Leo Constantinou watched rainwater pooling in Stanwell Park Recreation Area all week, but on Friday the rising water began seeping toward his Stanwell Park kiosk.
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Wollongong City Council workers braved ongoing rain to sandbag around Mr Constantinou’s kiosk and neighbouring home to protect from flooding.
Mr Constantinou said he had never seen anything like it in 17 years as owner of The Beach Kiosk.
‘‘It has been flooding the last few days, soon as the rain came down,’’ he said.
‘‘The park is under water. You can’t see the ground.’’
The region was pounded with the state’s heaviest rainfall this week, affecting services and events across the Illawarra.
Robertson copped a massive 360mm of rain in the seven days to Thursday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Wollongong’s 224mm in the same period seems mild by comparison, but the downpour combined with a king tide to cause its fair share of havoc.
The State Emergency Service received more than 500 requests for help this week, mainly from Shoalhaven residents.
"Properties along the Shoalhaven River have been impacted by flooding, due to the combination of king tides and flooding on the Shoalhaven River," an SES spokesperson told the Mercury on Wednesday.
The Shoalhaven River reached a high of 3.27 metres, just below the 3.3 metre moderate flood level.
A truck overturned in floods in Albion Park on Wednesday, while two women in Bomaderry had to be rescued after their car was trapped in rising water.
About 5000 homes in the northern suburbs were technologically cut off after weather affected Telstra internet cables, while Kembla Grange racecourse’s Saturday meet has already been postponed to Monday with reports the facility received 243mm of rain this week.
Probably the only ones to embrace the wild weather were surfers, who enjoyed six foot swells earlier in the week.
The outlook for the week ahead is slightly more welcoming, with isolated showers expected across the weekend and later in the week. Monday and Thursday are shaping as the bright spots, with sunny skies and highs of 18 degrees expected.
All Wollongong and Kiama council-controlled sporting grounds are closed this weekend.