Bega Pioneers' Museum has countless files on people and places. One is the history of Bega floods, 1851-1978, written by Bernice E Smith.
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IN THE large flood of 1934 campers on the Bega River had many narrow escapes.
Cars that could not be towed out were chained to trees, some being pulled into the paddock at the Bega Racecourse. A lot of damage was done there, especially to the building which housed the newly installed Totalizator. The Judge’s Box was washed away, being found some weeks later on Tathra Beach, and was returned intact to the course.
Jellat Jellat Flats suffered badly as fences were all gone and sand and rubbish covered the paddocks. The piles on the upstream of Cuttagee Bridge were undermined, tipping the bridge sideways so that it could be used only by light traffic using extreme caution. Two of the Charlie Cam fleet of trawlers from Eden were washed ashore in heavy seas near Penders Beach and were a total loss.
Included in the damage done at Bega was the flooding of the pump house at the river pumping station and the pit at the Power House in Auckland Street.
The year 1934 brought a total of 72 inches 19 points, one of Bega’s wettest years. The work of restoration was hampered by almost continuous wet weather. Bridge repairs were difficult, so the flying-fox continued to be used at Brogo and Moran’s Crossing. Fortunately the weather remained fine for three months allowing the paddocks to dry out and the cattle to recover from the effects of the long, wet winter. Many had lost all the hair from their legs, which were swollen and sore. From records kept by Mr McVeigh, manager of the Bega Butter Factory, this was an all-time record year for floods. Records kept over the previous 62 years showed that the average rainfall was 33.32 inches.
In 1935 a river gauge was installed but river heights were still marked by stakes driven into the ground near the bridge. No major floods were recorded in 1935, but the river remained high most of the year, as many drains had been opened in the paddocks. The first sod for Bega’s sewerage scheme was turned in Tarraganda Lane in May and it was fortunate that heavy rain did not fall as in 1934. Much gravel and sand washed down in 1934 and blocked drains, and a lot of work had to be done on the King’s Theatre site when the new building was being erected. Work was also proceeding at the Commercial Hotel, where it was necessary to put in a new brick cellar for storing casks.