The year began with a stark image of a bone-dry Jerusalem Creek Falls, a victim of one of the worst droughts on record.
On the other side of the ranges, Barrington River also stopped flowing for the first time in living memory.
Records for low rainfall tumbled across the region throughout 2019 and into 2020 as some communities dealt with the reality of trucking in water to stay alive.
But four days of soaking rain, more than three times the average rainfall for February, were the first sign that things were about to change.
What a difference a year makes.
The rain continued to fall, dam levels gradually rose and water restrictions were eased.
Many parts of the Hunter have had more than twice as much rain in 2020 as they did last year.
Scone recorded 275 millimetres in 2019, compared to 635 to date in 2020.
Gloucester recorded 466 millimetres in 2019 and 930 so far this year. Paterson had 579 millimetres in 2019 compared to 989 this year. Nobbys 680 millimetres in 2019 compared to 934 millimetres this year and Williamtown 729 millimetres in 2019 compared to 1205 this year.
Environmental educator Ken Rubeli who photographed the dried-up Jerusalem Falls in January said the area's recovery from drought had been extraordinary.
"The creek stopped flowing for three months. It turned brown and looked dead forever. It has taken until early this summer for really good rains, and now the forest is wet and lush," he said.
"The vegetation has come back to life, the frogs are back - all the species that were there before the drought. Lyrebirds are calling. Skinks are out and about. It all feels a bit miraculous.
"The forest is safe this year. The ground and the leaf litter are sodden. After all the smoke in the air last year, this year the air is the purest on earth."
In another miraculous turnaround, Moonan Brook in the Upper Hunter has sprung back to life after a so-called 'gully raker' event heralded the end of the dry spell in January.
"You could say the difference is black and white, but it's really brown and green," Kathleen Hobson, who manages Moonan Cottage said.
"This time last year the land was dry and barren and finally the brook drying up in December, the result of a few years of drought.
"This year starting with the gully raker in January and subsequent ones throughout the year the brook has been flowing beautifully since April and the country is lush and green."
The Bureau of Meteorology's climate forecast from December 2020 to March 2021 shows that December to February rainfall is likely to be above average across most of Australia.
Average daytime temperatures during December to February are likely to be above the long-term average across parts of southeast and far west Australia.
Average night-time temperatures are also likely to be above the long-term average across almost all of Australia in coming months.
A La Nia climate pattern is underway in the tropical Pacific, which increases the likelihood of above average rainfall across eastern Australia during summer.
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