Fires, Floods & The Future
Fires, Floods & The Future
'Every town has its troubled patch, where the creek floods and the worries gather.'
___Unknown
Embedded Files
SWAMP CREEK, WESTON, NSW
SWAMP CREEK, WESTON, NSW
Above: A section of Swamp Creek at Weston NSW in 2023
~ Leanne Johnson
The arial photograph above shows the dense growth of trees and scrub along the creek adjacent to homes. This photograph was taken from Seventh Street (west side of the creek) looking towards the Bob Wells Bridge in Fourth Street. Kline Street, where the old bridge was recently replaced is at the upper right in the photograph, and Weston School at middle left. Mount Tomalpin (Tumbleby) can be seen in the distance.
In every community, stories of resilience and struggle shape its heart. Through newspaper articles and the powerful images shared by its people, this webpage is a living record of Weston, NSW, capturing the floods and fires, while also contemplating the future challenges our town might face. These accounts are more than a history—they’re a call to understand, reflect, and act. By documenting the impact of these disasters, we aim to honour those affected, raise awareness, and spark conversations about building a safer, stronger future for Weston. Even as early as 1926, there was a devastating flood recorded at Weston: The 1926 Flood. Join us in exploring these events and envisioning what the future has in store.
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK FLOODS - 1990
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK FLOODS - 1990
Above: Group of three photos of Swamp Creek flooding at Weston NSW - 4 Feb 1990
~ Deanne Moorcroft
Above: Slideshow of 1990 flooding around Swanson and Fourth Streets, Weston.
~ Lisa Williams
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK FLOODS 2007
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK FLOODS 2007
The 2007 flood event in Weston, NSW, was a significant disaster centred around Swamp Creek, causing widespread damage and highlighting ongoing issues with flood mitigation.
During June 2007, the New South Wales coast experienced what is dubbed the 'Pasha Bulker storm,' a severe east coast low that brought heavy rainfall to the Hunter Region. The flood was part of a broader storm event that caused significant damage across Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, with Weston experiencing severe impacts due to Swamp Creek’s overflow.
Approximately 50 homes in Weston were inundated, with floodwaters entering residences, particularly along Fourth Street and nearby low-lying areas. Damages were estimated to exceed $1 million, affecting personal belongings, structures, and livelihoods.
Bob Wells Bridge, a critical crossing over Swamp Creek, was submerged, disrupting local transport and access. Floodwaters also damaged roads and public spaces, exacerbating recovery challenges. Residents faced significant distress, with many dealing with loss of property and safety concerns. The event underscored the vulnerability of Weston’s low-lying areas to Swamp Creek’s flooding.
The creek’s narrow channel and dense vegetation contributed to rapid water buildup. Prior to 2007, flood studies had identified Swamp Creek’s risks, but no significant infrastructure improvements, such as dredging or floodwalls, were implemented. A $58,000 grant allocated for creek clearing was returned unused, a point of contention highlighted in resident advocacy and newspaper reports.
Weston’s development in flood-prone areas, combined with inadequate drainage systems, amplified the flood’s impact. Emergency services assisted affected residents, with evacuations and cleanup efforts coordinated locally.
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK FLOODS - 2012
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK FLOODS - 2012
Above: UNDERWATER
~ Nobby Bartlett
Mr & Mrs Bartlett left their home due to the creek flooding at Fourth Street.
Above: Former Fourth Street residents,
the late Mr & Mrs Bartlett.
~ The Maitland Mercury
In an article by Donna Sharpe, Newcastle Herald, on 1 Nov 2012, Fourth Street resident Errol Walker reminisced about the 2007 floods while discussing the 2012 event. He said he slept with one eye open and prayed his home would not be flooded a second time. Mr Walker was one of about 50 residents whose houses were flooded during the June long weekend in 2007. Mr Walker said during this storm, the water reached 1.2m deep inside his house. "We lost just about everything and all we were left to work with was basically a shell."
He joined other Abermain and Weston residents whose homes backed onto Swamp Creek, to lobby Cessnock City Council to clean the creek and for a solution to quell the flow of water during heavy rain.
The late Cr. Maybury, a Freeman of the City of Cessnock, (see Weston Worthies), raised residents' concerns and called on officers to look into the feasibility of recommissioning dams on several old mine sites in the area. He said the dams at Hebburn No.1 and No.2, Abernethy and Abermain No.1, 2 and 3 pits could be resurrected to take the run-off into Swamp Creek.
Cr. Maybury said, "I have been chasing this up since the 2007 storms when about 50 homes were indundated and the repair bill running into well over $1million." ..."I believe it was first raised in 1990 with the state member Bob Roberts when a petition with 150 signatures was presented to him."
