Beach closed, Toc on flood watch again

Council said those campers had been previously warned a closure might be necessary.

There is at yet no advice on when the beach will be reopened.

The closure comes as higher than normal flows pass through the Murray River system, which has prompted an official minor flood warning further downstream at Barham.

It comes about two months after water authorities started releasing water from Hume Dam in an effort to create ‘air space’.

At the time of going to print yesterday, the Murray River at Tocumwal was recorded as steady, at a height of 5.35m, but is rising by small margins each day.

Berrigan Shire Mayor Matt Hannan said after last year’s flood decimated one of the busiest tourism seasons of the year, it was disheartening to be closing a popular camping area again these school holidays.

He questioned whether there needed to be a more careful approach to water management to prevent impacts at peak times.

He particularly queries water associated with the Murray Darling Basin Plan being held in storages when a wet winter is predicted.

“It’s in the middle of the holidays, and beaches around the region are being closed again,” Cr Hannan said.

“This has a big impact on our communities through tourism and I wonder if more gradual releases over a longer period would have prevented this inundation.

“We’re lucky not to have widespread flooding in our shire like in some other parts of the system, but we appear to only be one large storm away from being in the same position.

“Surely the modelling could have been different given we were forecasted to have average rainfall in winter.

“We need to look at management of water that better allows communities, particularly the southern basin communities, to continue as we need to.

“I know it is a complicated space and I am by no means an expert, but if this continues it will be detrimental.

“It’s only another month before people will be wanting to access the river again.”