The 1955 Flood
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In the Macquarie and Talbragar River catchment areas, 24 hours of heavy monsoonal rain caused both river systems to rise rapidly. The fast flowing flooded waters of the Talbragar created a dam-like effect on the Macquarie River. This forced the swollen Macquarie River to push out onto already sodden land. Dubbo had flooded many times in the past but nothing on the scale of what was to occur on the night of the 25th of February 1955. While the residents of Dubbo slept, water began to creep into town. On the 26th of February, the Macquarie River peaked reaching an approximate height of 12.67 metres, flooding large areas of Dubbo including the main business district. To this day it is the highest flood Dubbo has ever experienced.
| Albert was working as mechanic at the time of the 1955 flood. | | Helen recalls her childhood experiences of the 1955 flood in which her family’s bakery was submerged. | | Hear about Norman's life in Dubbo and the damage caused by the 1955 flood to his family home. |
| Peter talks about his experience assisting aviator Max Hazelton to drop supplies to stranded farmers. | | Nora talks of her experiences as a young mother during the 1955 flood. | | |