Farmers delighted

Press, 5 April 1983, Page 4

Farmers delighted

NZPA Sydney Steady rain continued across large areas of New South Wales and Victoria yesterday and in parts of Queensland and South Australia, giving farmers welcome relief from the drought. Most parts of Victoria had light rainfall on Sunday night and yesterday morning. The heaviest showers fell on the western towns of Casterton and Hamilton, which had 20mm of rain of

Sunday night. Rain fell steadily but lightly throughout most of New South Wales.

Sydney received 22mm overnight, Bourke 23mm and Broken Hill 17mm. Mr Michael Davidson, president of the New South Wales Livestock and Grain Producer’s Association, said that the rain would be of

great help to farmers who j had planted fodder crops ( for winter grazing after last ] month’s drenching. i Primary-industry officials said it was too early to 1 determine whether the i state’s most savage drought f had been broken. i Farmers and graziers ( were delighted even though i in some cases their properties were isolated by j flooded roads. '] Heavy rains in the Flind- j ers Ranges caused problems ,

for campers when flooded creeks and rivers cut most roads until yesterday afternoon. The Weather Bureau said that Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and Tasmania would get more rain, and some thunderstorms were expected in Queensland. However, the bulk of the .rain had passed, said the bureau, and cloud in the interior of the continent bad already cleared.