Tag Archives: oceania

'Very, very high' flood risk forces hundreds to evacuate across NSW

Hundreds of residents in New South Wales have been told to evacuate as authorities expect floodwaters to inundate towns across the state.

Evacuation warnings have been issued for parts of Forbes, Wagga Wagga and Gunnedah, while existing orders remain in place in other parts of the state, including the Murray River community of Moama.

Speaking in Wagga Wagga, NSW Emergency Services and Resilience Minister Steph Cooke said Forbes would likely be hit by unprecedented floods.

READ MORE: Two men missing in NSW floodwaters identified as search enters third day

Floodwaters near Forbes on October 25, 2022.

"In relation to Forbes, we are anticipating record floods to move through that community," she said.

"There are evacuation orders in place impacting 500-600 people, and their evacuation order is to take effect at 4pm today."

NSW residents can stay up to date with the latest emergency warnings at the SES website, while Victorians should visit Vic Emergency for the latest information.

The State Emergency Service said the Lachlan River near Forbes would reach a level comparable to the town's devastating June 1952 floods.

"We are going to see the predicted record flooding in Forbes," SES Southern Zone Commander Ben Pickup said.

"The Lachlan River at Forbes is expected to reach 10.55m early this afternoon and then reach a peak level of 10.8m overnight Friday, early Saturday morning."

READ MORE: Vet services provider warns of shortage of tick anti-toxin serum

Cooke also warned residents to not be lulled into a false sense of security by clear skies.

"Whilst we are starting to see blue skies emerge, which is very pleasing, and we will see easing weather conditions over the next few days, the flooding risk is very, very high at the moment," Cooke said.

"Many of our river systems are in significant flood, particularly the Lachlan, the Murrumbidgee and the Murray."

Cooke also encouraged people to evacuate well in advance of deadlines coming into effect.

"Please don't leave it until the last minute to evacuate," she said.

READ MORE: Expect higher cherry prices in lead-up to Christmas

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke acknowledged the messaging may appear 'conflicting'.

"We do put those timelines on the evacuation but we would like you to move sooner rather than later such is the risk that we believe is presented to your community."

Elsewhere in the state, the two men who went missing in floodwaters in the state's southern tablelands have been identified as Sydney fathers Bob Chahine and Ghosn Ghosn.

Meanwhile, south of the Murray, communities in Victoria are still being impacted by the weeks-long natural disaster.

Vic Emergency has told residents in Echuca it is still unsafe to return to homes due to major flooding in the area, while floodwaters are still present in several areas, including near Kerang, Rochester and Rocky Point.

Dehydrated and malnourished koala rescued from cave

A dehydrated and malnourished koala has been rescued from a cave in Victoria after wild weather hit the state last week.

The adult koala was first seen by a member of the public who was kayaking alongside a large cliff face on the Glenelg River, on the border of Victoria and South Australia.

After wildlife carers were notified, the koala was rescued and transported to Werribee Open Range Zoo, where the animal underwent urgent medical treatment.

READ MORE: Melbourne real estate agency becomes latest victim of cyberattack

It's likely the koala slipped from a tree and fell into the river during the storms, before it washed up into the cave with no pathway out, senior veterinarian Dr Natalie Rourke said.

"The koala was quickly becoming weak from starvation because he had no access to his daily eucalyptus diet while trapped in the cave," she said.

"Koalas are not natural swimmers, so without intervention, it could have drowned attempting to exit the cave to find food."

The koala spent five days rehabilitating at the zoo before it was released back into the wild, near where it was found.

Australia Post unveils Christmas stamps ahead of delivery deadline

Keeping up a tradition going back 65 years, Australia Post has released its new line of Christmas stamps for this year's holiday season.

The stamps in the 2022 Christmas line-up feature cheery messages of "peace", "joy", and the French word for Christmas – "Noel".

The international postage stamp shows Santa's reindeer touching down on Christmas Island – the island off Australia's north coast, with some friendly local red crabs waiting to meet them.

READ MORE: Australia Post announces its domestic delivery deadlines for Christmas

"There's something truly special about sending and receiving Christmas cards," Australia Post's manager overseeing stamps Michael Zsolt said.

He said that "despite the rise of digital communications, we still see plenty of Australians honouring this long-held tradition".

The announcement comes as Australia Post prepares for its busiest time of the year.

To guarantee it can keep up with the Christmas rush, the carrier has revealed its delivery deadlines for the 2022 holiday season.

READ MORE: Here are the Australia Post international delivery deadlines for Christmas

Mailrooms across Australia will be inundated as presents are sent ahead of the holiday season, and if you want your gift to land before Christmas Day you will need to get in ahead of the postal deadline.

For anyone in the Northern Territory or Western Australia, presents will need to be dispatched to loved ones before December 7.

For the rest of the country, parcels will need to be sent by December 12.

If you're willing to fork out a little extra to send via express post, that deadline will push back to December 19.

READ MORE: Australia Post puts call out for staggering 6000 jobs

After going on a recruitment blitz earlier this year, Australia Post is hoping to keep up with the boom in online shopping and parcel deliveries.

The deadline is also slightly earlier for international parcels.

"If posting with International Express, some popular destinations like the USA, the UK, New Zealand and Canada should be sent by 9 December," Australia Post said in a statement last month.

The service warned factors beyond its control, such as custom delays and overseas postal disruptions, could still delay packages.

Christmas baubles break loose from display, wreak havoc on street

Two giant baubles that broke free from a Christmas display have been spotted soaring down a busy London street, wreaking havoc as confused bystanders watch on.

If you think early November is too soon for Christmas décor, it seems the two baubles agree – with the pair of truck-sized ornaments filmed flying down Tottenham Court Road, far away from their installation at St Giles' Square.

Footage shows at one point one bauble slamming into a street pole, shattering it's outer wrapping as it continues in its warpath down the road.

Watch the full video in the player above. 

READ MORE: Record $1 million reward for suspect in Toyah Cordingley's murder

Moments after, a second bauble tumbles down the road, bounces from the street and onto the roof of a moving car, and then rolls on.

The baubles' final resting place currently remains unclear.

They are believed to have been part of an Christmas installation curated by artist Tom Shannon. 

READ MORE: NSW widower angry dead wife's information was stolen in Optus hack

The two ornaments were swept from their display during extremely high winds as the aftermath of Storm Claudio continues to batter London.

Meteorologists expect the wild weather to continue for some time yet, having been swept across the continent from France – where "tornado-like" winds destroyed homes.