Hunter flood sees local lifesavers swap the surf for a river ferry service

About 60 kilometres up the Hunter River from where they usually patrol, members of the Stockton Surf Life Saving Club had swapped breaking waves for rising flood waters near Maitland on Thursday.

The Stockton crew were not so much saving lives but connecting them, ferrying people and goods across a lake that had formed over Maitland Vale Road at Rosebrook.

Also acting as lifeline across this stretch of about 400 metres of water was a crew from Fingal Beach SLSC.

"When people see it's a surf life saving club, some say, 'You're a long way from the beach'," said Greg Turner, a member of the Fingal Beach crew.

Yet the surf crews in their inflatable boats were a welcome sight to locals cut off by the rising water.

Kate and John Taylor hitched a ride on the Stockton "ferry", with their farm on the other side of the instant lake, so near to, yet suddenly so far from, everyday needs.

"I want to get some food, because we're getting low," said Mrs Taylor, as she stepped ashore in her Wellington boots.

The Taylors had moved into their property only two months ago, and they were surprised at what the Hunter River had done to their road into town, putting it about three metres underwater.

"We missed out on the 'Noah talk'," said Kate Taylor.

The passengers were grateful for the lift, with Mrs Taylor hugging the lifesavers.

"I think it's wonderful," said Mr Taylor. "They're very generous with their time."

One local woman had expressed her gratitude by supplying morning tea in a basket for the surf lifesavers and SES workers.

"I saw the Stockton sign and the Fingal Beach sign, and I thought, 'These guys know water, we'll be right!'," said Mrs Taylor.

But, as the lifesavers' duty officer, Brendon Ryman, pointed out, this was a different kind of water.

"It's still water, but it's quite difficult," he said. "We've got power lines, and we stay at least three metres away from them, and the weed in the water gets caught in our props."

"We don't usually have power lines in the surf," added Kerry Bradley, a Fingal Beach crew member.

"We just take it slow to avoid the hazards," said Willow Forsyth, from Stockton SLSC.

By early afternoon, the crews had ferried more than 20 people across the water, including a luggage-laden family returning from a holiday.

Stockton crew member Paul Bernard said his club was continuing a tradition by lending a hand. Stockton lifesavers had rowed boats to rescue people in Maitland during the disastrous 1955 floods.

"I think it's really important, it becomes generational," he said.

For his colleague, Willow Forsyth, her volunteering was bringing her research to life.

For her doctorate in disaster management, Ms Forsyth is studying residents' preparedness for floods, and she had organised to interview people along the Hunter River. But those interviews were postponed when the river rose.

"Instead I'm having a good chat to people as we come across the pond," she said.

The lifesavers weren't the only ones out of their natural environment. About 25 members of the NSW Rural Fire Service have have been helping out in Maitland.

"We might have different coloured shirts, but we're working as a single unit for the same outcome, which is good," said Dean Murray, an RFS officer from the Central Coast.

The NSW Governor, Margaret Beazley, acknowledged the efforts of emergency workers, visiting the incident control centre at the SES' lower Hunter headquarters at Metford.

She later saw the flood from the air, boarding an RFS helicopter.

A spokesperson for Government House said Margaret Beazley had wanted to hear the stories of those involved in the flood operation, "and to thank staff and volunteers for their efforts".

Back at the ferry service at Rosebrook, the Fingal Bay crew packed up their boat to move downstream to Luskintyre to transport people who had been cut off there.

But the Stockton SLSC crew stayed on, helping out a steady stream of people.

Malcolm Smith, who has a small property at Hillsborough, had done a run into town to stock up on supplies and returned with bags of food, water and a can of fuel "for the generators, in case we lose power".

"There's no way we for us to get out without them [the crews]," Mr Smith said, as the last of his bags were loaded into the boat.

"I don't know what we'd do otherwise."

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