Stoked with the soak

TASMANIAN f armers are celebrating after recent wet weather brought much-needed relief to areas suffering from a second year of well below average rainfall.

Drought-stricken areas last week received up to 137mm of rain after a low-pressure system moved northeast of Tasmania and spun a series of rainbands statewide from the southeast.

St Marys Seaview Farm owner Frank Giles described the 100mm downpour on his property as “bloody marvellous”.

“You have no idea what it means when you’ve been wait- ing for rain for two years,” he said.

“That rain is worth a couple of hundred thousand dollars to me. It saves me so much extra work, which is such an enormous relief. I just hope it continues.”

Mr Giles said the past two years on his farm had been the driest in more than a 100 years.

“It’s the worst drought on the East Coast in Tasmania’s history,” he said. “I’ve had to sell more than 80 per cent of my stock, I’ve only got a few cattle and a few sheep left.

“Anything is better than nothing. We’re coming into summer and with a bit of moisture, we might get some grass growing, but it’s too late for a good spring.”

Brett Stokes from Noble Lee Suffolk Stud at Campania said it was the best fall recorded since May.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology weekly rainfall bulletin the town received 32mm of rain in the seven days to 9am yesterday.

“It’s come about six weeks too late because everything has already gone to seed, but at least it will put some moisture back in the ground and give my turnips and grain crops a nice soaking,” he said.

“It freshens everything up. Nothing helps something grow better than a decent rain.

“How handy it is will all depend on what comes next. What we don’t want is for it to all come down in one hit because it can do a lot of damage but we also don’t want hot, windy and dry weather because that will reverse the benefits.”

Russell Fowler, who farms at Bothwell and Ouse, said the rain had come at the perfect time for central parts of the state.

“Our season is a lot later than down in the south, so the rain will help us towards the end of our spring,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily about how much rain you get, but rather the timing of the rain.

“We’ve had a good consistent rain over the past fortnight at the right time.”

Showers are expected to continue today about the East and South, before extending to most remaining areas around midday.

Hobart will reach a top of 18C.