A Wollongong family stuck on the North Coast had to battle floodwaters to get home in time for an urgent COVID vaccination.
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Corey Middleton and his family had been holidaying in Queensland and were driving home when their journey was stopped by floodwaters near Taree.
Read more: NSW floods - the day in pictures
It in this region where the home of a couple floated away on Saturday, the same day they were to get married.
"We've been in Hervey Bay for a fortnight and we're making our way back down the coast," Mr Middleton said.
"We were driving in behind this pressure system thinking we'll be behind it all the way but it's just locked everything up for us."
The family had stayed in Coffs Harbour on Friday night before continuing their journey south, only to find the road cut off and then having to go back to the same Coffs Harbour hotel for a second night on Saturday.
As well as trying to keep their two children entertained, Mr Middleton said there was a pressing need to get back to Wollongong before Monday morning.
"My wife's with Wollongong Hospital and she's supposed to be getting her COVID vaccination [on Monday] as part of the A1 rollout, so we don't know if she' s going to make that," Mr Middleton said.
"She works in the pathology department there so it's fairly critical that she gets it."
On Saturday night, the family spent the time planning a route that would get them back home - even if it meant a very long trip.
"We spoke to a local at a truck stop and they said if this happens [Pacific Highway flood closure] it's usually two days minimum before it passes," Mr Middleton said.
"We've looked at live traffic and you can't get there any other way safely so it's up to Grafton out to Armidale and taking the New England Highway to Wollongong that way," he said.
"We'll take it 40 minutes to Grafton and two and a half hours west before we head south again.
"It's going to be about a 10-hour trip all up today before we get home."
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