In Menindee township, people in lower-lying areas were advised to get out before 10am Friday morning because roads are likely to be cut off.

An “evacuate now” warning was issued by the SES at 12pm on Friday for those remaining in their homes. About 30 properties in the small township are directly affected.

Among the volunteers helping to sandbag buildings are surf lifesavers from Bronte and Maroubra in Sydney who put their hands up to travel west and help the SES operation over the new year period.

“I said, ‘You guys know all about sand, here’s some sandbags’,” an SES spokesperson said. “We’re extremely grateful for the co-operation from other agencies. They are in there sandbagging, lifting furniture.”

The SES said low-lying properties along Irrigation Road, McInnes Road, Budgie Street, the Wilcannia-Menindee Road, Pooncarie Road, Little Menindee Creek Road, Pumpkin Point Road, Loop Road and Racecouse Road may be flooded.

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People are advised to move and stay with family or friends on higher ground, or evacuate to the Menindee Community Centre on Perry Street.

Once they hit the town, floodwaters are expected to remain for two weeks.

The flood is caused by a massive build-up of water caused by heavy rainfall upstream. A local river that runs alongside the Darling, Talyawalka Creek, overflowed upstream in the Wilcannia region and the water is building up in the Darling system north of Menindee, including Lake Wetherell.

Government-owned corporation WaterNSW opened the weir holding back Lake Wetherell on Wednesday to its maximum capacity, allowing 45,000 megalitres per day to flow downstream.

“Given heavy rainfall and flooding from the northern parts of the Murray Darling Basin catchments, more than five times of the lake’s capacity of water has flowed into the lakes in 2022, with an unprecedented more than 9000 gigalitres coming into the system,” WaterNSW said in a statement.

“Even with constant water releases to create airspace throughout the year, the Menindee lakes have remained above full supply level since February 2022.”

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