Sandalwood, South Australia – South Australian farmers, who were bracing for a long-awaited record-breaking harvest, have seen their hopes battered by a fierce storm that decimated crops in a matter of minutes.
The intense weather event struck the Kamora Park Poll Merino Station, located approximately 175 kilometres east of Adelaide in Sandalwood, with shocking ferocity. In a span of just 10 minutes, the property was inundated with 30 millimetres of rain, accompanied by a heavy barrage of hail that stripped standing crops down to their stalks.
Katelyn Boughen, principal of the station, described the sound of the hail hitting the property’s tin roofs as reminiscent of gunfire. “It sounded like little gunshots, just pinging,” she said. Ms. Boughen estimated that at least 50 per cent of their prized lupin crop had been destroyed, a devastating blow for a project the station had been cultivating for three years to bolster their financial standing.
The hail, which reached up to a centimetre in diameter, blanketed the ground in white, creating a scene that many residents described as looking like snow. The damage extended beyond the fields; Anne Boughen, who also works on the property, reported that large gutters were washed into the paddocks, while vital infrastructure, including sheep feeders, was smashed by the force of the ice and water. “The trees are stripped, and there were leaves all over the road,” she said. “I’ve never, ever seen anything like it before.”
The storm was not limited to Sandalwood. Nearby Lameroo in the Mallee region faced a torrential downpour, with residents reporting 35mm of rain and significant hail falling within the hour, resulting in flash flooding that submerged the main street. Further reports of heavy rainfall arrived from Halidon, Loxton, Ponderosa, Mount Mary, and Bakara Well as the system tracked across the Murraylands and Mid North.
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the severe impact across the region, noting that while the state has enjoyed a season of above-average rainfall—marking a welcome end to years of persistent drought—the flash storm serves as a stark reminder of the volatility inherent in agricultural life.
For many farmers, this year was slated to be a turning point, with high hopes pinned on a bumper harvest to restore stability to the sector. While the broader outlook remains positive for many, the sudden arrival of the storm has brought a harsh reality check.
“We’re at the mercy of Mother Nature, and every year I think there’s probably something different to handle,” Ms. Katelyn Boughen said. “I guess that’s the challenge of what we choose to do.”
As the water recedes and the clean-up begins, the farming community is left assessing the extent of the damage, hoping that the destruction is isolated enough to salvage what remains of a once-promising season.
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