The late Cr. Maybury worked tirelessly on this issue. As he said, it was not just about properties, but also human safety.
Above from left: Errol Walker, Kevin Little and Cr. Jeff Maybury at
Swamp Creek, Weston NSW.
~ Peter Stoop
Above: Col Maybury, front, and on the bridge from left: Marilyn Wright, Kevin Little, Marcia Maybury, Anne Warburton, Nobby Bartlett and Bill Emerson.
~ Max Mason-Hubers, Newcastle Herald, April 16 2012
RESIDENTS FEAR HOMES MAY FLOOD
In the Newcastle Herald article from 2012, Abermain and Weston residents expressed their fear for their lives and homes during extreme weather conditions, and stated that they wanted action from Cessnock City Council, especially after it had commissioned seven flood studies over the past 20 years but failed to act on the recommendations. Read more...
They were seething that a $58,000 government grant for Kurri Kurri Landcare to clear a flood-prone creek was handed back to the State three months before the devestating 2007 storm that destroyed houses backing onto the same creek that was to be remediated with those funds.
Irate residents said at the time that attempts to have Council work crews dredge the creek had failed. Anne Warburton of Abermain said, "We are just being ignored and can't speak with anyone at the council." Mrs Warburton's home was inundated during the June 2007 flood. Likewise, for Mr Bill Emerson who lost his Elizabeth Street, Abermain home in the same storm. He said he was told by Council that some plant species growing in the creek bed were protected so dredging could not take place. Residents believed that their homes and lives did not matter and this was nothing more than an excuse to not carry out this necessary work.
The late activist for remedial creek work at Weston, Mr Nobby Bartlett, said he had been fighting for dredging since 1990. He moved from his Fourth Street home because of the strain of living there after several inundations and the chronic mould problem.
In an article in the Maitland Mercury dated Aug 1, 2012, five years after the 2007 floods, Mr Bartlett told reporter Sam Norris that water had reached two metres high inside their former home in Fourth Street, Weston when the weed-choked creek rose without warning. While Cessnock City Council acknowledged in 1990 that there were problems with the creek there was still no flood mitigation work carried out. The inaction forced the late Mr and Mrs Bartlett to leave what had been their family home for 50 years. Mr Bartlett told reporter Sam Norris, "We just couldn't live there anymore; the terror was too much." Cessnock City Council was approached by the Maitland Mercury for comment at the time but did not respond.
Mr Col Maybury said residents had approached Cessnock City Council to clear the creek and install floodwarning devices but they failed to do this. It was left to Kurri Kurri Landcare to spend $2,800 on two warning devices each for Weston and Abermain. A Weston resident informed us in August 2023 that a warning device near him did not work.
Above: Kurri Landcare president Col Maybury at the overgrown Swamp Creek at Bob Wells Bridge
~ The Advertiser
SIX YEARS ON, THE FEAR OF FLOOD REMAINS
SIX YEARS ON, THE FEAR OF FLOOD REMAINS
In the Advertiser article dated 5 Jun 2013, Landcare president, the late Mr Col Maybury (above), again warned that it was only a matter of time before more flooding occurred. Mr Maybury said back then that clearing and dredging Swamp Creek and constructing a gabion wall at Hebburn Dam were two ways of alleviating the flooding. Read more...
He said at that time that despite recommendations from at least seven Cessnock City Council flood studies since 1992, the creek remained choked with noxious weeds and vegetation. With no subsequent action from Council since, the state of the creek in 2023, is now much worse.
Back in 2013, Mr Maybury wanted to know why so many flood studies had been carried out with little follow up action. He said all the studies used the same creek profiles. All were virtually the same study with some slight wording changes. Several had been 'cut and pastes' with the same typographical error appearing in many, while another had the wrong date. A gabion wall was recommended in an April 2011 flood study only to be removed again from the next study a month later.
Of significant importance, Mr Maybury claimed in that article ten years ago in 2013, that Cessnock City Council had misled the former Environment Minister, Robyn Parker, since her office was only aware of the studies dating back to 2005, not 1992.
Above: Bob Wells Bridge, Fourth Street Weston, during and after flooding.
~ Billy Gillon
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK FLOOD - 2015
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK FLOOD - 2015
Above: OVER IT: Lisa Ashpole and her daughters
Lilly (12), Shae (2) and Stevie-Lee (9) at their former home in Fourth Street, Weston.
