It wasn't as bad as 2016, but heavy rains have again transformed a popular Tasmanian swimming spot into a raging torrent, with a mother and daughter pair's chairlift ride turning into a "terrifying" ordeal.
Launceston's Deb Rushton visited the city's Cataract Gorge Wednesday afternoon with her daughter Amy and said she couldn't believe how high the water was.
"We went across on the chairlift and the water felt like it was only a few metres below us," she recalled.
"The noise from the water rushing in, it was crazy, sounded like a wild animal … it was actually quite terrifying now that I look back at it, I did think at a number of points, 'what am I doing?'
"I kept saying to Amy, 'just don't look down!'"
It's the most rain Tasmanian business owner Adrian Cash has seen in the Cataract Gorge's First Basin in many years.
"It's pretty spectacular … having this amount of water is quite a sight," he said.
"And to think about how much water it actually takes to make it this high, is quite impressive."
Water levels in the popular tourist attraction peaked overnight, swallowing the swimming pool and coming up to the playground, fed by the South Esk River.
Mr Cash said every year, water laps the pool — but it's only every three or four years that it comes up any higher.
He has managed the restaurant at the gorge for the last 21 years and remembers in 2016 when water lapped the windows of the gorge cafe.
"In 2016 we had the massive floods, so nowadays the little floods don't really excite us, but this is a lot of water," he said.
"I suspect it will look like this for another week or so, with the amount of water still to come through, it usually takes three days for it to funnel through."
Visitors taken aback by water levels
Local resident Andrew Smith moved to Tasmania for a tree change from Sydney a year and a half ago.
"It's lovely isn't it, just gorgeous … but where has the swimming pool gone? It's just completely gone, it's in there somewhere," he said.
"I need to work out how to take the best picture to show how full it is."
Ashley Lloyd is travelling around Tasmania with her husband and two children from South Australia.
"My daughter is just amazed by the water ... she loves the view," she said.
"On the bridge it's a bit shaky though, bit eerie … it was very surprising to see it like this, wasn't expecting it."
While the gorge is a popular swimming spot, those venturing into the First Basin are warned of the potential for conditions to change quickly, with the latest drowning in January this year.
More wild weather on the way
Much of Tasmania has been hit with flash flooding and strong winds over the last few days.
Properties in Hadspen, south of Launceston, have been on alert, with the Meander River forcing low lying properties to move livestock to higher ground.
Damaging winds of up to 80kph are expected for parts of the east coast tonight.
Forecaster Luke Johnston from the Bureau of Meteorology said Tasmania would see a series of cold fronts cross the state on Friday, over the weekend and on Monday.
"Associated with these fronts is quite a bit of rain especially around the north and north-west, the grounds are very saturated," he said.
"We've got minor flooding happening for the South Esk, North Esk, Meander and Macquarie Rivers at the moment."
Mr Johnston said flood levels are set to remain the same over the coming days but could rise on Monday.
"Pretty much everywhere in Tasmania is saturated at the moment, the north though is definitely the wettest part," he said.
Conditions are predicted to ease by next Tuesday.
