The Goulburn and Murray valleys were devastated by floods in October, with towns inundated by flood water from several different rivers and creeks.
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Among the first of the towns hit were Rochester and Seymour.
Unlike the floods of 2011 where there was little warning of the Campaspe River flooding much of the town, Rochester had some time to prepare this time.
The town was a flurry of activity in the days leading up to the flood, with an army of volunteers filling sandbags, while residents and business owners also banded together to lift fittings and furniture and build walls of sandbags in part in an attempt to protect their homes and shops.
However, floodwater rushed through most homes in the town on October 14, leaving a trail of devastation.
The Campaspe River peaked at 115.6m AHD.
The Goulburn River flooded a large swathe of Seymour on October 14, with those people who lived north of the railway line hardest hit by what was the town’s biggest flood on record.
The river peaked at 8.26m at 3am on Friday, October 14.
There was also flash flooding in parts of Benalla during this time.
The Goulburn River continued its trail of destruction, with Murchison the next town in its path.
By the morning of October 14, the river had broken its banks and a caravan park and other low-lying houses east of the town were already starting to go under.
A temporary levee bank was erected along the middle of Stephenson St, to keep flood water away from the town’s businesses.
It saved those homes and businesses in that area, but other homes succumbed to floodwater.
The river peaked at 12.05m on October 18.
Shepparton came under threat from floodwater from several directions, with water coming from the Broken and Goulburn rivers and Seven and Castle creeks.
Sandbagging stations opened in Shepparton and Mooroopna well before the floodwater hit, but efforts ramped up in the days leading up to the floodwater, with long lines.
Around lunchtime on October 15, an evacuate immediately notice was issued for Mooroopna and large swathes of Shepparton.
The causeway between Shepparton and Mooroopna was also closed the same day and remained that way for five days – cutting the two towns off from each other.
The Goulburn River stayed steady at 12.06m overnight on October 17.
Police used helicopters to guide boats in rescues overnight as the river rose.
There were 150 rescues in the Shepparton and Goulburn Valley district.
The Goulburn River at Shepparton peaked at 12.06m early Monday, 0.3m less than the 1974 flood.
Victoria’s State Emergency Service chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said there were roughly 4000 properties isolated or inundated in Shepparton and Mooroopna.
The gates at Loch Garry were opened at noon on October 16, however, issues with getting all the bars out also caused problems.
An emergency evacuation order to evacuate for Bunbartha, Zeerust, Mundoona and Kaarimba was issued late on October 17, with much of these areas also inundated by floodwater.
Other towns surrounding Shepparton, including Orrvale and Kialla West, were also inundated with floodwater in the days before this, after the Broken River and Seven and Castle creeks broke their banks.
Echuca also braced for flooding from three sides with the Murray, Campaspe and Goulburn rivers all swollen at the same time.
Much of the town’s central business district shops sandbagged and closed down for the best part of a week.
A 2km long levee bank was also erected in the east of the town to protect many homes from the floodwater.
Controversy surrounded the placement of the levee bank, however, with spots where it went up the middle of the road, leaving half the street on the “wrong side” of the levee.
Those homes that were not inside the levee were flooded, but the rest were saved.
Below are a few of the stories — heroic and heartbreaking — from McPherson Media Group journalists covering the floods.
Mum gives birth after being rescued from rising floodwater
In a case of history repeating itself, Shepparton’s Kasey Threlfall gave birth during the floods.
Mrs Threlfall and her partner Jack decided to stay at their Aspendale Cres home, which was above floodwaters but cut off from the rest of Shepparton, as the Goulburn River began to rise.
However, on October 16 she had to wade through floodwater onto an SES rescue boat while she was in labour.
After she went into labour, a neighbour drove them to Wanganui Rd, where they were picked up by the SES boat and taken to dry land.
They were picked up by Mrs Thelfall’s in-laws and stayed at their home in Zeerust overnight before transferring to Goulburn Valley Health the next morning where she gave birth to daughter Ava.
In a coincidence, Mrs Threlfall was born during Shepparton’s last big flood in 1993.