~ Krystal Sellars, The Advertiser
Weston residents plea for Swamp Creek to be cleared, one year on from April 2015 super storm
In the Advertiser article dated Apr 19, 2016 by Krystal Sellars, homeowner Lisa Ashpole, pictured above with her children, said she would not be getting her Fourth Street home repaired or moving back in until something is done to alleviate the flooding in Swamp Creek. Read more...
She said, "I used to take pride in my house, but not any more." Ms. Ashpole said she had high hopes after the 2007 flood that the creek would be cleared but those hopes had faded by 2015.
SWAMP CREEK ABANDONED
SWAMP CREEK ABANDONED
Swanson Street residents, Ron and Marilyn Wright shared Ms. Ashpole's concerns about Swamp Creek. The ground floor of their home was indunated during the April 2015 flood. Ms Wright said, "It (the creek) has just been abandoned." Ms Wright also said the creek is not just a flood risk now - a grass fire broke out there over the summer.
In this same article, Krystal Sellars wrote that:
'Cessnock City Council will receive $100,000 from the Office of Environment and Heritage for the environmental investigations and design stage of the Swamp Creek flood mitigation works.
Above: Slideshow of images taken during and after Swamp Creek flooding at the bridges in Kline and Fourth Streets Weston NSW in 2015.
~ Leslie Bender
Above: A torrent of water spilling from Hebburn Dam at Weston NSW during the floods of 2015.
~ Leslie Bender
Above: Hebburn Dam's century-old spillway deteriorating and breaking up
~ Col Maybury, Kurri Kurri Landcare
FEARS HEBBURN COLLIERY DAM ON BRINK OF COLLAPSE
FEARS HEBBURN COLLIERY DAM ON BRINK OF COLLAPSE
In Matthew Kelly's Newcastle Herald article dated May 5, 2015, he stated that Hebburn Dam at Weston, NSW was among the state's oldest water reservoirs and that there were fears it was on the brink of collapse. The 19-megalitre reservoir was built to provide water for the steam-powered Hebburn Colliery. Photograph's (above) taken by Col Maybury of Kurri Kurri Landcare illustrate why they are fearful. Landcare group members said the structure had visibly deteriorated during the previous month with large chunks of concrete missing from the spillway. That was following the April 2015 super storm.
Mr Maybury said, "If it collapses it will dump about 150 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water on Weston."
Mr Maybury attempted to address the issue at a Cessnock City Council meeting at the time but was refused on the basis that the subject of flooding was not listed on the agenda.
A Cessnock council spokeswoman said the dam's condition was under investigation. "We are currently investigating this matter as it's believed the dam in question is on private property."
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK 2017-2023
WESTON NSW: SWAMP CREEK 2017-2023
Above: Debris and overgrowth in Swamp Creek, Weston NSW
Above: Debris and overgrowth in Swamp Creek, Weston NSW
Near where Mr Blatherwick was found.
~ Krystal Sellars. Maitland Mercury
Above: Lionel Blatherwick and his daughter Brenda Waugh at the embankment in Tenth Street, Weston NSW where he fell on the night of September 25, 2017.
~ Krystal Sellars. Maitland Mercury
WESTON NSW MAN LIONEL BLATHERWICK PULLED OUT OF SWAMP CREEK
In the Maitland Mercury article dated Oct 18, 2017, Krystal Sellars wrote that Mr Blatherwick could have hit his head, broken his leg or have been bitten by a snake. However, the 88-year old miraculously survived the six-metre fall down the embankment into Weston's Swamp Creek where he was stuck for almost 18 hours. Read more...
Word spread quickly throughout Weston when day care nurses discovered that Mr Blatherwick was missing and family, friends and strangers all joined the police in the search. Eventually it was Mr Blatherwick's granddaughter, Carly Ruiz, who spotted her grandfather in the creek at the end of Tenth Street, covered in growth.
Ms Waugh said at the time that she and many other nearby residents were concerned about the overgrown vegetation and amount of dumped rubbish in the creek, fearing it was a fire and flood hazard.
"The vegetation was so thick, it took almost 40 minutes to get him out," she said.
Ms Waugh expressed her appreciation to police, paramedics and Cessnock District Rescue Squad volunteers who brought her father to safety.
"They all did such a wonderful job," she said.
It's like Groundhog Day: Homes in Abermain, Weston and South Cessnock flooded again.
In the Advertiser edition dated July 12, 2022, Krystal Sellars wrote that Ms Beauchamp, pictured above, had experienced three floods in 15 years. Floodwater entered her home at 3.pm on the Tuesday reaching a level of 300mm. In 2015 it was twice as high and in 2007, about 1.8m. Ms Beauchamp credited the work of Abermain District Landcare removing vegetation from the creek for improving the situation in this most recent flood. She said it saved a lot but they still got wet.
