Floodwaters lapped at the roof of the pub, a tractor was submerged, and chairs floated down the main street while locals watched on from boats.
That's what Wollombi cafe owner Justin Scrymgeour saw in the NSW Hunter Valley village late on Tuesday night, one of many residents who went out in tinnies to make sure everyone was safe.
"The whole town is shut down. Everyone is coming out to help everyone. We were dragging furniture out of the pub last night, everyone just chipped in," Mr Scrymgeour told AAP.
"It is pretty full on, with roads cut off in all directions, but everyone has got food and they're safe, which is good."
The Wollombi Tavern posted images on Facebook showing dark water surrounding the building, with only its roof visible.
The Bureau of Meteorology said Wollombi Brook peaked at 14.2 metres at 1am on Wednesday.
Locals say it is the area's second worst flood since 1949, when 500mm of rain fell over two days.
Residents in the small village of Glen Davis, in the NSW Capertee Valley, are cut off, with roads and bridges submerged.
Jason Grimshaw, the village's Rural Fire Service deputy captain, said the community is starting to ration their food, though SES crews in neighbouring towns are on stand-by for emergency drop offs.
"It's pretty wet, to say the least," Mr Grimshaw said, adding that the yards of many properties, the former police station and the pub have experienced minor flooding.
In the Hawkesbury region, flooding is more severe than it was in March, and possibly the worst in 50 years, deputy mayor Barry Calvert said.
The weather bureau recorded major flooding along the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond, Windsor, Sackville, Lower Portland and Wiseman's Ferry.
Mr Calvert said many people had just finished rebuilding or renovating months after the last flood.
"They're fed up, they have flood fatigue. There are people talking about not going back."
"But there's also a lot of good stories about our volunteers. It shows us to be a very strong and resilient community."
Nearby, in the Blue Mountains, mayor Mark Greenhill said there have been numerous road slips, felled trees and massive road damage across the region, as emergency services work in high winds and rain.
The Blaxland library was inundated and will be closed indefinitely due to black mould.
Mr Greenhill said the damage bill is estimated to be $400 million, which is more than four times what the council brings in through rates.
"With the umpteenth natural disaster declaration in recent times, we anticipate we'll need significant support from state government," he said.
The mountains were ravaged by bushfires in 2013, when 200 homes were destroyed in two hours, followed by a period of major storms, then Black Summer in 2019-20.
"There needs to be a complete policy rethink in NSW because multiple natural disasters back-to-back are the new norm as the effects of climate change are now felt."
He said the community is growing very weary.
"There is a mood that people are fatigued by the multiple natural disasters. They're over it."
Australian Associated Press
