The usually dusty outback city Broken Hill has been hit with more than 20 per cent of its usual yearly rainfall in a matter of hours.
Roads are closed across large parts of the New South Wales Far West and creeks are overflowing after 50 millimetres of rain fell in the region overnight.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Broken Hill's average rainfall is 246mm.
Since last November 540mm of rain has fallen.
Grazier Luke Reynolds from Middle Camp Station, south of Broken Hill, has welcomed the 40mm fall — the best total at the property in six years.
"It's magic," he said.
"It's the second time we've got past an inch since 2016, so it's a rare feeling these days."
Mr Reynolds said grazing land across the Far West had been rejuvenated in the last 18 months.
"We've got feed up to our knees … it's chalk and cheese," he said.
"It was just dust storms and disappointment."
Mr Reynolds said the rain would put him in a good position moving forward with his merino sheep and rangeland goats, which are almost back to full numbers since the drought.
"We've got feed up to our knees," he said.
"It'll just put some bulk in the feed and give us a bit of surety all the way through summer now."
From desert to 'rainforest'
Rob Pearce, owner of Sunnydale sheep station, 45 kilometres south of Broken Hill , said about 48mm of rain fell there overnight.
"The dams are full ... and they can't take any more water (even) if we add another 10 dams to the site," Mr Pearce said.
"Good for the birds and wildlife, good for your stock, good for everyone, good for the bank manager, too. I mean, everyone's a winner."
Mr Pearce, who has 7,000 sheep at Sunnydale, said the landscape was starting to look like a "rainforest", compared to the usual desert of the state's far west.
"You look back at pictures and when it's really dry you forget easily," he said.
"It was certainly an absolute desert, but you wouldn't think you're living in the same country at the moment."
Nanua races cancelled
The rain comes at an unfortunate time for organisers of this weekend's Nanua horse races.
After 30 millimetres fell at Kimberley Station where the event is held, Chris Bright made the call to cancel.
"It was just too much rain — we wouldn't even get on the race track for another three days," he said.
"It is disappointing, because we didn't have it because of COVID for two years."
Mr Bright said the event could be rescheduled.
"The committee will have talk about that and just see what they can achieve," he said.
