Gippsland has largely missed out on a weather system, which brought a good soaking to much of the rest of the state earlier this week.
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) senior duty forecaster Chris Godfred said the heaviest rain from the weekend event was recorded at Mount Buffalo, which received more than 300mm by mid-week.
Mr Godfred said Stawell had 55mm of rain and Dimboola 41mm.
“It was a combination of a mass of moist tropical air in northern Australia and a very intense low, in the Bight, drawn down over eastern Australia,” Mr Godfred said.
The bureau’s National Operations Centre Director Dr Andrew Tupper said it was “an unusually large scale weather event.”
"This is the first widespread rainfall this autumn and a welcome start for the southern crop and pasture growing season," Dr Tupper said. "It is an unusually large scale weather event across Australia.”
Mr Godfred said the system had moved through by earlier this week, leaving Gippsland with showers, although better falls were recorded by mid-week. Gippsland dairy farmers recorded between 15mm-21mm of rain, although 30mm fell at Inverloch. Marian Macdonald said the area had been missing out, as most systems were coming from the north. “I’ve had to irrigate to get grass out of the ground,” she said.
It was a more positive story in the north-east, with Goroke cropper Xavier Breen said he’d received eight millimetres of rain, on top of 10mm last week. “I’ve been sowing dry, but on the lighter country this will really bring it up and get it going,” Mr Breen said. He said he had put in canola, barley, wheat, lupins and beans.
“There’s talk of another system coming through, which gives everyone a bit of confidence.”
But he said the rain was patchy. Kaniva cropper Barry Crouch said the area had reasonable summer rains, with 100mm until the start of April. “We have got a bit of subsoil moisture, but nothing really on top to get things growing,” Mr Crouch said.
Noorong livestocker Tam Mulholland, Overina, said the property had received 20mm from the rain event. “It means a great deal, it’s huge, as it is follow up from last week,” Ms Mulholland said. Last week, the area received 27mm of rain and Ms Mulholland said the follow up would give sown pastures a kick start.
The Mulhollands run sheep but have a small herd of composite beef cattle, on the road near Balranald. “They will be coming home for some feed; it’s a good start and it’s still warm.”
