Turf farms destroyed by NSW flood crisis

On the banks of the Hawkesbury River, Graeme Colless’ turf farm is bathed in brown mud following the state’s worst flooding in decades.

His Pitt Town property is home to the most precious blades of grass in Australian sport with the grass covering the Sydey Cricket Ground (SCG), Bankwest Stadium, Randwick Racecourse and a host of major golf courses all grown on farms like his.

This was before “the big wet” submerged the property in more than three metres of floodwater.

“We’ve had a bit of devastation, but what are ya gonna do?” Mr Colless told 9News.

Once a “Field of Dreams” the root systems are simply disintegrating with no sunlight or air to keep the plants alive.

Now the rain has finally stopped, attention has turned to the massive job of cleaning-up two hundred acres of turf choked by soil and silt.

“If we don’t have grass, we don’t have sport, racing, community sport, so grass means everything to us,” Adam Lewis, SCG Curator told 9News.

Mr Colless estimates the once-in-a-hundred-year flood will set him back around half a million dollars.

“I’ve been in the industry 30 years mate we’ve got a lot of good friends in the industry, clients that have all come to help.”

“We’ll clean up and we’ll go again,” Mr Colless.