Further to the north on the Parkes side of the ranges the other main storage for the town – Lake Metcalf has risen from empty to 86 per cent

This is despite the area missing out on the major deluge that hit most areas of the Parkes Shire.

Rainfall over the catchment during the weekend totalled 34.5mm near the dam to 29mm to the area near the Orange Road – well short of the 133mm at the Parkes Airport and 92mm in town. Records show that Parkes recorded its best three day rainfall in 13 years.

Mayor Ken Keith who last week was lamenting missing out on the district drenching the previous weekend was in a more buoyant mood after recording 103mm (more than four inches) on his property.

“This is the best rain on our property in 20 years,” Cr Keith said.

“It’s fantastic. All of the property’s north-side dams are now full. The southern side not as much, but this is the best rain we’ve experienced since the 1990 Nyngan Floods,” Cr Keith said.

“To come on top of the fantastic district falls the week prior has certainly lifted everyone’s spirits as we head into Autumn.”

Localised flooding throughout Parkes that resulted in the closure of the Eugowra Road and Welcome Weir on the Back Yamma Road, had many residents believing the rain had also occurred in the catchment area within the Bumberry Hills.

Especially with Parkes airport registering 133mm (532-points) - the bulk of which occurred during a storm on Friday afternoon that dumped 91.4mm.

Unfortunately this was not the case further east with the Lake Endeavour catchment recording a weekend average of 30mm (120-points). This was on top of the 30 mm recorded the previous weekend.

While it did create significant run-off - causing the dam level to rise from 36 per cent to 60 per cent - it once again had everyone saying `if only’.

Kent Boyd’s (Parkes Shire Council’s Director Of Infrastructure) property to the east of Parkes and to the west of the Bumberry Hills recorded 90 plus millimetres on top of the 30mm the week before.