IT HAD been raining for days on end and the Peel River was about to burst its banks.
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Barely able to see on that gloomy Saturday morning, The Leader's photographers swung into action.
From the earliest hours of the morning until late in the evening, Robert Chappel and Barry Smith worked around-the-clock to capture the moments of our last big flood.
From the sheer excitement of the city slickers, gawking at the rising water, to the heartache of those close to waterways and losing nearly everything, it was a flood to remember.
It's been nearly six years since the last big Tamworth flood - and the photos leave a lasting legacy of how the city pulled together and recovered.
Here's a selection of those photos from the weekend in November 2008.