Jet skiing & kayaking at submerged SA golf course amid record rainfall
Watersports enthusiasts have been filmed jet skiing and kayaking at a flooded golf course amid record-levels of rain in South Australia.
Lisa Olsson filmed the watersports at the flooded Wirrulla Golf Course on SA’s Eyre Peninsula on Friday, January 21.
Four children paddled in kayaks while a jet ski created waves and splashed them in the short video clip.
Wirulla had received 115mm of rain until 9am on Friday, which caused flooding at the golf course, local oval, wetlands and local businesses.
Four children paddled in kayaks while a jet ski created waves and splashed them at the flooded Wirrulla Golf Course on SA’s Eyre Peninsula on Friday, January 21. Photo: Lisa Olsson
Parts of SA received more than their annual average rainfall from Friday to Sunday, causing widespread flooding across the state.
Dryland grain grower Leigh Fitzgerald recorded 320mm of rain on his farm in Buckleboo on the Eyre Peninsula from Friday to Monday – beating his usual annual average of 300mm in just three days.
Mr Fitzgerald said most of the roads near him were “unpassable” and he had already bogged a vehicle in the middle of a road, while out checking the farm.
On Friday night 170mm of rain fell, flooding their shearer’s quarters, and another 145mm landed by Monday morning.
“It’s a crazy amount of rain, and not what you expect to see,” Mr Fitzgerald said.
“In 2019, we had 160-170mm for the year.”
At Gosse on Kangaroo Island, Sabrina Davis shared a video of rapid waters completely running through her dam and dam bank.
“White water rafting, anyone? This is after 81mm. How much more to come?” she said in the clip.
Meanwhile, Kylee Wilson filmed her son kayaking through flood waters at Port Augusta on the Spencer Gulf.
Sabrina Davis (centre) and her children stand in front of their flooded dam at Gosse on Kangaroo Island. Photo: Sabrina Davis
BoM senior meteorologist Kylie Evans said there were a number of daily rainfall records set, including 181 millimetres at Winter Springs near Cowell, and 160mm for Kimba, both on Friday night, and 86mm for Kadina on Sunday.
“There were also new January daily rainfall records set across a number of locations including Wharminda with 71mm until 9am Saturday morning, Yardea at 70.4mm to 9am Saturday and Leigh Creek, 93mm to 9am Sunday,” she said.
The “rare” rainfall event has been attributed to a “slow-moving upper low pressure front across the Great Australian Bite, with a deep tropical moisture and a surface trough.
Source: www.blayneychronicle.com.au
