Three months after floods ravaged NSW's Northern Rivers region, people in Huonbrook remain cut off.
The only access road that services the locality in the Byron Shire hinterland was washed away, so supplies must be delivered by helicopter once a fortnight.
Residents have built a walking track that allows them to get to a make-shift car park.
At the moment, it's their only lifeline to the rest of the country.
Jaye Dunlop feels like he's "trapped in paradise".
"The first track was a little initiative by the Australian Army and the Fijian Army," he said.
"They built a few little bridges but they zig-zagged the creek and the second flood washed them away.
"We've all had to buy cars on the other side, so you just walk the goat track and drive to town."
But bulkier items like gas bottles have to be flown in.
Mr Dunlop has found himself acting as a liaison officer for about 20 households that remain isolated.
"We had phone contact from the top of the ridge, and I was able to contact some of the community-led crisis operations and they were flying in private drops," he said.
"Everything was sort of flowing and then Resilience NSW came in and, at the start, it was a bit sort of slow and clunky.
"You'd find someone you could talk to, you'd tell your story and within five days they'd be replaced with someone else.
"So it's hard to relive it every time."
Getting organised
Roberta Jones has lived in the area for more than 30 years.
She said this year's successive floods have had a dramatic effect on the landscape.
"We just couldn't cope mentally with actually seeing what could happen to our valley."
But she said every day was getting better and they were getting more organised.
"We shop online," Ms Jones said.
"They take it out to a shed in Mullumbimby and the helicopter then picks it up.
"What's really good is that people are actually listening to our needs and then helping us, which is a fantastic thing."
Post-flood mud
The region's rural sector is struggling to recover.
The floodwaters may have subsided, but consistent rain ever since has meant many properties are still a muddy mess.
Tuncester dairy farmer Paul Weir lost more than 100 cattle when water swept through his farm outside Lismore on February 28.
He is now considering whether to sell the rest of his herd and close down his operation for the next 12 months.
"With this rain we've got no winter feed in, the grass is just making mud, the cows just bog everything and the grass is not growing," Mr Weir said.
"What we have planted is rotting. It's just really disheartening.
"Our veterinary bills are high. We've got cows getting mastitis, lameness.
Mental health concerns
Steve Carrigg has been travelling throughout the region in recent years in his role as recovery team leader for the Northern NSW Local Health District.
With a background in mental health, he had seen plenty of cause for concern.
"We had our worst bushfire on record, and now we had the worst floods we've ever had," Mr Carrigg said.
"Throw a pandemic in on top of that, it's really stretching everyone's ability to cope.
Meanwhile, on the coast, filthy floodwater continues to flow into the Pacific Ocean from the Richmond River at Ballina.
Some of the area's normally beautiful beaches are still littered with debris, and cautious surfers are heading further up the coast to chase waves in cleaner water.
Three months on, the catastrophic floods are still affecting every part of the Northern Rivers, from the mountains to the sea.
