New Governor-General Quentin Bryce has a talent very much in demand - she's a drought breaker.
Ms Bryce started her first tour in the job on Sunday afternoon with a visit to the NSW outback town of Bourke, and within hours of her arrival a seven-year drought broke in dramatic fashion.
Three inches of rain pummelled the dry and dusty town, leaving streets flooded and forcing the closure of all dirt roads.
The heaven-sent rains have saved the wheat crop and are worth millions of dollars, according to Phil Johnston from the Bourke Shire Council.
And he knows who's responsible.
"I think we should thank the governor-general. You can't go too much higher than the governor-general to thank," Mr Johnston, the council's economic development officer, told AAP.
"Last night at the civic reception the mayor gave the governor-general three cheers after the formal speeches and everyone joined in."
Mr Johnston said Ms Bryce was now seen as a lucky charm for the town.
"It's quite amazing. There is water lying everywhere, which is just great."
Before Ms Bryce's arrival, Bourke was drying out and farmers were desperate about their crops, he said.
"It was pretty dry and dusty generally. We've had some hot weather already this summer," Mr Johnston said.
Ms Bryce is on a 12-day of the Murray-Darling Basin to see first-hand the effects of drought.
Sunday night's deluge stopped Ms Bryce from making scheduled visits to farms on Monday as roads were impassable.
She leaves Bourke on Tuesday for Broken Hill and will travel through rural Victoria before visiting the river mouth in South Australia.
Communities along the Murray-Darling are at war with each other over how to solve the basin's water crisis.
Some South Australians think they are copping the worst of the basin's problems, which they argue have been caused by chronic over allocation of water in the upstream states of Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Mr Johnston said government efforts to buy out farmers' water licences had led to uncertainty in towns like Bourke, which relies on irrigation.
Governments recently bought the large Toorale station near Bourke, so its water can be sent downstream to help the environment.
Mr Johnston said there were concerns that closing down productive properties would have an impact on the local economy and community.
"So far there has been nothing put in place by government to counteract that loss (of Toorale), so that's a little bit disappointing," he said.
"Many locals would question the effect of the purchase on downstream communities anyway."
In Broken Hill on Tuesday, Ms Bryce will visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service and meet farmers at the Menindee Lakes.
