Water in the world: Image gallery

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This gallery contains a range of labelled images for teachers and students to use when studying “Water in the world”. It includes historical photos and etchings of flooding, photos of communities preparing for flood and field-trip locations, plus useful graphs and diagrams relating to flood history and behaviour in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

Etching of the 1867 Flood in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley depicting the Eather Family house ruin. Illustrated Sydney News 16 Aug 1867

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1867 Flood in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, Eather Family. Illustrated Sydney News July 16 1867

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Etching of the 1867 Flood in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley depicting Windsor at nightfall. Photo source: State Library of Victoria

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Eather Family memorial from the 1867 Flood in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley in which 12 family members died. Photo by Stephen Yeo

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Flood damage at Penrith Powerboat and Ski Club in the 1961 floods. Photo source: Penrith City Library

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Flood emergency planning event for horses in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Photo source: Infrastructure NSW.

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Flood emergency planning event for horses in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Photo source: Infrastructure NSW

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Flood planning workshop with schools in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Photo source: Infrastructure NSW

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Flood planning workshop with schools in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Photo source: Infrastructure NSW

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Flood preparedness workshop with early childhood services in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Photo source: Infrastructure NSW

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Having access to a well‑maintained float is vital if you need to evacuate your horse ahead of a flood. Photo source: Infrastructure NSW

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Hawkesbury River in the 1978 floods. Photo source: Hawkesbury City Library

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Labelled aerial view across McGraths Hill towards the Blue Mountains in the 1961 floods. Photo source: Vic Gillespie Collection in the Hawkesbury City Library

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Aerial view of McGraths Hill in the 1964 floods, June 13 1964. Photo source: RMS RTA

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Nepean River at Penrith in the 1988 floods. Photo source: Penrith City Library

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New Hawkesbury-Nepean flood risk information is available on the NSW SES website.

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Newspaper clipping, canoeing down Railway Parade in Riverstone 1961. Photo source: Keith Barlow in Australian Women’s Weekly, Dec 6 1961

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Newspaper clipping: 'Death in deluge' 1988 floods. Photo source: Sun Herald, May 1 1988

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Aerial view of a Riverstone house and shed cut off by rising flood waters in the 1988 floods. May 1 1988. Photo source: Newspix

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Ross St in Windsor 1961. Photo source: Vic Gillespie Collection_Hawkesbury City Library

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Victoria Bridge Penrith 1990. Photo source: Penrith City Library

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Aerial view of Windsor in the 1964 floods, June 13 1964. Photo source: RMS RTA

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Yarramundi Bridge flooding

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Yarramundi Bridge overturned in the 1961 floods. Photo source: Kurrajong-Comleroy Historical Society

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Construction of new bridge at Windsor

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Doctor's House, Windsor

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Doctor's House, Windsor

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Nepean river

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Nepean river

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Nepean River Pedestrian Bridge Sign

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Nepean River Pedestrian Bridge

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Old Council Chambers Castlereagh Rd

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Old Council Chambers Castlereagh Rd

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Plaque at Windsor showing height of 1867 flood

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Plaque at Windsor showing height of 1867 flood

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Roads in floodplain showing height of potential flooding - sign

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Roads in the floodplain showing inundation levels - sign

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View from Castlereagh Road

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View from Terrace Rd over Richmond Lowlands showing landuse

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View from Terrace Rd over Richmond Lowlands showing landuse

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View of floodplain from Castlereagh Rd

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View of Penrith Lake from Castlereagh Rd

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View of Victoria Railway Bridge

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Windsor Bridge piers and river level in 2019

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Windsor Bridge showing traffic and current use

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Windsor looking up to the Doctor's House

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Yarramundi Bridge

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Yarramundi Reserve

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Yarramundi Reserve

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The Australian Bureau of Meteorology acknowledges that East Coast Lows are significant contributors to flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Days of sustained rainfall can overwhelm the rivers and lead to widespread riverine flooding.

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According to the NSW State Emergency Service, it is imperative that people living and working in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley listen to the directions of the NSW SES, and that they are aware of the evacuation route out of the floodplain.

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The local councils report and floodplain committees report that the unique topography of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley heightens the flood risk of this area. Factors that exacerbate this include the large catchment, the fact that 5 rivers flow in from the catchment, and the narrow drainage point at Sackville Gorge.

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Historical data: The bathtub effect is a major contributor to flood risk in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Very deep flooding, beyond depths of 20 metres, is possible.

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A resident from the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley relays that I remember the floods from 1960s. They were disastrous. There certainly is periodicity to flooding here. It can flood many times in a short period, with floods clustering together. Then again, you can have dry spells and no major floods for decades. It will flood again, we just don't know when.

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Damian Boyce, 9, clings to a traffic sign during Windsor floods, May 1 1988. Photo source: Newspix

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Flood signage in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Photo source: Infrastructure NSW

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Flooded houses at Emu Plains on the Nepean River, Aug 2 1990. Photo by Antonin Cermak. Photo source: Fairfax Media

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Flooding at Windsor to McGraths Hill 1988. Photo source: RAAF Richmond

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Newspaper Highway for surf boats at Riverstone Hotel 1961. Photo source: Daily Telegraph, Nov 21 1961, via State Library of NSW

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Rooftop in South Windsor 1961. Photo source: Barry Gibbs Collection Hawkesbury City Library

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Infographics and diagrams

patterns-of-floods-hawkesbury-nepean-valley-floods-at-windsor-from-1790-to-present — Hawkesbury-Nepean floods at Windsor 1790 to present. Image source: Infrastructure NSW

how-a-flood-island-can-be-isolated-then-fully-submerged — Schematic of a cross-section of a floodplain showing how, as floodwaters rise, some areas (known as flood islands) can become isolated as lower-level access roads are flooded. As floodwaters continue to rise, these flood islands can become fully submerged. Image source: Infrastructure NSW

comparison-of-the-differences-in-flood-levels-and-flood-risk-between-the-hawkesbury-nepean-river-at-windsor-and-other — Comparison of the differences in flood levels and flood risk between the Hawkesbury-Nepean River at Windsor and other floodplains. Image source: Infrastructure NSW

Graph showing the relative contribution of different river catchments in previous floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley (Infrastructure NSW) — Graph showing the relative contribution of different river catchments in previous floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Image source: Infrastructure NSW

What does chance or likelihood of a flood mean in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley? It's helpful to think about the likelihood of flood as the chance of a particular flood will happen in an 80-year lifetime. This graphic explains this concept of a flood's likelihood and relates it to other common ways of describing floods. — What does chance or likelihood of a flood mean in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley? It’s helpful to think about the likelihood of flooding as the chance a particular flood will happen in an 80-year lifetime. This graphic explains this concept of a flood’s likelihood and relates it to other common ways of describing floods.

The 'bathtub' effect in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley (Infrastructure NSW) — The ‘bathtub’ effect in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Image source: Infrastructure NSW