IT is a tiny town's beating heart, a waterway that symbolises hope and prosperity.
But at Christmas, after years of strangling drought, Lake Cargelligo, in the town with the same name on the state's Western Plains, was dry for the first time in 100 years, resembling the cracked surface of the moon, The Daily Telegraph reports.
That was until a recent deluge transformed the dust bowl back into a lake brimming with wildlife, bringing renewed hope to the town.
Tourists are now flocking to the lake in their droves, splashing in it and skiing on it, while boosting the local economy.
"The water is breathing new life into the town," said farmer Greg Keeley, who lives by the lake.
Read more on The Daily Telegraph.
