THE end of the financial year usually means a lot of paperwork, but for mountain resident Rory Birt from Dorrigo it included a final tot-up of rainfall in the region.

“Our rainfall numbers here are quite remarkable and the photo of me standing on the chair was a way to put them in perspective while highlighting the beauty and uniqueness of our region,” Rory told News Of The Area.

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The eastern fall of the Great Dividing Range, the Dorrigo Plateau, is officially one of the highest rainfall regions in the country.

The rainfall defines the area with the Gondwana rainforests of the Dorrigo National Park plus some of the most productive farmland in the country.

Recent years have seen lower than average rainfall and widespread drought, and although the Dorrigo Plateau fared better than many areas in this regard, it too was down on long-term averages by about 50% at its worst.

“Fortunately missing out on some of the heavier falls and the March floods that coastal areas experienced earlier in the year, the plateau has experienced consistent rainfall which has seen figures for the 2020-21 financial year back to or exceeding long term averages, which are around 80 inches in town and 100 or more one the escarpment.”

The Bureau of Meteorology station in Dorrigo recorded 2,452.1mm (96.5 inches) between July 2020 and June 2021.

Eight kilometres west of Dorrigo at Fernbrook, Rory Birt recorded 2,293.25mm (90.29 inches) with 0.25mm or more of rain falling on 175 days out of the year, on the edge of the escarpment, and a further 6.5 kilometres west Julie and Michael Moore recorded an exceptional 3,064.5mm (120.6 inches) at their dairy.

A Licensed Real Estate & Stock and Station Agent with Ray White Rural Dorrigo and Bellingen, Rory said, “Selling rural properties from around Ebor, across the Plateau and Dorrigo, around Bellingen and to the coast, with the rainfall the area is known for, it is something we are asked on a daily basis and interests people so I keep records and get figures from wherever I can.”

By Andrea FERRARI