On February 24 and 25 in 1955 it rained and it did not stop and 60 years on the images of the natural disaster that followed never fail to lose their impact.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
More than two dozen people lost their lives and tens of thousands had to be rescued in the 1955 Flood.
Torrential rain caused countless rivers and creeks to burst their banks, destroying bridges, inundating homes and leaving the people of the Hunter Valley with a massive clean-up.
In one 24-hour period Merriwa received 264mm and Murrurundi around 225mm as the rain came down, taking a wall of water downstream through Singleton and Maitland.
The flood created an inland sea the size of England and Wales on both sides of the Great Dividing Range.
On the 60th anniversary of the 1955 Flood these pictures are a powerful reminder of the impact the disaster had on many local communities.
Images are courtesy of the Soil Conservation Service, the SES, Mrs Heather Hayden, Brian White, Shane Delforce and the Muswellbrook Shire Local Family History Society Inc.
