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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Lanie Tindale

'We're in the flooding rains': Kat celebrates long grass as more rain heads for Canberra

Professional mower Katrina Bailey. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong

Canberra has been consumed by long, wiry grass. Untamed lawns, nature strips, ovals and intersections have taken over the suburbs.

But when Kat Bailey sees people complaining about it on social media, she thinks of photos taken two years ago.

"I've got pictures around Parliament House and the ground's dry and there's no grass because there was no water," she said.

"We do have that wonderful poem, where we go from brown drought to flooding rains. We're in the flooding rains."

The grass is unruly because it is raining throughout spring, the former council mower said.

Now a sole trader, the mower takes advantage of every rain-free day.

"Things are just growing very, very fast, very, very thick." she said.

"Springtime you [already] really need to mow every couple of weeks, just because things are actively growing."

Mowers can't work if it's raining, or grass is wet.

"It's not just as there's more demand, it just there's so many days when you can't actually work at the moment," Ms Bailey said.

"It's not just when it's raining that you can't work ... it's not good for the grass to actually mow it when it's really wet."

The Canberra Liberals called for more money for the territory's mowing program in 2021.

But Ms Baldwin said council mowers would be working at every moment possible to take control of the grass.

"They'd need easily three or four times the numbers of people that they've got, and the government can't justify that sort of spending for what's probably a one-off season. This is not usual," she said.

Despite having to work weekends, Ms Bailey sees the sunny side of Canberra's new, and much longer, pastures.

"Everyone should be happy that it is spring and things are growing so well," she said.

Weather Forecast

  • Monday, November 21: min 7, max 13
  • Tuesday, November 22: min 3, max 15
  • Wednesday, November 23: min 9, max 19
  • Thursday, November 24: min 5, max 23
  • Friday, November 25: min 7, max 25
  • Saturday, November 26: min 11, max 25
  • Sunday, November 27: min 14, max 27

In good news for the grass but bad news for everyone else, rain is expected in Canberra on Monday.

The bureau forecasts it to be partly cloudy, with a 90 per cent chance of showers, most likely in the morning.

There is the chance of a thunderstorm in the late afternoon and evening.

Territorians have a chance of seeing frost on Tuesday in the early morning, and there will be possible snow above 900 metres.

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