Potholes, warped rail lines and washed-away roads: flood-hit regions face infrastructure crisis

Flood damage on the Parkes-Condobolin railway line in central west NSW. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Just outside the flood-affected town of Condobolin, the rail line that helps connect Sydney to Perth is suspended mid-air.

The hanging track is warped, dropping and rising like a carnival ride. The ballast beneath has been washed away, testament to the power of the floods that have devastated the central west.