Photos show brutal contrast across Australia as BoM predicts a wet winter for millions

Australia has long been a land of extremes. And that is on full display right now. Source: AAP/Getty

As residents in NSW pick up the pieces after yet another devastating and deadly flooding event, southern parts of the country continue to cry out to the heavens for rain. When it comes to Australia's increasingly turbulent weather, it's been a case of all or nothing for many residents. 

About 32,000 people on the NSW mid-north coast remain isolated by flood waters, according to the State Emergency Service. Thousands of households are beginning the major clean up effort this weekend as floodwaters begin to recede after the deluge this past week. 

Five months worth of rain was dumped in a matter of days in some areas with crews still assessing the extent of the damage on Sunday. 

Taree resident Damian Newell says his rental home now resembles a rubbish dump. And because of the "ridiculous" cost of home and contents insurance, much of their belongings are now gone.

Taree resident Damian Newell and his daughter are seen cleaning up after floods. Source: AAP

Aerial photos shows flooding in Taree on Saturday. Source: AAP

A muddy swimming pool is seen at a flood-damaged house in Glenthorne on Saturday. Source: Getty

More than 10,000 homes have been damaged. With floodwaters carrying contaminants, further hazards expected in the days ahead. Source: Getty

Some 600 kilometres away in the southwest of the state, it's a different story. But perhaps an equally painful one.

Farmer Paul Manwaring has been living in the shadow of rain, watching promising forecasts disappear, while the occasional shower creates patches of growth on the parched plains around Cootamundra, a seven hour drive from flood zones in Taree.

"It's all green where a storm went through, but 200 metres down the road it's desolate," Mr Manwaring told AAP.

The region is in the grips of disaster, according to the NSW drought indicator, part of a large area lit up in orange on the map. Surrounding regions are also drying out, expected to slip into drought by mid-winter.

Meanwhile parts of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania have endured their driest start to a year on record.

April rainfall has been well below average across much of the three states, as well as southern NSW, and the west coast and interior of WA, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's drought statement.

Victoria has faced an historic drought through the first half of 2025. Source: Mark Billings via ABC

Tasmania recorded its driest April in a decade, with falls 50 per cent below the 40-year average for the month.

South Australia has also been hit particularly hard, with $2 billion wiped from the state's economy after the worst harvest in 15 years.

Cassie Oster, whose family runs a grazing and cropping operation at Jabuk, about 150km southeast of Adelaide, says producers are always prepared for dry conditions, but this drought is particularly brutal.

"We are at a point where we're like ... this is really scary," she told AAP.

A truck loaded with sheep as a girl climbs on a fence at Cassie Oster's family farm in Jabuk, South Australia this week. Source: AAP

Sheep graze on the drought-stricken paddocks on the SA farm. Source: AAP

This aerial picture taken earlier this year shows small reservoirs in a drought-affected paddock in the district of Wildwood, located on the outskirts of Melbourne. Source: Getty

According to the Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecasts updated this week, the climate outlook for June through to September will see southeast parts of the country experience higher than average rainfall, including areas that have been lashed by floods. 

"Rainfall is likely to be above average for much of inland Australia and some southern and eastern parts ... including the Northern Rivers region of NSW," the BoM said, meaning farmers like Paul Manwaring in Cootamundra could enjoy a slight reprieve. 

Rainfall is expected to be within the typical range for June to August for much of western WA and eastern Australia, and across the tropical north, according to the Bureau's outlook.

But the bad news will likely continue for drought affected areas in the south with a 60 to 80 per cent chance southern Victoria will experience below average rainfall in the months ahead.

Inland parts of the country can expect a wetter than usual winter but dry conditions will continue for southern Victoria. Source: BoM

This article originally appeared on Yahoo News Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/photos-show-brutal-contrast-across-australia-as-bom-predicts-a-wet-winter-for-millions-023514331.html

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