A BOW and arrow probably doesn't rank highly in your flood survival checklist, but right now it is the only thing keeping residents of Torryburn connected to the rest of the world.
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Last Tuesday, amid the deluge of water that swept through the Hunter, the only bridge into Torryburn, a small village about 10 kilometre north of Vacy, collapsed under a weight of fallen trees and debris.
A wooden structure spanning the Allyn River, the bridge stood no chance against the wall of water that tore downstream.
"It went underwater first, we watched it go under, and then it just wasn't there anymore," Lauren Brown, a resident, said.
Since then, they've improvised, constructing a flying fox across the span of the river to ferry supplies in and out, while also receiving helicopter drops from SES crews.
Matt Brown, a 19-year-old archery instructor at the Maitland PCYC, and Ms Brown's younger brother, shot an arrow trailing a rope about 30 metres from one side to the other.
A neighbour on the other side pulled it up, and together they created the impromptu pulley system, using a crate to hold goods from the other side.
Ms Brown said it was not known how long they'd be stuck.
Member for Paterson Bob Baldwin said on Tuesday Dungog Council was considering constructing an emergency culvert, and an approach had been made to the Army about building a Bailey bridge.
But as with the flying-fox, the most immediate help might come from inside Torryburn. John Cornish, owner of the Torryburn Stud, has allowed residents access to a track that would offer a link with Clements Road, another small access route, and back out onto Gresford Road.
