Thargo’s long road to flood recovery

The Bulloo River at Thargomindah set a record for flooding in March with recovery efforts still underway. Photo contributed

In late March, Thargomindah was inundated after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred brought unprecedented rainfall to the Bulloo River catchment.

At Thargomindah – 200 kms west of Cunnamulla and about 400kms northwest of Bourke   – the Bulloo River surged past its previous record of 6.78 metres, set in 1974, cutting the town off completely and flooding homes, businesses, and roads.

John “Tractor” Ferguson, Mayor of Bulloo Shire Council said the town has made a remarkable recovery in just a few short months.

“It’s amazing just how quick it has come back,” he said. “The town’s cleaned up. The streets are cleaned up. The old levee banks, all that stuff’s gone. The pub is getting back to normal.”

“The Oasis Motel probably got smashed most out of everything. Owners, Paul and Nancy, have done a fantastic job to get it back to working order. They’ve got the restaurant running again, and they’ve got quite a few rooms running again. It’s amazing considering water went well over a metre through every room.”

Most essential services and shops in town are functioning again, including the roadhouse and general store. But not everything is back to normal.

“We’ve still got over 30 people living in caravans,” Councillor Ferguson said.

The recovery has been supported by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, which recently gave the green light for rebuilding Council-owned houses. These properties are used to house staff and essential workers. Council had been preparing to find $2–3 million to cover rebuilding costs, but the new funding commitment is a major relief. […]

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