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Home / World

Image of drenched koala shows the effects of flooding in South Australia and Victoria

By Matt Young
news.com.au·
15 Sep, 2016 05:43 AM3 mins to read

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Russell Latter captured this photograph of a wet koala as it perched itself on top of a fence post during floods in South Australia. Photo / Russell Latter / Facebook

Russell Latter captured this photograph of a wet koala as it perched itself on top of a fence post during floods in South Australia. Photo / Russell Latter / Facebook

Dazed and confused, this soggy koala had just been rescued from the middle of the road.

While the worst seems to be over for flood-hit South Australia, yesterday saw the state battered by heavy rain and wild weather - and this little guy was caught in the crossfire.

Russell Latter had been driving along Old Carey Gully Rd in Stirling, a town in the Adelaide Hills, when he spotted the moist marsupial and came to the rescue.

"He was all right, I found him sitting in the middle of the road, I coached him out of the way so he didn't get run over," Mr Latter told news.com.au.

"He was a bit lost and confused."

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Mr Latter watched as the koala walked over to the fence, pictured, and became "quite excited" after he smelt the fence and climbed to the top.

"He had a rest up there, then he climbed down, crossed the flooded creek and found a big gum tree that he knew."

Mr Latter can't quite believe his luck at the iPhone image that has been seen across the globe already.

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Considering it was his first ever post to Facebook, he considers the attention "kind of freaky".

"It was their first time I'd ever used Facebook, I'd never ever typed anything in other than happy birthday," he told news.com.au.

"I had no idea what to do, I'm getting all these requests to open Facebook messenger, I don't even know what that is.

"It's exploded."

Authorities are now facing a massive clean up operation while flood warnings remain in place for several areas across South Australia and Victoria.

Authorities remain concerned that swollen catchments will spill over with fears even the smallest amount of extra rain could be potentially devastating.

But marsupials aren't the only ones needing rescue. Mammals need some help, too.

Students and teachers at a primary school in the town of Rapid Bay were evacuated after floods stranded their access in and out of the vicinity.

A police statement said all children and teachers from the Rapid Bay Primary School had been safely evacuated after flooding in the Fleurieu Peninsula town, according to the Advertiser.

A series of cold fronts combined with warmer than average ocean conditions have produced higher than normal falls across the soaked states.

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And forecasters say while the worst may be over for now, another big deluge is expected to hit southeastern Australia next week.

Authorities are also repeating warnings for people to take extra care after 11 flood rescues in the past two days in Victoria.

Ballarat has been hit with its heaviest rainfalls since 1921 in three just three days. The town of Beaufort also had its heaviest rainfalls in a 72-hour period since 1911, and Wedderburn its wettest three days since 1916, the Bureau of Meteorology reveals.

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