For years, old residents spoke of it and declared they would see a repetition of it one day.

That day came on the weekend of July 23 and 24 1921.

While the height of the 1921 flood (7.3 metres at the traffic bridge) did not quite reach that of the 1893 flood (7.5 metres), it was equally disastrous in terms of property damage due to the increased number of buildings in the flood prone area.

Another feature was the speed with which it inundated the low lying lands, flooding homes and properties and drowning large numbers of stock.

On Friday night, July 22 1921, the valley was struck by a raging south-easter and blinding rain squalls, and the river at Bellbrook began to rise quickly.

From 11 feet (3.3 metres) above normal on Friday, the river height at Bellbrook had risen to 31 feet (9.4 metres) on Saturday morning and was still rising when communications were cut off shortly afterwards.

The water broke over Glenrock Plain early Saturday morning and began running southwards into Central Kempsey.

The river also broke in several places south of Belgrave Street and the town centre was quickly flooded, with Stuart Street and Forth Street bearing the full force of the floodwaters.

Although no lives were lost, the damage to personal property was extensive as the lack of communications from upriver caught many residents unawares.

Patients were taken from Nurse Rickerby's "Hollywood" Hospital in Forth Street to shelter in the two-story Methodist parsonage and the steamer "Arakoon" and other vessels went up an down the flooded river picking up people from Kempsey and transferring them to the high ground at Frederickton.

The drogher "Cornstalk", loaded with timber, broke away from its moorings and was dumped across the Frederickton Road near Third Lane.

The Electric Light Company's Powerhouse, then located in Holman Street, Central Kempsey, was invaded by about a meter of water but the staff worked under appalling conditions up to their waists in water to keep the light and power going as long as possible. Power was maintained until midnight Saturday when the engine stopped and the staff had to be rescued by boat.

A full electricity supply to Kempsey would not be available for several months. The Powerhouse would later be relocated to Prince Street, South Kempsey.

The flood swept through the lower Macleay in a raging torrent with water up to twelve feet (3.6 metres) at Clybucca and three feet (0.9 metres) at Smithtown, however Gladstone fared better with water only entering a few houses.

Landslides and washaways closed the Armidale Road and the Toorooka Bridge was swept away.

It was later reported that the river at Bellbrook had risen to 53 feet (16.1 metres) on Saturday, with fences and farms washed away but no loss of life or cattle.

The 1921 flood would later be eclipsed in people's memories by the two floods in 1949 and 1950.