Some campers and festival fans are stranded away from home while others had to pack up in the rain that hit Sunday and continued through yesterday across the region.

And while it was raining on many motorists’ parade yesterday, the big wet didn’t put a dampener on Tamworth’s newest country music queen Sophie Dewhurst, pictured right, who was walking on sunshine despite the rain falling on her  royal crown as the new Queen of Country Music.

Meanwhile, many fans might have been having too good a time to leave, but for many others the tailend of the widespread rain and flooding from ex-tropical Cyclone Oswald along the coast, north over the Queensland border, and even west, has stopped them in their tracks. 

The rain across the northern region, although light, but in many areas steady through the day, is now forecast to continue for at least another few days and perhaps for most of the week. 

But thousands are cut off or stranded from getting back to the north or getting out of the region and back home by flooding elsewhere.

A number of highways and main roads were closed in various parts, including the Gwydir at the Gibraltar Ranges and east of Moree, Armidale Rd from Ebor to Nymboida, the Bruxner 70km west of Tenterfield, the Newell 90km north of Moree to Boggabilla– with no access to the Newell Highway from Queensland, although heavy vehicles were getting through late yesterday.

But the situation continued to change so quickly yesterday motorists were advised to avoid travelling.