Residents of Bogan Gate saw their worst fear come to fruition when flood waters broke through a rail line sending torrents of fast moving water through adjacent properties, leaving 800 stud sheep unaccounted for and forcing one family to be evacuated by helicopter. Now the community is renewing their pleas for the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to better mitigate flood risk along the line, part of a network which carries freight from Sydney to Perth. "There's been time to do something and nothing has been done. It can be done, there's just not an appetite there," said Bogan Gate local James Buchanan, secretary of the Gunningbland Creek Flood Improvement Committee. Like Parkes and many communities in the Central West, Bogan Gate found itself inundated with levels of flooding locals say is worse than anything they'd experienced before. As the water levels rose, all eyes in Bogan Gate were on the railway line which has long been a source of concern for the community. Originally built in the early 1900s at ground level, water was able to flow over the line. But after WW2, the height of both the railway line and adjacent road Henry Parkes Way were raised, creating a levee effect in the Gunningbland Creek Catchment. If the railway line fails during a flood, "it's akin to pulling a plug out of the bathtub," said Mr Buchanan. "Once the line breaks it just sucks everything out - livestock or any person which happens to be in there." Local farmer Ron Umbers happened to be in the water freeing some trapped cattle when the railway line gave way. The cattle belonged to a neighbour who wasn't at home at the time. Hearing them bellowing in distress, Mr Umbers set out to help. "I know we are told not to enter floodwater, but I couldn't stand by and watch these poor animals suffer, when I could do something about it. I reasoned I would only walk through water to the cattle while I felt relatively safe," he said. After he cut the fence to allow the first group of cows make their way to higher ground, he set off to help a smaller group of cattle who were caught in a corner between two fence lines. It was after freeing these cows the water sped up - a result of the railway line giving way. "I have never been more fearful in my life, all of a sudden I went from being able to manage comfortably to being swept off my feet. I was making a plan for what I could grab onto if I got washed away," he said. "Fortunately, that didn't happen and I managed to move to a position behind a couple of trees and bushes which offered relief from the current and after resting, gradually moved away and eventually out of that area to rejoin the second mob of cattle which were up against another fence." This isn't the first time the small community of just over 300 has been impacted by flooding. In fact, Bogan Gate has been hit by ten significant floods since 1930 and locals say the raising of the railway lines has "increased the intensity and magnitude" of the floods. However, Bogan Gate landowners feel their concerns about the flood risk have fallen on death ears, despite the town being acknowledged as a "critical fail point" on the railway line. "My grandparents were part of the group who was originally trying to get it sorted. And my kids are still dealing with what their great-grandparents had to deal with," said one landowner who asked for his name not to be included. "Council says it's someone else's responsibility, ARTC says it's someone else's. It just gets passed around." In the 1950s, landowners began what would become a seven-decade campaign for better flood mitigation around the train line at Bogan Creek. Their lobbying intensified after a flood in 1990 which isolated six properties and required residents to find emergency accommodation for three days. Their lobbying efforts have led representatives of the community to have multiple meetings with members of government about the issue including Anthony Albanese in 2016, then Shadow Minister for Infrastructure. State member for Orange Philip Donato, a member of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party, visited the site in 2020. He said he understands the community's frustration about the lack of action. "I accept that this was a freakish rain event and there were a lot of other factors that led to this. But it shouldn't come to a stage where it seems like ARTC is not being a good corporate citizen in the area," he told ACM. "I made a number of representations to ARTC about this to try and get it resolved and prioritise funding for flood mitigation at Bogan Gate and to work with them and the Parkes Shire Council. "They're looking into it but that's just like a mirror. They can look into it but what have they actually achieved? It doesn't appear like much has been done in reality because these communities are still being impacted by it." Busy in Eugowra and other areas in his electorate which have been heavily impacted by flooding, Mr Donato said he hasn't had a chance to get out to Bogan Gate yet but promises he will stop by soon. "I'll try and get out there as soon as I possibly can. Because the response isn't good enough, this should have been rectified years ago. It's very frustrating, and I'm angry as well," he said. The NSW Government has funded an independent flood study on the Gunningbland Creek catchment in 2020. As of the most recent flooding, the study is still in progress. The ARTC has been contacted for comment. READ MORE: