UPDATE
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THE peak appears to have been reached for the Macquarie at Bathurst as floodwaters move through the river system.
The river hit 4.9 metres at Bathurst at about 3pm on Sunday (October 9) and was at 4.85m at 5.30pm - keeping it in the moderate flood range.
The Bureau of Meteorology had said that the river might reach around 5.0m late Sunday afternoon.
Bathurst Regional Council's most recent roads update, at 4pm, gave the following advice:
- Hereford Street - CLOSED - water over low level bridge.
- Eleven Mile Drive - CLOSED - water over the road at Saltram Creek.
- Ophir Road - CLOSED - water over road at causeway near Abercrombie House.
- Turondale Road - CLOSED - water over road at Coles Bridge.
- Freemantle Road - CLOSED - water over road at Macquarie River.
- Lagoon Road - OPEN.
- Lloyds Road - OPEN - water over road - use caution.
- Vale Road - OPEN.
- O'Connell Road - OPEN - water over road - use caution.
Meanwhile, a landslip has closed the Castlereagh Highway near Cullen Bullen, according to Transport for NSW, and works are underway on the site.
All vehicles except B-doubles are being diverted through Sofala and the Great Western Highway, which is causing extra traffic through Bathurst.
EARLIER
The Macquarie River at Bathurst hit the 4.5-metre moderate flood level at about 10.30am on Sunday (October 9) and had reached 4.73m just after midday.
It had risen a metre in about six hours.
Freemantle Road had been added to the list of closed roads provided by Bathurst Regional Council.
The Bureau of Meteorology's advice remained that the river might reach around 5.0m late Sunday afternoon, which would keep it in the moderate flood range.
The good news for the city, though, was that there had been no more rain in Bathurst to add to what was already in the river system.
Bathurst Regional Council provided a roads update at 11am:
- Hereford Street - CLOSED - water over low level bridge.
- Eleven Mile Drive - CLOSED - water over the road at Saltram Creek.
- Ophir Road - CLOSED - water over road at causeway near Abercrombie House.
- Turondale Road - CLOSED - water over road at Coles Bridge.
- Lagoon Road - CLOSED.
- Fremantle Road - CLOSED - at Macquarie River.
- Vale Road - OPEN - water over road near old saleyards - proceed with caution and reduce speed.
- O'Connell Road - OPEN - water over road - use caution.
EARLIER
THE Macquarie River at Bathurst was still rising as of 10am on Sunday (October 9).
Meanwhile, Bathurst Regional Council said the Lagoon Road had closed.
The Bureau of Meteorology showed the Macquarie at Bathurst at 4.37m just before 10am on Sunday, having risen about 15 centimetres in the previous hour.
The bureau is expecting the Macquarie at Bathurst to exceed the moderate flood level (4.50m) at around 10.30am on Sunday and it says the river might reach around 5.0m late Sunday afternoon, with moderate flooding.
Meanwhile, Bathurst Regional Council provided a roads update at 8.45am:
- Hereford Street - CLOSED - water over low level bridge.
- Eleven Mile Drive - CLOSED - water over the road at Saltram Creek.
- Ophir Road - CLOSED - water over road at causeway near Abercrombie House.
- Turondale Road - CLOSED - water over road at Coles Bridge.
- Lagoon Road - CLOSED.
- Vale Road - OPEN - water over road near old saleyards - proceed with caution and reduce speed.
- O'Connell Road - OPEN - water over road - use caution.
It's the second time in less than a month that Hereford Street has been closed by rising water on the Macquarie.
EARLIER
THE Macquarie River was over the low level bridge as of 8am on Sunday (October 9) after rain the previous afternoon and evening fell on already sodden ground.
The Bureau of Meteorology had the Macquarie at Bathurst at 4.04 metres and rising just before 8am on Sunday and had updated its flood warning for the river from minor to moderate.
The bureau said the river at Bathurst was likely to exceed the moderate flood level (4.50m) around midday Sunday and might reach around 5.0m on Sunday evening.
READ ALSO:
It came after Bathurst received about 30 millimetres in the past 24 hours, the majority of it falling from the late afternoon to the early hours of Sunday.
The river at Bathurst hit 3.0m (the minor flood level) at about 2.30am on Sunday and 4.0m at about 7.30am.
Bathurst Regional Council provided an update on road closures in the area as of 6am on Sunday:
- Hereford Street - CLOSED - water over low level bridge.
- Eleven Mile Drive - CLOSED - water over the road at Saltram Creek.
- Ophir Road - CLOSED - water over road at causeway near Abercrombie House.
- Turondale Road - CLOSED - water over road at Coles Bridge.
- Vale Road - OPEN - water over road near old saleyards - proceed with caution and reduce speed.
- O'Connell Road - OPEN - water over road - use caution.
More significant rain isn't forecast for Bathurst today.
Further down the Macquarie, the Emile Serisier Bridge over the river at Dubbo was closed on Saturday night.
The Macquarie at Dubbo is predicted to peak near 8.60m late Sunday morning, with moderate flooding, and the bureau says the river might reach around 12.0m at Narromine on Sunday night, with moderate flooding.
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