
Residents are breaking out in rashes and mothers are being forced to bathe their young children in bottled water as a contamination crisis rocks an Australian town crippled by the worst drought on record.

Tenterfield in northern New South Wales is enduring level 4.7 water restrictions which ban hoses and swimming pools and stop residents watering their lawns or washing their cars.

It has not had potable water for nearly three months after its main supply - the depleted Tenterfield Dam - became polluted with smoke and ash deposits from recent bushfires.

The situation is so desperate that the town's 4,000 residents are surviving off bottled water delivered 300km from Brisbane by a charity.

The quiet town, just below the Queensland border, has been in drought for the past three years with only periodic rainfall - but residents say the water shortage is now worse than ever.

Scorched earth: An aerial view shows bushland turned to ash on the shores of the depleted Tenterfield Dam

Tenterfield in northern New South Wales is suffering through Level 4.7 water restrictions which ban hoses, swimming pools and the washing of cars. Pictured: Signs urge residents to be careful with water use

Mayor Peter Petty said officials are working hard to ensure the town's water was of 'appropriate quality.' Pictured: An aerial view of the town, showing the closed swimming pool

Helping hand: Tenterfield residents hold a sausage sizzle as they pick up their donated water from a charity

Luanna Legge (pictured), a graphic designer, founded Tenterfield Water Relief, after teaming up with local charities Granite Belt Water Relief in Queensland, and Dignity Water in NSW, to distribute 10-litre bottles to residents

‹ Slide me › Slide using the mouse: This image shows how the earth around the dam has turned brown due to the drought

Dozens of dead fish have washed up on the banks of the Tenterfield Dam after the quality of the water became toxic and green bushland that once surrounded the body of water has been reduced to scorched branches.

Ashleigh Long (pictured), 27, said the water shortage has made everyday mum duties such as bathing and cooking for her young son Baron especially challenging

Many have been trying their best to cope by boiling their water, and taking short showers to save precious water.

But for others the situation has become so dire they are choosing to pack up and move to a city.

The only temporary solution offered to residents has come through charities such as Tenterfield Water Relief, which has given away thousands of litres of water to anyone in need.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia from the local nursery where the water is handed out, Ashleigh Long, 27, said the issue has made everyday mum duties such as bathing and cooking for her young son Baron especially challenging.

The little boy, who suffers from a pre-existing skin condition has been experiencing breakouts from bathing in the water and must now be closely watched to ensure he doesn't go near any of the taps.

'It's hard trying to teach a two-and-a-half-year-old basic hygiene when you have to do everything out of a bottle. Something as normal as cleaning your teeth, takes that much longer to try to teach him,' Ms Long said.

'With bottled water, it makes it really hard trying to even cook dinner for him. He has eczema and dermatitis and the water makes it flare up.

'He gets rashes, itchy skin, his skin breaks, he has little sores all over his back and tummy. Some days all he will tell you is that he's itchy and there's nothing you can do aside from cover him in Sorbolene and hope he gets better.'

The quiet town, just below the Queensland border, has endured long periods of drought in recent years, but residents say this could be the worst water crisis it has ever faced. Pictured: A family collect water from the charity in Tenterfield

Dozens of dead fish have washed up on the banks of the dam after the quality of the water reached toxic levels

The council had issued a Boil Water Alert on October 4, notifying residents of the 'poor raw water quality caused by run-off of ash deposits' from grass fires. Pictured: Burnt land after fires

Nineteen-year-old Zipporah McBerney (left) said she and her mother are making the move to Brisbane this weekend because of the crisis. Right: A resident collects water

The council had issued a Boil Water Alert on October 4, notifying residents of the 'poor raw water quality caused by run-off of ash deposits' from grass fires.

Mayor Peter Petty said the board was working closely with NSW Health DPIE Water to ensure the water was of 'appropriate quality.'

'Councillors and staff are very aware of the impost this has created for our community as we and our families, are part of the community and share with you in this plight,' he said at the time.

'We ask that you continue to respect this alert and be particularly mindful of the potentially affect (sic) unboiled drinking water may have on the elderly and the very young.'

But even that safety measure has become unsustainable and has done little to purify the water that residents say reeks of 'rotting fish', 'swamp', smoke and chlorine.

'Even boiling it I don't trust because if you look inside anybody's kettle, it's a bit gross. I assume it's algae growing in there and it smells horrendous,' Ms Long said.

