Driver rescued by RFS member on tractor after driving into floodwaters on Rangari Road near Manilla

Police said a Rural Fire Service (RFS) member managed to save the man who became stranded in a flooded causeway on Rangari Road on the Manilla side of the Iron Bridge, near Blue Vale Road.

The emergency unfolded about 10.35pm on Sunday.

The Queensland man who was visiting the area had followed google maps in a bid to leave the area.

"The only reason he was rescued was because one of the Rural Fire Service members was nearby and was able to help," Oxley Inspector Robert Dunn told the Leader.

"He owned a tractor and was able to go to his aid, because no one was available, no one else could get there because of the flooding."

Police believe the man, who was travelling, was trying to get around floodwaters when he drove straight into a flooded roadway.

"He was not local, he was an interstate traveller following Google maps," Inspector Dunn said.

"He was very lucky the RFS member jumped on his tractor to pull him out, because when he got there he was on his roof.

"So it could have been very different if the RFS member wasn't there."

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Inspector Dunn said a police investigation was under way into whether the man drove past several road closed signs.

The rescue was one of several over the weekend.

"There were several flood rescues on Thursday night and that was all from very high fast rising waters on the Newell Highway," he said.

"They were rescued because Bellata got nearly 180mm, so there was some very fast and flash flooding, so police shut that road."

Dennis Buck is the Chief Inspector of the Namoi State Emergency Service (SES) Cluster said rescues had unfolded over the weekend with the SES deployed several times.

"We've had a number of rescues which we haven't been able to get to, or passed onto other agencies," he said.

"That is people that driven into floodwater and got stuck, and other units have had to go out and retrieve them.

"Some were driving past road closed signs."

He said people needed to remember that a decision to drive through floodwater "could possibly be your last".

"It is very dangerous," Chief Inspector Buck said.

On the weekend, Fire and Rescue NSW, and RFS members, along with the SES were called to Waterloo Road at Matheson near Glen Innes for a flood rescue.

Crews arrived to find a four-wheel-drive that had attempted to cross a flooded bridge before it became stranded and trapped the driver.

"Fortunately, the floodwaters were subsiding quickly, which allowed a farmer on the opposite side of the crossing to make access and retrieve the driver with the use of a tractor," a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson said.

"At one point the water level was up to the door handles of the 4WD and if it wasn't for the kerb on the bridge, which managed to hold the vehicle on the bridge, the outcome would of been more dire."

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