Outback roadhouse turns into an indoor swimming pool after much-needed rains

An outback roadhouse has been turned into an indoor swimming pool after heavy rains inundated parts of far western New South Wales. 

Receiving 50 millimetres of rain in 30 minutes the Packsaddle Roadhouse, 170 kilometres north of Broken Hill, had to quickly batten down the hatches.

But it was not enough to stop the water rushing into the popular bush roadhouse.

Glynis Gilby from Packsaddle Roadhouse said it all happened very quickly without a lot of warning.

“It just opened up and fell on us,” Ms Gilby said.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. It was bloody brilliant.”

Employee Jai Baker saw the rains as a chance to go for a paddle in the shallow pool of water that made its way into the dining room of the roadhouse.

Ms Gilby said that it made for a good laugh.

“He wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to have a swim in Packsaddle’s indoor swimming pool,” she said.

“It’s all in the fun of it. If you don’t laugh at it you’ve got nothing else to do.”

It has been a welcome downpour for many in the Far West, in particular landholders who are bracing themselves for the inevitable summer months.

Giving vegetation in the area a nice boost before December hits, station owners are walking a bit taller as they observed the rains that topped up dams and tanks on their remote properties.

Quinyambie station manager Greg Connors recorded 52mm of rain in two days on his property 128km north-west of Broken Hill on the South Australia-NSW border.

He said the rains have been promising heading into the hotter months.

“We had our fingers crossed for rain before the real hot weather really set in,” Mr Connor said.

Yet to identify exactly where the rain fell across the property, he said that if there was balanced rain cover it would set them up well.

“If we’ve had the same rain spread over the [whole] place the summer is looking a lot more rosy than it was two days ago,” he said.