Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Thursday 10 January 1957, page 11


Freak Rains

Flood Area Near

Alice Springs

DARWIN, Wednesday. ~ Freak rain of up to 15in. in 48 hours has flooded 50.000 square miles of semi-desert north-east of Alice Springs.

Many cattle stations have been isolated.

Cattle bogged down m mud pans are threatened with starvation.

-The area in two days has had -more rain than the average rainfall for a year.

Two men narrowly escaped" drowning when their car sank in flooded Seven Mile Creek, north of Tennant Creek.

The car floated, like a

beat in the raging torrent,

but sank when one man panicked and opened a door. '

The men, Douglas Fraser and Brian Joss, both of Tennant Crefik, swam

ashore.

Drivers of heavy transports Are camped at the side of the . creek waiting for the water to subside., ,

The road to Eldorado gold mine has been cut, and trucks are% bogged on the road to Peko copper mine, the biggest mining project in the Northern Territory.

People' on isolated flying doctor airstrips may run short of fo9d unless " the I

rain ends.