Committee chair Carmel Rose said she and her fellow committee members are beyond thrilled to have mounted such a successful event given the obstacles in their way.

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Last year's Oracles was cancelled due to COVID-19 shutdowns, leaving the committee in the red. This year an additional $8000 had to be found in the budget for the extra cost of implementing COVID plans and the hire of a marquee from Lismore to accommodate key events due to Memorial Hall still being closed for renovations.

The location for that marquee -- alongside the Shearing Complex at the Tenterfield Showground -- was well underwater just a couple of days out from the start of the programme. Mrs Rose said she didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she inspected the site on the Tuesday evening, awash with floodwaters.

"I called Carol (Newman, fellow committee member) and she said 'we're NOT cancelling'."

Fortunately the water started receding on Wednesday and the marquis could be erected onsite, while RFS volunteers hosed four inches of mud out of the Shearing Complex.

"We couldn't park onsite," Mrs Rose said.

"People had to park on the street and walk, but they understood."

In fact the semi-outdoor feel of the marquee seemed more aligned with the theme of the weekend, and may be taken into consideration for future events, Mrs Rose said.

Similarly the ground underfoot at Jubilee Park for the Poets Brawl on Sunday morning was soft but not boggy. Those who last saw the park and the district as a whole in the midst of drought at the last Oracles in 2019 were impressed by the green change.

Mrs Rose said a couple of ticket holders were unable to attend due to widespread flooding, but the spare tickets were quickly snatched up by travellers stranded in Tenterfield for the same reason, and they're now Oracles converts.

She said everyone was great with observing COVID requirements, and took responsibility for themselves.

The highlight of the weekend for her was joining 150 people sitting on the grass around fire drums at the showground bar on Friday night, being entertained by two singers and a poet for Camp Fire Yarns.

Those who came for the poetry competition were treated to a high standard with the pros having difficulty in determining winners of the Looming Legend categories. Mrs Rose said there were quite a few new faces amongst the amateur performers, some of whom travelled far to participate.

While there's yet to be a final tally, treasurer Jan Cross is looking happy so Mrs Rose is hopeful of a positive outcome financially, thanks in part to local sponsors coming onboard to help with the extra costs.

The new arrangements also took a toll physically, with committee members having to prepare food off-site and transport it to the Shearing Complex, and to cart hundreds of chairs backwards and forwards.

"I'm tired but absolutely delighted with our success under the circumstances.," Mrs Rose said. "It shows you can do anything if you try."

She said the key to the committee's success is its flexibility.

"We can go from Plan A to Plan Q in 10 minutes. We're always flexible, things just happen.

"They're an amazing group of people."

After a fold-up meeting the committee will take a short break before reconvening in May to start the planning process all over again, starting with the selection of a 2022 Legend.

"And that's the hardest part, with so many people to be acknowledged," Mrs Rose said.