Goulburn and district is surveying the aftermath of a 70mm to 100mm drenching in the past few days.
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Southern Tablelands SES crews were kept on the hop with six flood rescues in 24 hours.
The latest of these was at Eastgrove, Goulburn, just after 10am Saturday.
Police said a woman walking on Park Road into a heavily flooded area near the Carr Confoy fields contacted the SES after fearing she was stuck. However a Goulburn crew was able to walk her out safely. The woman was not injured but ambulance attended as a precaution.
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SES Argyle cluster commander Rob Bell it was just one of six rescues during the downpour, which dumped just over 70mm at Goulburn Airport in the last two days.
He again expressed his frustration about people driving into flooded roadways and ignoring closure signs.
At Oallen Ford Road, close to Windellama, on Friday, crews were alerted to a vehicle stranded on a flooded bridge. A truck driver was able to pull the car out before the SES arrived.
At about midday, police rescued another driver whose car had broken down in a flooded section of Lumley Road, near Tarago.
At the same time, crews rescued a woman who had tried to cross floodwaters on foot near Goulburn Airport, after leaving her car.
At 6.25pm Friday, another person drove into floodwater on Windellama Road, near Brisbane Grove Road, and became trapped.
"She got swept away and ended up sitting on a tree," Mr Bell said.
Elsewhere, Collector SES commander Gary Poile said police rescued a person on the Federal Highway, some 25km south of Goulburn, after their vehicle became stuck in a flooded section.
The highway's southbound lane was closed at about 2pm Friday and didn't re-open until 5am Saturday.
The closure created headaches for commuters, including the Goulburn to Collector school bus. Mr Poile said it and numerous motorists returned via Gunning, but those going further afield travelled via Sutton to reconnect with the Federal Highway. The Barton Highway was also heavily utilised.
In addition, the closed Goulburn to Tarago Road sparked diversions on back roads.
"If the council roads were bad before, they're ruined now. All of the ones around Collector are falling apart (after the rain)," Mr Poile said.
At Gundaroo, a child riding a pushbike was hit by a car in heavier than usual traffic, caused by diversions. The child was reportedly not seriously injured but Mr Poile said it highlighted the safety issue.
Collector received 75mm but falls of up to 100mm were reported east of the village and of Currawang.
"People are very excited because it is all going into Lake George," Mr Poile said.
Flooding hits lower Eastgrove
Friday's constant deluge gave Eastgrove residents some anxious moments on Friday afternoon. Mr Bell said the water lapped at the back of Hercules Street houses and came close to other low lying homes. SES personnel door-knocked houses and checked on residents, however they did not have to evacuate.
On Saturday morning, Mr Bell said the water was receding but more was expected in Eastgrove as it flowed down the Mulwaree River.
"Currently, the water in the Mulwaree Ponds is being held back by the Wollondilly River," he said.
On Friday night, the Ponds had risen to three metres at Lansdowne Bridge but was starting to drop on Saturday morning.
The Wollondilly rose to six metres at Murrays Flat on Friday night. The Towrang Road and bridge, were closed on Friday and remained so on Saturday, along with a host of other roads.
Goulburn SES was called on Saturday morning to deliver medication to a Towrang resident unable to access Goulburn.
Mr Bell said the downpour created between a one in 200 to 500-year flood event.
Eastgrove residents could only reach their homes via Hetherington Street from Friday afternoon as the flooding cut access via Park Road and Blackshaw Road.
On Saturday, motorists were eager to assess the rain's aftermath from vantage points like Marsden Weir and Rocky Hill.
At Goulburn wetlands off May Street, Friends of Goulburn Swamplands volunteer, Bill Wilkes, watched as heavy silted water flowed down a drain.
It was being pumped from a heavily cleared subdivision above the wetland at 99 May Street.
"This will silt up the wetlands and change things," he said.
"But at least it's clearer than two weeks ago when there was mud everywhere."
Fortunately, the subdivision developer had earlier pumped out three stormwater detention dams in readiness for the heavy rain and they did not overflow on Friday.
Mr Wilkes registered 75mm at his Middle Arm property.
At Bungonia, grazier Bill Dobbie recorded 63mm on Friday. It takes the December total to 92mm, on top of 200mm in November. This year, his property, Lumley Park, has received 896mm, well above the 650mm long-term average.
Goulburn Airport has recorded 81mm so far this month and 915mm for the year, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
It is well over the 560mm average for the 25-year average for 1994-2020.
Grazier and crop farmer, Guy Milson, was delighting in 85mm received this week at his property, Cardross, some 10km west of Goulburn.
"It's great. After four years of drought I'd never say things were too wet but we would benefit from some sunshine," he said on Saturday.
Mr Milson said his canola crop stood up reasonably well to the downpour and he hoped to start windrowing this week for a December harvest.
The property had registered 750mm for the year, well above the 675mm long-term average.
"It's an extraordinary year," Mr Milson said.
"People around here are saying it's their best yet. Here we are in December and we have clover."
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Louise Thrower
If you have a story to tell, drop me a line at louise.thrower@austcommunitymedia.com.au or call 0418 229 678.
If you have a story to tell, drop me a line at louise.thrower@austcommunitymedia.com.au or call 0418 229 678.
