A woman returned to her family home in Broken Hill, rural New South Wales, to find the once thriving rural property hit by worsening drought. Video she took on July 17 shows mobs of emus running amok in search of water.

Speaking with ABC Radio, McKenzie said the cattle property was unrecognisable.

“The dam was down to less than a metre of water, and that dam is probably the size of a football oval,” McKenzie said. “There was a whole bunch of emus running around the house trying to find water. When the wind comes it picks up the top layer of dust and it always looks a little bit apocalyptic that way.” Credit: Esther McKenzie via Storyful