Australia Weather: Farmers struggle with drought

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02:33

Parts of Australia are in the midst of the worst drought in recent memory. Record temperatures and a lack of rain have created crisis conditions for many farmers along the eastern part of the country. That's prompted the federal government to set aside more than half a billion Australian dollars in drought relief aid. Greg Navarro has the story.

From the ground in the New South Wales Liverpool Plains region, it's easy to see just how thirsty the earth here has become. From the air the images are startling. This once fertile grazing pasture dotted with livestock is now little more than a dust bowl.

ASHLEY WHITNEY FARMER "I've been here all my life and it's the worst I've ever seen in 58 years."

The drought crippling this farming region is the product of record warmth over several seasons and the absence of rain. And it now covers all of New South Wales, Australia's most populated state.

KATRINA BLOMFIELD WOOL GROWER "I don't think I have seen so many empty dams around and if you drive to Tamworth the trees on the hills are actually losing their leaves and dying and I've never seen that before in the 40 years that I had lived here."

The dry, parched earth extends into much of Queensland to the north, and parts of Victoria to the south.

FIONA SIMSON NATIONAL FARMERS' FEDERATION "Conditions are as bad as they have been for at least 50 years."

GREG NAVARRO SYDNEY "That means even Sydney is in the midst of a drought here. The extremely dry conditions and lack of any meaningful rain have raised the threat of bushfires."

Farmers across the region are being forced to make some very tough decisions. Especially those where grazing is no longer an option - and buying feed has become an expensive necessity.

KATRINA BLOMFIELD WOOL GROWER "Everyone on the farm is just concentrating on keeping the animals going and everything else just gets put on hold."

Australia's government announced hundreds of millions of dollars worth of relief aid for impacted farmers which includes a boost in mental health services.

MALCOLM TURNBULL AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER "Australian farmers are resilient, they plan for drought, they are good managers but it can become really overwhelming."

The people who are struggling the most here say that government assistance alone simply isn't enough.

MARGO WOLLASTON FARMER "For us the only way that we can get life any better is for God to send us some rain."

But it appears those prayers won't be answered any time soon. Meteorologists say the extended forecast for the country's east shows little chance of significant rains during Australia's spring. Greg Navarro, CGTN, Tamworth.