Australia Weather News

Leo Pietsch raised the level of his house in Forbes to avoid the impact of any flood. - ABC

Farmers near Forbes in the New South Wales central west are bracing for extensive loses as their crops continue to be inundated with flood waters, which are expected to peak later today.

At least 100 properties have been inundated with water following the flooding of the Lachlan River in the town.

The State Emergency Services (SES) has received more than 2,300 calls for help already, and has called on people in low lying areas to evacuate as anyone left may be stranded for up to five days when the flood waters peak at 10.7 metres.

But many of the areas farmers have chosen to remain on their land.

Leo Pietsch, 87, who was born in the Forbes area and had experienced many significant floods in the region, said his crops were already inundated.

Mr Pietsch lives about 30 metres from Lake Forbes and said his house should be safe because the family raised the level of the house about 25 years ago to avoid flood impacts.

"They're talking about this one being the same as the one in 1990, and if that's the case it will be up to the bottom of our house," Mr Pietsch said.

"Going back to 1952 ... there was a very big flood ... there was cattle, there was horses ... all kinds of things floating down this lake here and a lot of furniture.

"[That] was the big one and I certainly hope that doesn't happen this time, but if it does it wouldn't go in our house because we've built up so much higher.

"It will be interesting to see what this flood does, but I think it's going to come up a lot higher than it is at the moment."

He said his farm, just outside Forbes has gone under water.

"We've got a nice big crop there ... we're not to sure what's going to happen to that, whether it's going to survive or not ... there's oat crop, barley crop, lucerne."

He said he was there a couple of days ago.

"And the water was just starting to come in then, I can't get out there now, for the water, the roads are all closed, but we've got our young bloke out there.

"It's either a feast or a famine ... either a drought or a flood."

Farmer 'surrounded by water' but staying with livestock

Paul Doust owns 500 hectares 30 kilometres west of Forbes, in the Jemalong irrigation area, where he has 900 sheep as well as wheat, barley and lucerne crops.

He said he would not be evacuating.

"The property is surrounded by water ... we've put all the sheep and lambs up on high ground ... they're protected ... we can feed them up there," Mr Doust said.

"We've got about 800 grown lambs on the home block here, behind a levy, at the moment they've got plenty of feed, but only if the levy stays secure.

"Biggest concern is keeping them on dry ground. Sheep are not good in deep water, or shallow water even. It's not good for them.

"But I should have enough high ground behind the levy, even if it does spill."

He said that two of his wheat crops were under water.

"If we lose the crops, we'll just have to clean up and start again," he said.

"It hurts ... but we've through it before and we've still got lambs to sell, and they bring in reasonably good money at the moment, so we'll survive.

"Everyone appears to have lost something, we're not sure how much yet, until the water goes down, it hasn't even peaked yet.

"We haven't been able to report loses as far as fences and crops go until we know what survives and what doesn't.

He said he would be staying on his property because remaining with the livestock was his "main priority".

"We can still get around, mainly with tractor at the moment ... the road is closed, but we can still get out if we want to."

Brown snakes 'flushed out' by flood waters

Paul Newcombe, a snake catcher in Forbes, said more snakes than usual had emerged due to the rising flood waters.

"Since the flood waters have come up, there's plenty getting flushed out now; it's pretty cold this time of the year, normally it's warmer" Mr Newcombe said.

"Mainly eastern brown ... they're the second most venomous snakes the world.

He said most of the snakes he had been finding were on the edge of the floodwaters or wrapped around trees or up in tree branches.

ABC