Outback Farmers Step In to Repair Roads After Months of Heavy Rain

After months of heavy rain left roads across remote Far West New South Wales badly damaged, local farmers are being asked to help repair the very roads they depend on every day.

For Samantha and Richard Maiden, the problem has become deeply personal. Their Mt Gipps Station, about 40 kilometres north of Broken Hill, has been affected by repeated road closures that have disrupted both their farming operation and their farm-stay business.

Samantha Maiden estimates the station has lost about $60,000 in revenue after guests were forced to cancel bookings because roads became inaccessible.

She said the tourism side of the business was operating at around 80 per cent below the same period last year.

The damaged roads have also created difficulties for livestock transport. Richard Maiden said some sections had become unstable enough to create risks for trucks carrying sheep.

The problems followed months of unusually wet conditions in the region. Some roads have been closed on and off for more than five months, leaving residents waiting for repairs while their businesses continue to lose income.

Transport for New South Wales has now launched an initiative to hire local graziers and station owners as contractors to help repair roads across the remote Far West.

The idea is to make use of equipment and local knowledge already available in the region. With about 2,800 kilometres of unsealed roads across the area, authorities say the scale of the repair challenge is enormous.

Craig Matthews, the director of regional road network maintenance for the west region, said the initiative followed three natural disasters in the area over six months.

However, some graziers say the program could move faster.

The Maidens already have machinery and experience working on roads around their property. Samantha said local landholders could respond quickly if they were able to undertake smaller emergency jobs without lengthy tender processes.

She said the priority was not making large profits from the work but getting roads reopened and being reimbursed for the time and costs involved.

Richard said farmers may eventually resort to fixing some roads themselves if formal processes continue to take too long.

The situation illustrates how people living in remote communities often have to find practical solutions when infrastructure problems affect their homes, businesses and access to essential services.

For the Maidens, repairing the roads is not simply about improving a journey. Open roads mean visitors can reach their property, livestock can be transported and local businesses can continue operating.

As authorities work through the extensive damage, local graziers are hoping their knowledge and equipment can become part of the solution.

Source: ABC Broken Hill, October 3, 2026.