"WHEN rain finally came it was a one-in-50-year phenomenon which deluged the outback, bursting across some of the driest land in the country. South Australian farmers who have not seen rain for months, communities down to their last drop, and Victorian firefighters battling to contain raging bushfires were all celebrating yesterday after their big dry finally broke. For the state’s farmers, it hasn’t been just a matter of months without rain, it’s been virtually years without good rain. Across the state, dams on parched outback stations were full to brimming for the first time in years." (The Australian, Jan 22)