'It smells like swamp, it smells like a fish tank but I don't have any option but to use it,' lifelong Tenterfield resident Briony Pittis added.

The grandmother and mum-of-three described the situation as 'very scary' and said she has resorted to bathing her newborn grandson with store-bought water fearing the four-week-old could become ill.

The lack of clean water has also put a financial strain on the 44-year-old, who has had to shell out $80 a week to buy drinking water at the supermarket after the family-of-four gave up on boiling the tap.

Resident Briony Pittis (left), a grandmother and mum-of-three described the situation as 'very scary'. Right: A resident collects water

Depleted: This image taken at Tenterfield Coles shows that water is in high demand with the shelves severely depleted

Tenterfield in northern New South Wales is suffering through level 4.7 water restrictions which ban hoses, swimming pools and the washing of cars. Pictured: A sign showing the level of restrictions

'My grandson's premature so we can't use any of the town water on him...He's very tiny and weak. I bathe him in the bought water because he's so tiny and I'm a bit worried about him,' she said.

'I'm on a carer's pension I do a little bit of housecleaning to pay for the extra things like water, but on top of your water bill, you just don't have the money.

'I'm going through $80 a week because we're not turning our kitchen taps on. We're only showering in it, that's it.'

Local supermarkets are facing shortages as they struggle to keep up with the high demand for drinking water and public facilities, particularly the town's swimming pool, has been forced to close due to contamination.

The water crisis has also had an impact on local businesses and the town's once booming tourism industry.

Tenterfield is historic in its own right as it prides itself for being the 'birthplace of our nation' after sir Henry Parkes delivered his Federation speech in 1889.

But perhaps its biggest claim to fame is that it's the hometown of Australian singer Peter Allen, who is now memorialised through festivals and hotels in his name.

Luke Hickmott, owner of The Peter Allen Motor Inn on Tenterfield's Rouse Street, said they've had to provide guests with bottled water to drink and brush their teeth.

Many have been trying their best to cope, boiling their water, and limiting their exposure by keeping their time in the shower to a minimum. Pictured: Residents collect water

Local supermarkets are facing shortages as they struggle to keep up with the high demand for drinking water and the town's swimming pool (pictured), has been forced to close due to contamination

Tenterfield residents have to fill out forms to register to collect water from a charity because they are desperate

'People have been commenting on the smell coming from the tap and commenting saying they can't shower or say I just won't shower,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's not ideal situation but I can only imagine how the cafes are doing because people usually ask us "where's good for dinner?"

'Something else we've noticed is that we run our linen and sheets in the washer for our guests and the water is staining them. They're turning a yellow and brown.

Tenterfield: Where Australia was born Tenterfield, New South Wales, has just over 4,000 residents, but is pretty historic as far as small towns go. The quaint town, located 56km south of Stanthrope, Queensland, is known as the 'birthplace of our nation' after Sir Henry Parkes delivered his famous Tenterfield oration at the Tenterfield School of Arts in 1889. Australia would become a federation just two years later. Among its other claims to fame, is being the hometown of Australian singer and icon Peter Allen, who lived with his grandfather, George Woolnough, a saddler. Allen’s 1972 hit, Tenterfield Saddlery was inspired by the shop on High St where his grandfather worked. The venue has since been converted into a museum with memorabilia of the town’s biggest star. The artist has also been memorialised with names of shops and hotels in his name and Tenterfield threw its first Peter Allen Festival earlier this year. Advertisement

'So we tried putting them in again and adding more bleach but there must be something in the water reacting with the bleach because it just made it worse and we just have to throw them out.

'Council said it'd take two years to upgrade the water treatment plant so even if they break ground now, we're looking at December 2021.'

Belinda Browning, 48, from Tenterfield's Mount McKenzie said she's been unable to get her fix of Earl Grey Tea at cafes downtown because of the poor water quality.

'It's yucky, my husband says normally coffee would usually mask a lot of things but he can taste it.

'That's a minor thing but if I was a tourist and I turned the water on the motel, I'm not sure I'd be staying for the week.

'Yeah it's not quite the tourist destination it was.

'I was under the wrong impression that clean drinking water was a basic right.'

Mayor Peter Petty has told residents the council was working to fix the situation by conducting a reverse osmosis treatment to eliminate the foul taste.

