A family has watched in delight as a drought-stricken river bed refilled with water for the first time in years.

Gilgandra residents gathered at the Castlereagh River, which runs through central-western New South Wales, to capture the moment rain water flushed the barren inlet on Monday.

The video, taken by a mother standing at the edge of the riverbank, shows the stream begin to slowly swell in the distance.

'Mum it's so close now,' the young girl said excitedly.
The girl, a boy, and man can be seen walking closer to wait and watch as it trickles towards them, picking up speed.

'There's a fish there Daz,' the woman calls to the man, before drawing it to her daughter's attention.

'Go and grab him Indie. Big carp,' she calls.

The little girl jubilantly runs to meet the water to race it as it gushes down stream.

The family stand in awe as the water's width thickens as it rushes past them, continuing on to replenish the empty channel.
'We'll be on an island here in a minute, she's starting to run in over there,' the mother says.

'Twenty-four years of inactivity,' a man jokes.

'Worth the wait isn't it?' another woman replies.

The video was posted to youtube on Thursday, racking up almost 300 views in a day.

In the days prior to the water surge, Gilgandra received 52mm of rain fall.

The river has not flowed since 2016 as NSW battles through one of the worst droughts in history.