Northern Tablelands farms and sanctuary still clearing snow damage a year later

When heavy snow fell across the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales last August, it brought road closures, power outages and widespread destruction of trees, fences and orchard infrastructure. Reports indicated snow depths of 20 to 40 centimetres in locations including Guyra, Walcha and Armidale. Warren Yeomans, who runs the family-owned Greenhill Orchards in Arding, said the storm caused roughly half a million dollars in damage, collapsing netting, wires and timber throughout the orchard and leading to a markedly lower fruit harvest this year.

The state government declared a natural disaster for ten local councils, offering low-interest loans and grants, though Yeomans described the application process as lengthy. Nearby, Trinity Hooper and her mother Naomi at the Kindly Animal Sanctuary faced similar devastation, with fallen trees destroying every fence on the 350-acre property and repair costs ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 per fence. Their attempts to obtain disaster relief were unsuccessful, leaving the sanctuary feeling overlooked. Both the farm and the sanctuary remain in the midst of extensive clean-up and rebuilding efforts twelve months after the event.