Home owner Di Austin, of Cheshire on Gilmour Street, said a large branch from the tree came down about 6pm on Saturday, landing on the roof and damaging original 1860s guttering.

It could have been much worse, though.

Ms Austin said the branch split away slowly from the base of the acacia and “rested” on the roof with minimum impact.

She will need to have the roof properly assessed this week but, in the meantime, the home remains habitable.

“I heard a noise that I thought was possums in the roof about 6pm on Saturday but when I went to have a look out the window I saw the tree was not in the right place,” Ms Austin said.

“But it didn’t fall heavily, it sort of lowered itself.”

Ms Austin was full of praise for Bathurst State Emergency Services personnel who helped secure the home on Saturday night and returned on Sunday with a crew from Treecraft in Orange who worked for several hours to remove the tree.

Ms Austin’s home, Cheshire, is one of the oldest farm homesteads west of the Great Dividing Range.

It is built on land granted to George Cheshire in 1818 and the main home was completed in the 1860s.

Bathurst SES controller Gavan Ellis said the Cheshire job was the most significant call-out for local crews during Saturday’s storms.

He said there were 10 jobs in total, with most related to leaking roofs.

He urged people to properly prepare their homes as the storm season continues.

“The first thing all home owners should be doing is looking after their gutters and making sure their roofs are in good condition with no loose iron or ridge capping” Mr Ellis said.

“Also make sure that trees near the house are stable. A good way is to hit the trunk with a hammer and if there is a dull thud there could be a problem and you should get an arborist in to check it out.”