Barwon River flood transforms tiny border town of Mungindi after drought, COVID and fire

For the past 12 months, Mungindi residents have had little to smile about. 

The border town — split between Queensland and New South Wales — lost its only supermarket and butcher in a massive fire last September, compounding weeks of stress over COVID-19 border restrictions that cut the community off from key services.

Prolonged drought had run the Barwon River dry and drawn hundreds of skinny kangaroos into town searching for “a skerrick” of grass or water.

Now the arrival of floodwaters from the east — after weeks of decent rainfall — has residents daring to believe their luck has turned.

“People have good water in the paddocks, they’ve got water in their crops and they’re starting to see some positive outcomes,” said…