A recent trip to the central west has prompted a former civil engineer to conduct his own research on the drought that is gripping the region.
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Former civil engineer Brian Gunter has worked overseas as an engineering hydrologist which involved assessing floods and droughts.
Despite currently living on the coast, Mr Gunter said he is well aware of the ongoing drought conditions.
Last month Mr Gunter and his wife were in Dubbo and travelled through Wellington on their way to Burrendong Dam.
"When I got home I thought 'it's pretty bad and I wonder just how bad it is', so I checked the Bureau of Meteorology's rainfall data at Wellington...," he explained.
Mr Gunter has his own blog which focuses on climate trends and after his trip through Wellington dedicated a post to the town's historical rainfall data.
"We passed through Wellington and travelled up through Parkes, stayed in Dubbo and came back through Cowra. The area around Wellington was the worst area just visually," he explained about why he conducted research on the town.
During the research Mr Gunter found that since 1881, Wellington experienced 12 major droughts on average every 10 to 15 years.
"And the interesting thing is they're all about the same order of size," he said.
"What I can see is that nothing is changing."
Mr Gunter said all of the droughts were severe in their own way.
To see Mr Gunter's research visit briangunterblog.wordpress.com
Taylor Jurd
Hi, my name is Taylor Jurd. I am a journalist with Australian Community Media, I write for the Western Magazine and Wellington Times.
Hi, my name is Taylor Jurd. I am a journalist with Australian Community Media, I write for the Western Magazine and Wellington Times.
