Nile logjam at a standstill

The number of media crews, politicians, landcare groups and various others that Mr Talbot has taken to see the jam are beyond his recollection, although the problem still exists more than 20 years later.

"I couldn't tell you how many people have been through over the years," Mr Talbot said.

"People in high places though, I'd say there would have been about 20 or 30 of them, they're always shocked, they're always outraged but nothing happens."

A partial state government clean- up of the logjam about a decade ago has returned, adding a new, raised dam-like structure to the two- kilometre blockage.

"Every time it floods it gets worse, because this is nice flood plain area, there's nothing to slow the rise of the water over the fields," Mr Talbot said.

The blockage not only pushes floodwaters across Mr Talbot's fenced stock paddocks, a drowning risk for his sheep, but it has also made swamp out of rich flood plains on the opposite Hampden property.

Hampden owner Michael Moore said the river was now creating a new path on to his land and eroding the now indistinct riverbank.

"This wasn't here when I came around 25 years ago, this is a man- made issue caused by logging practices in the past," Mr Moore said.

"They cleared a segment of it about 10 years ago, but when they did it they started from the building end, not at the origin of the jam - so it just returned.

"The thing is, the man who came and cleared that part said he could have done the whole thing for $25,000, the problem was that we only had $12,000 for the work."

•Works for clearing the logjam have been estimated at $60,000, earmarked by Lyons Liberal MHR Eric Hutchinson this month, and $100,000, tallied by state Primary Industries and Water Minister Bryan Green in late 2012.