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Marthaguy Creek peaks for Warren farmers

Western Plains App

Oliver Brown

24 May 2022, 9:14 PM

Marthaguy Creek peaks for Warren farmersThe view about 1.5 kilometres from Steve and Dianne Perry's home at Wyndabyne, almost completely underwater due to rising floodwaters out of Marthaguy Creek. Image courtesy of Dianne Perry.

FARMERS from the Warren shire are currently waiting for waters to recede after the Marthaguy Creek peaked at their properties over the weekend.

 

While the higher than average waters are causing these landowners to be cut off from parts of their property, and even completely isolated in some cases, they are counting their lucky stars they weren't accompanied by heavy rainfall.

 

For mixed crop and livestock farmer David O'Brien at Yahgunyah, the waters hit their highest on Friday (20 May) night.


 

"The creek is on the other side of my road on my property - it's gone out the bank and filled in all the low areas," Mr O'Brien said.

 

"It's not a major flood, but I'd say it's up there… parts of my grazing property have been cut off. It also means I can't get any machinery over the road to get ready for sowing.

 

"I'll probably have to wait another three to four weeks before that water disappears so it'll set me behind schedule."

 

While he has experienced flooding from the creek cutting him off from the road completely in the past, Mr O'Brien said he has been fortunate the waters haven't reached that level this time.

 

However, for grazing farmers Steven and Dianne Perry from the nearby Wyndabyne property, located on the western bank of the Marthaguy Creek, the waters have come up about a kilometre.


ABOVE: Dianne and Steve Perry have seen the water cut them off from their only way out of their property. Image courtesy of Dianne Perry.

 

Mrs Perry said this has left them trapped on their farm, located about two kilometres from the creek bed, for at least the last 10 days.

 

"When the creak reaches its peak here, we really can't actually get to the creek at all… (currently) it's not as big as it's been at other times but still a very big creek," Mrs Perry said.

 

"Fortunately, we knew it was coming from the people upstream telling us, so we were able to get the supplies we needed to last for about three weeks.

 

"It probably peaked here either Saturday or Sunday night, so now it should start to recede and hopefully we should be able to get out by the weekend."

 

In addition from cutting them off from their only exit out of their property, Mrs Perry said the water has also prevented them and workers from accessing areas within.

 

Currently we're at a time when we need to shear but we can't get any shearers in at the moment, so it does affect farmers," she said.

 

However, she said it was worth mentioning circumstances could have been a lot worse.

 

"In circumstances like this, we always end up with stock getting to where they shouldn't but we try to avoid it where we can and it hasn't happened as much this time because we were better prepared," she said.

 

"We've probably been lucky there hasn't been a big creek and then rain on top of that. It's when you have 50-80mm of rain on top of when it's big that we get a lot of problems."

 

Mr O'Brien was also pleased to see the rising creek waters weren't accompanied by heavy rainfall. He even said it could actually be a good thing to have the creek come up to levels like this occasionally.

 

"I do quite like a major flood because it's going to open country up for us. We haven't really had a big flood here for years and having one out here every now and then regenerates the ground," he said.


ABOVE: Despite the inconveniences caused by the rising waters, David O'Brien of Yahgunyah is maintaining a positive attitude. Image courtesy of David O'Brien.

 

"So while it does impact me in the short term because I'm inconvenienced for a week, after that dries off, the grass grows greener and cattle get fatter.

 

"(However) the worst part about major floods like this is that it takes fences out along the creeks, especially after drought years. Fortunately, most of it stays there but you really have to race in to get the posts back in once waters start receding again."

 

Mrs Perry could also see the beneficial side of having a healthy creek flow for her own stock as a food and water source and the local environment, especially after so many years of drought.

 

"It is important that it runs and it does benefit us in the long run, but it's when the creek's flooding that we become isolated and just have to be aware of our stock," she said.

 

Peaking flood waters of Marthaguy Creek are now expected to continue north towards properties located in the Coonamble shire, meaning farmers with properties further downstream are not out of the woods yet.