Barrington Tops cops 525mm of rain in stormy week Gloucester District Gloucester District News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - January 22, 2025 Residents reported being flooded in at Waukivory. Photo: Sasha Fenton, FB. A LOW-PRESSURE system off the northern NSW coast caused widespread rainfall and strong winds across the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions last week. Flood warnings for the Gloucester area began on Wednesday, 15 January, with predictions of dangerous flooding on the Manning and Gloucester rivers. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au By 5:30am Saturday, 18 January the Gloucester River at Gloucester was at 3.03 metres (m) and rising, but still below the minor flood level of 4.30m. By 10:02am damaging winds averaging 55 to 65 kilometres per hour, with peak gusts of 100 kilometres per hour, were recorded on elevated terrain and exposed coastal areas. Barrington Tops recorded a staggering 116 millimetres (mm) of rain in six hours. The Bureau of Meteorology warned of potential six-hourly totals between 70 and 120 millimetres through Saturday evening, raising concerns for flash flooding. The Gloucester River peaked at 4.74 metres around 5:00pm Saturday, with minor flooding. The river level fell below the minor flood level (4.30m) by around 8:00pm Saturday. Access to some rural roads was affected, with residents reporting being flooded in at Waukivory on Sunday. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) recorded 224.6mm of rain at Waukivory between 13-19 January. Careys Peak at Barrington Tops recorded 525mm during that period. Due to the widespread impacts, residents in storm-affected areas of the MidCoast can now dispose of damaged items and storm debris at the tip without paying the waste levy. The NSW Government has waived the waste levy fee for six weeks to support communities impacted by recent severe thunderstorms as they rebuild and recover. This assistance aims to speed up recovery efforts and reduce financial pressures on households and businesses. The exemption is backdated to 15 January 2025 and will remain in place until 28 February 2025. Requests for extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The waiver covers storm-related waste on public and private land, including damaged building materials, furniture, carpet, garden debris, food waste and other items. Landfill operators may still charge their landfill operation charge also known as the gate fee or tip fee. Mel Haddon captured both the beauty of the Gloucester region and the impact of recent rainfall. Photo: Mel Haddon, FB. Bretti Rivers. Photo: Kerrie Gourley, FB. Billabong Park, Gloucester. Photo: Wendy Buswell. A flooded Avon River. Photo: John Watts. Gloucester District Park. Photo: Louise Duff.