They also plan to replace the town's outdated treatment plant, but Mr Hickmott said even if they break ground now, we're looking at December 2021,' for a new facility.

Resident Luanna Legge, 30, said she was forced to take matters into her own hands after claiming the council has failed to provide any sort of relief or solution.

The graphic designer founded the Tenterfield Water Relief after teaming up with local charities Granite Belt Water Relief in Queensland, and Dignity Water in NSW, to distribute 10-litre bottles to residents at the Moombahlene Nursery.

More than 2,600 litres, sourced from Wivenhoe Dam near Brisbane, were donated to close to 200 people who showed up at the facility last week.

'It was pretty horrific seeing this many people in the community struggling to get clean water,' Ms Legge said.

'There were a lot of elderly people and disabled people but also families with children who can't afford to buy it.'

The boil water alert has done little to purify the water that residents say reeks of 'rotting fish', 'swamp', smoke and chlorine. Pictured: A rusty car in Tenterfield

More than 2,600 litres, sourced from Wivenhoe Dam near Brisbane, were donated to close to 200 people last week. Pictured: Residents collect water

Luke Hickmott, owner of The Peter Allen Motor Inn (pictured) on Tenterfield's Rouse Street, said they've had to provide guests with bottled water to drink and brush their teeth

On Wednesday, the organisation held its second giveaway after receiving close to 10,000 litres of water to distribute from other charities.

Residents collected water during drought in Tenterfield. The are allowed to take one 10-litre bottle from a charity

Residents Dianne, 65, and Murray Larsen, 66, arrived at the nursery after learning about the event through social media.

The couple, who suffer from heart and other health conditions, said free sources of drinking water is crucial for them.

'We've had to spread ourselves out to get water wherever we can. We found about water allocation through Facebook, not council,' Mrs Larsen said.

'We both have congenital heart conditions and when you've got things like that you can't afford to get an infection.'

Ms Legge said resentment has grown towards the council which is yet to provide people with answers on when the situation will be corrected.

She also criticised the town for taking public safety measures by shutting the local swimming pool after it was contaminated, yet still allowing its residents to bathe in the same filthy water that's coming through to their homes.

'If it's illegal to let people swim in it because it's unsafe at the council pool, how is it legal that I have to bathe in it for 70-plus days?' she said.

Ms Legge revealed the ongoing issue is not limited to Tenterfield and warned Sydney could face a similar situation due to bushfire plaguing the area.

The council has also come under fire as residents are still expected to pay their rates even though the water flowing through the taps has been undrinkable for months.

One resident who has lived in Tenterfield for 26 years, said the pricey rates and severe drought situation was enough to make him leave.

'It's been pretty tough, it's dry. We're in a terrible state, the water is pretty bad. You gotta use bottles of water to brush your teeth, we're boiling water all the time,' the man said.

'And here's the other thing, too, our rates are the dearest ones around. We pay over $3,000 a year for rates, so it's pretty dear. You can ask other people and they'll tell ya, but at the moment I'm building a house out of town.

Tenterfield Water Relief is working to set up a refilling station in town and will hold another water giveaway for residents on Saturday. Pictured: A rusty tractor on dry earth near a road

Ms Legge said: 'There are a lot of elderly people and disabled people but also families with children who can't afford to buy water'. Pictured: Residents collect water from a charity

Left: Mum Cherise and her daughter Naomi collect water from a charity. Right: A Tenterfield resident collects water

'That's why I'm getting out of town now, I'm sick of it. I've had enough.

'This would be the worst drought we've ever had.'

Nineteen-year-old Zipporah McBerney said she and her mother are making the move to Brisbane this weekend because of the crisis.

I'm getting out of town now, I'm sick of it. I've had enough Tenterfield residnet

'Your clothes smell like chemicals, [they tell you] you can only wash your dishes with the hot water from the tap not the boiled water, and that's all they can do,' she said.

'We leave on Sunday, we're in the process of packing.'

Tenterfield Water Relief is working to set up a refilling station in town and will hold another water giveaway for residents on Saturday.

Anyone in need of water can go to the Moombahlene Nursery on Railway Ave.

'None of this is fun for me. I just want to make sure no one I know dies or gets really sick,' Ms Legge added.

'I'm watching really tough country people breakdown in front of me and it's not okay. This is all very grim and scary.'