The unseasonal heavy rain that has hit many Outback areas is causing major disruptions for grey nomads on their northward adventures.
Travellers heading to Birdsville for next week’s Big Red Bash music festival have run into unexpected complications with downpours of up to 50mm in South Australia’s Far North forcing the closure of parts of the Birdsville Track.
The ABC reports that road trippers are having to change their plans and travel through the west of New South Wales and head north, bypassing SA’s Far North due to other outback road closures.
And the heavy rains have also hampered travel plans, leaving around 30 people stranded at the Mungerannie Hotel in SA’s Far North, which is about 300 kilometres south of Birdsville.
Heavy rain caused chaos on the roads. PIC: Pexels
And the massive rain band has caused chaos further north as well.
The Guardian reports that Yulara airport, near Uluru, collected 64.6mm of rain over the 48 hours to 9am on Tuesday – the wettest pair of June days since 2004 and almost quadruple the June average.
The Kimberley has copped a decent soaking and the popular Gibb River Road is currently closed.
WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services earlier urged travellers to reconsider their plans, with many unlikely to have come prepared for wet weather during a normally dry time of year.
“This unseasonal weather event is going to see a high amount of rainfall through the Kimberley, particularly the central and eastern Kimberley, which includes places such as the Fitzroy River catchment and the Gibb River Road,” Acting Superintendent Leon Gardiner told the ABC. “What we’d really like to do is urge people to really think about their travel, particularly through that central Kimberley area this week, and look to consider relocating to some of the major towns throughout the Kimberley or re-look at their whole travel.”
Overflow accommodation has been opened in Broome to cater for an expected increase in travellers.
“Anyone that’s camping close to low-lying areas, rivers, creeks, etc, should be seeking higher ground and be very wary of these conditions because things can change in a moment,” said Acting Superintendent Gardiner. “If they do decide to stay, they need to be well prepared to be isolated for up to five days or more.”
Other locations including the Kimberley’s Gibb River were unseasonably wet. It received 72mm of rain during the same period, making it the second wettest winter day in records going back 101 years, according to Weatherzone. That tally was seven times the June norm.
And as well as the rain, temperatures are also significantly lower than those that might have been expected. According to Weatherzone. Monday’s top temperature in Broome was around 25C, some four degrees cooler than a typical June day there.
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