MELBOURNE, Australia -- One Sydney gardener said he was as happy as a dog with two tails while in Melbourne three suburban blokes who sacrificed their beer brewing operation to save a drought-stricken veggie patch were tickled pink. The heaviest rainfall in years is finally hitting Australia, raising hopes the coming winter could spell an end for the "Big Dry," which has crippled agriculture, reduced economic growth and imposed severe restrictions on life in the nation's biggest cities. The rain started in late April and has continued to fall -- with a routine unseen for at least six years -- right through to early June. This was then topped by massive and deadly storms earlier this week that had Australia living up to its reputation as a land of drought and flooded plains.
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