Yesterday afternoon the level of the river upstream of Bathurst was rising slowly with the peak expected later in the afternoon.

The river was expected to peak near 3.1 metres around 3pm, with no houses or businesses likely to be inundated.

As a safety precaution the Bathurst Regional Council closed the low level bridge to Hereford Street. But that did not stop a stream of curious residents from flocking to the riverbank to take photographs.

An average of 20mm of rain fell across the region in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday. But in Bathurst 30mm was recorded at the official Department of Primary Industries’ weather station on Mount Panorama.

Wednesday was the 12th wet day for August, with clouds building up again yesterday afternoon and more showers are possible on Saturday. The region has had 73 wet days so far this year for 633mm of rain – the equivalent of more than 25 inches.

The 633mm represents 233mm more rain than the long-term average of 400.4mm for August in Bathurst. It compares with only 285.7mm for the same period in 2009.

It has already been extensively reported that Bathurst surpassed its 531mm 2009 rainfall total by the end of July.

Usually August rainfall averages 50.2mm, but 30mm in 24 hours to yesterday morning brought the month’s total to 80.4mm – 30.2mm above the average with 12 days of the month remaining.

The SES issued its first minor flood bulletin yesterday morning when the council was monitoring the water level in the Macquarie River at the George Street low-level bridge for the second time in a fortnight.

Last week the Macquarie lapped the bottom of the bridge when it was closed to traffic commuting on Hereford Street between Trinity Heights, Laffing Waters, Kelso and Bathurst.

No significant rain had fallen since midnight, the SES said earlier in the day before a body of brownish river flowed downstream of Ben Chifley Dam along the Campbells River joining with inflows from the Fish River and Queen Charlotte’s Vale Creek.

The Macquarie was expected to peak at three metres about midday, with some limited flooding of low lying farmlands likely to occur. But around noon the SES said the river would rise slightly higher around 3.1 metres.

Farmers and landholders were being advised to immediately move pumps and other equipment, livestock, stock feed and chemicals from low-lying areas near the river to higher ground.

The SES also encouraged people walking or driving through floodwater it may be deeper and faster flowing than it appeared.

Weather information was available from the Bureau of Meteorology website at www.bom.gov.au alternatively by phone 1300 659 218.

Any person requiring SES assistance as a result of flooding were being urged to contact the SES Unit on 132 500.