ARTERIAL roads were cut and the airport was closed, but Bathurst was spared the worst from a flood on the Macquarie River on the weekend.
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Emergency services were on high alert overnight Friday with 100 millimetres of rain expected to fall in a 12-hour period.
In the end, only about half that amount fell, sparing the city and outlying villages.
The Macquarie River peaked near 4.30 metres at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, and was falling on Sunday.
“At 7am Sunday, the Macquarie River was 3.37 metres and steady,” SES Region Controller Craig Ronan said.
Among the major roads closed Saturday were the Vale Road, Hereford Street (water over the Gordon Edgell Bridge), Ophir Road (water over the causeway near Abercrombie House) and the Freemantle Road (water over the bridge).
The airport was also closed “indefinitely” after heavy rain damaged a small part of the runway, through repairs were completed Saturday morning and flights were again operational by Sunday.
Both incoming and outward bound Rex flights were cancelled until the repairs were completed.
Mr Ronan said while the city still experienced moderate flooding, it wasn’t as bad as what was predicted.
“The Macquarie peaked at 4.3 metres on Saturday afternoon, which was well below predicted heights,” he said.
He said the fact the Bureau of Meteorology had issued the flood warning on Tuesday meant the SES and other key agencies were prepared for what was coming.
“In my opinion, the flood operation managed itself,” he said.
“It’s very unusual to get a flood warning four days out, but the modelling the Bureau of Meteorology use was spot on.”
Mr Ronan said flood predictions were made based on how wet the Central West already was, and the region prepared accordingly.
He said Bathurst Regional Council assisted by preparing an incredible 1000 sandbags, which were distributed thanks to the work of SES and RFS volunteers.
He said homeowners, especially those in Georges Plains and Perthville, were proactive in protecting their properties.
“We had SES volunteers go out and door-knock potentially affected properties in low-lying areas and the owners were able to prepare.
“When the water hit, everyone was ready.”
Jacob Schoenmaker, from the Bridge Hotel at Perthville, said it wasn’t as bad as the last flood, back in early August.
“Things held up pretty good. It wasn’t as bad as last time,” Mr Schoenmaker said.
“The river peaked here at about 3.5 metres; no homes were affected. The SES and fire brigade were warning people beforehand and everyone was a lot more prepared.”
With the flood plan firmly in place, Mr Ronan said the only call-outs the SES had over the weekend were for fallen trees, due to the high winds experienced on Friday.
“We had 22 call-outs all up, mainly in Bathurst, Yetholme and Tarana, with trees blocking the road,” he said.
SES volunteers weren’t called to any flood rescues, with people heeding the warnings given to avoid walking or driving through floodwater.
Mr Ronan thanked the 40 volunteers who worked around the clock over the weekend as well as Bathurst Regional Council and the Rural Fire Service for their assistance.
“It was a joint effort by everyone,” he said.