Flood Warning Systems - Swamp-Fishery Creek & Cessnock Urban Area
Council was successful in receiving grant funding from the Department of Planning & Environment (DPE) to install flood warning system infrastructure within the Cessnock Local Government Area (LGA).
Flash flood siren alerting systems are proposed to be installed at four locations including:
Elizabeth St , Abermain
Thomas Fell Park, Weston
Mount View Park, Cessnock
Short Street, Cessnock
... The purpose of the proposed flood warning infrastructure is to protect life and property by alerting residents that live near high risk flash flood locations of rising creek levels, and to inform Council and emergency service organisations prior to, and during flood events.
WESTON NSW: FIRE DISASTER - 2023
WESTON NSW: FIRE DISASTER - 2023
Hot, dry and windy conditions in December 2023 helped produce a devastating inferno in the Coalfields. Three fires merged into one on Thursday 14 Dec. and threatened homes and businesses in Kurri Kurri, Abermain and Weston. It was reported that the fire burnt through nearly 850-hectares. It destroyed a business, five homes and a number of sheds, as well as damaging a further eleven homes in the Coalfields.
Above: A loss of historic significance to Weston was the former Hebburn Colliery Pay Office which was a private residence in recent years. (See: Photo Gallery)
Further information on the fire at ~ ABC.net
Above: Teasdale's Tyres in Cessnock Road Weston was completely destroyed in the December 2023 inferno.
~ Peter Williams
Above: The ferocity of the blaze is evident in scrub near the railway line at Scott and Station Streets Weston.
~ Kearsley Rural Fire Service
~ Joshua Grace
~ Jessie Townsend
~ Yoga Tea House
~ Yoga Tea House
~ Photographer Unknown
It s a tribute to the many firefighters on the frontline that more homes were not lost in this disaster. Whether on the ground or in the air, the residents of Weston and surrounding areas are grateful to firefighters and all support personnel and volunteers from both within and outside of the area. Without them, the losses for residents would have been far, far greater.
KURRI KURRI BUSHFIRE EMERGENCY
KURRI KURRI BUSHFIRE EMERGENCY
DECEMBER 14, 2023
DECEMBER 14, 2023
Severe Weather Australia: 11-minute video from inside the fire ground.
It s a tribute to the many firefighters on the frontline that more homes were not lost in this disaster. Whether on the ground or in the air, the residents of Weston and surrounding areas are grateful to firefighters and all support personnel and volunteers from both within and outside of the area. Without them, the losses for residents would have been far, far greater.
Gabriel Fowler reported in The Advertiser, Dec. 17, 2023:
'The fire started in the Coalfields scrub near Abermain on Thursday afternoon and spread to the suburbs of Kurri Kurri, Abermain, South Weston and Pelaw Main. Read more...
Within hours of the first alert, NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers were on standby to defend Kurri Kurri hospital as it was evacuated and the flames approached.
Five homes were destroyed in the fire, along with a dozen other buildings including Teasdale's Tyres. Another 11 homes were damaged.
The fire has been brought under control, with containment lines shored up by late Saturday afternoon. But firefighters were on the fireground to continue blacking out and mopping up, NSW Rural Fire Service chief inspector Ben Shepherd said yesterday.
"They held it through yesterday's weather, but there's still a bit of work to do each day just to make sure it doesn't spread any further," he said.
"There is some bad weather coming through on Tuesday, when we will see the return of hot and windy conditions again but the good news is, it's contained."
The fire held behind containment lines was likely to continue to burn for a number of days, Inspector Shepherd said.
The impact of the fire had been significant, he said, and the message this fire season was that fires did not have to be massive to pose a threat.
"Primarily, the areas that didn't burn through 2019-2020 were close to some of the most significantly populated areas ... in the Hunter, Central Coast and in and around Sydney, where we had fires on the outskirts but it did't necessarily come into bushland near suburbs and this year, that's where we're warning the threat could be.
Residents have been advised to monitor surroundings for ember attacks. Authorities are yet to determine how the blaze started.'
Looking Toward a Resilient Tomorrow
The stories and images shared here are a testament to Weston’s enduring spirit in the face of fires and floods. Yet, they also remind us that awareness is only the first step. As a community, we have the power to advocate for change, support those impacted, and work together to prevent future devastation. Let this record inspire us to collaborate with local leaders, share ideas, and build a Weston that thrives despite its challenges. Explore these pages and let’s shape a future where every resident feels safe and heard.
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