Some farmers in drought-hit southern and central New South Wales have received good rainfall for the first time in six months.
Nearly half of the state is drought-affected, but a tropical low-pressure system has brought widespread heavy rain over the far south-west, Riverina and Central West over the past few days.
In the far south-west, Moulamein farmer China Gibson received 110 millimetres of rain on Sunday and Monday.
“There’s a fair bit of water lying around because we’re not designed for a lot of rain all at once. We are on the Hay Plain and it’s pretty flat out here,” he said.
China Gibson is celebrating the best falls of rain since September. (Supplied: China Gibson)
Mr Gibson has been hand-feeding his sheep over summer, but said the soaking rain would boost pasture growth.
“We’ll just watch the feed grow and fight with the young bloke because he wants to go cropping and I want to grow sheep feed,” he said.
Grazier Peter Morphett received falls of between 26mm and 85mm across his property north-west of Booligal.
“Anything north of 50mm will certainly start germination, and it’s probably late enough in the year to see winter growth. Certainly, the clovers will start getting away,” he said.
Peter Morphett says the rain is welcome relief for drought-stricken farmers. (ABC News: Emily Doak)
Mr Morphett said the rain would also freshen up perennial bushes such as saltbush and cotton bush.
“Just looking outside now, you can see the trees look a brighter shade of green, and an inch of rain for that bush country is just what it needed.”
He said the rain would also provide relief to producers who were beginning to destock because of the drought.
“Certainly, the fingers [will be] further away from the panic button now. There won’t be as much stock offloaded,” he said.
The rain was patchy through the mixed farming country of the central Riverina. There was less than 1mm at Griffith and 14mm at Leeton, but 42mm at Junee and 31mm near Urana.
After years of dry conditions on Killimicat Station at Brungle, Harry Lucas had begun carting water to his livestock, but 46mm of rain has brought a much-needed reprieve.
“It was like it was raining headache relief pills,” he said.
“We’ll need more rain for it to be an autumn break, but hopefully it’s the start of something.”
A creek at Killimicat Station near Brungle before and after the rain. (Supplied: Facebook Reiland Angus)
Mr Lucas said a creek on the farm now had water after being dry for more than three months.
Rain gives farmers hope for cropping season
Between Temora and Young, mixed farmer Linda Yerbury said the 74mm in the gauge was welcome.
“When it started to rain last night, it was just so good to listen to,” she said.
“It just gives us hope that we can get a crop in for this year.”
The rain was heavy and sustained between Temora and Young. (Supplied: Linda Yerbury)
A little further north, Bribbaree received more than 145mm of rain, which will fill dry dams.
In the Central West, Condobolin reported more than 21mm, there was 28mm at West Wyalong, 34mm at Forbes and more than 44mm at Bathurst.
At Cowra, Brett Treasure has had his sheep in a feedlot, and said the 100mm overnight “couldn’t have been better”.
“The sheep will be coming straight out, because the paddocks have been locked up and there’s lucerne ready to go,” Mr Treasure said.
“We’ll put in oats, barley and grazing brassica the minute we can. Everything’s ready to go, so it’s just a matter of getting it dry enough to rip it in and away it goes.”
Brett Treasure was delighted when he emptied out his rain gauge. (Supplied: Brett Treasure)
Farmer Chris Groves lives on a property between Cowra and Canowindra and received a downpour of 97mm.
“It was desperately dry. We had missed all the storms; it had gone to the north and the south of us. But we were under the right cloud this time,” Mr Groves said.