mark Mortimer is watching rain totals tick up at his farm.

"I think the highest was 17mm in 15 minutes, so over a millimetre a minute when it was at its heaviest," Mr Mortimer said.

Tullamore and nearby Trundle seem to be completely cut off by road, he said.

Residents expect the water to recede enough to make roads to the main centres passable again in a day or two.

Repeated inundations

On the way from Tullamore to Narromine, Richard Darcy's farm saw 103mm of rain in 24 hours.

 

He guessed he would be cut off from roads, shops and services for as long as a week.

But Mr Darcy's area has been saturated for months already, with all the unsealed roads closed off.

He has been driving his daughter to school through floodwaters for weeks.

"Most state school buses aren't allowed to drive through much water, so we've been driving her," Mr Darcy said.

He drove through the water again to pick up his daughter early from school on Wednesday to prevent her being cut off from home.

More rain is forecast for Thursday and Friday. 

The Macquarie River at Dubbo may reach the minor flood level of 5.50 metres, affecting low-lying pedestrian bridges.

The Bogan River at Peak Hill may reach the minor flood level of 2.5 metres on Thursday, with further rises possible.

Moderate flooding could occur at Dandaloo, with the Bogan River potentially reaching around 5.8 metres late on Thursday.

The Macquarie-Wambuul River at Warren Town is expected to remain above the major flood level of 9 metres for several days.

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