‘We lifted everything; it just wasn’t high enough’
There are two hand-drawn lines on the wall outside the front door of Darrel Kay’s Mooroopna home.
One marks the 1974 flood level when water rushed through his Anderson St home.
Newly drawn is another higher marker, which shows where floodwater flowed through about knee height on October 16, 2022.
Mr Kay has lived in the house for 52 years, but he said he has never seen anything quite like this.
In 1974, about 54mm of water went through the house.
This time it was almost double that — with the 80-year-old estimating water to the height of about 100mm got inside his home.
Mr Kay did the best he could to prepare his home for the flood from the Goulburn River, before moving to safe ground at his brother’s place in Lancaster on Friday, October 14.
“I’ve been here 52 years and it’s the worst I’ve ever seen it,” he said.
“We lifted everything; it just wasn’t high enough.”
Living on the ‘wrong’ side of Echuca’s great divide
It is 4pm and neighbours start making their way to the front lawn of the house at 61 Pakenham St, Echuca, for their daily gathering.
It was a tradition born during the COVID-19 pandemic, and one that gained extra significance with the flood crisis threatening Echuca and Moama.
Chairs are set up in a circle and an umbrella is brought out the front to provide some shade from the afternoon sun.
Those who have arrived come with their arms full.
Either with extra chairs, Eskies full of drinks or bags loaded with snacks.
The mood around the gathering is incredibly positive and upbeat.
What makes the mood seem so surreal and even somewhat disconcerting is the elephant in the room, or rather, the elephant in the neighbourhood – the giant levee being built in Echuca.
The gathering is taking place on one side of the enormous wall of sand and dirt – the ‘wrong’ side of the wall.
The side of the wall that is expected to soon be inundated by floodwaters from the rising Murray River.
The levee was built to help protect homes in Echuca, but not all.
The wall runs along Pakenham St, Bowen St and down Goulburn Rd, but it won’t help everyone, with dozens of homes on the wrong side.
Most of the people at the gathering live on the side of Pakenham St that has been cut off from the rest of town by the levee.
The others live just on the other side of the new wall, but they have a close connection with their friends and neighbours just across the road.
Dozens of homes are on this side of the levee, left to the fate of Mother Nature.
And for the residents who live there, the situation they now find themselves in is incredibly tough.
Family in despair after homes flooded outside documented flood zone
Mick and Kerry Wickham say their home of 17 years at Kaarimba, north of Shepparton, is not in a flood zone and yet 1.8m of floodwater still went through it during the recent floods.
“It was Monday the 17th (of October). We were actually away at the time,” Mrs Wickham said.
“We were in the Flinders Ranges.
“We still went on our holiday because we’d never, ever, in all the floods, flooded there before.”
Family convinced Mr and Mrs Wickham to cut their holiday short though, and while driving home they were told their house was going under.
“A friend brought 20 guys out to sandbag our place,” Mrs Wickham said.
“At that stage we didn’t know how bad things were, and then he rang us back about two hours later and he goes, he was basically in tears saying ... sorry, I can’t keep going,” Mrs Wickham said, overcome with emotion.
“We still can’t get to it. I bought a set of waders just to walk in there,” Mr Wickham said.
The Wickhams blame what they call mismanagement of nearby Loch Garry by Goulburn-Murray Water for their house and a granny flat, where their daughter and granddaughter live, being under water.
“They couldn’t get the bars out, because all the other years, I’ve been in this area all my life, and all the other years they had people manning the loch 24 hours a day so when it needed to get to whatever point it had to get to, well they were ‘Johnny on the spot’ and pulling bars.
Brothers rescue elderly man from flooded car
When three Shepparton brothers saw an elderly man get stuck in his car in floodwater in Shepparton on Tuesday, October 18, they sprung into action to rescue him.
Anthony, Adrian and Angelo Portia were helping out at their father’s flooded house when they saw the 91-year-old man’s car get stuck in water at Longstaff St about 11am.
Emergency services had been called to help, but the brothers had a boat with them so they headed in to help the driver themselves, along with another man who was passing by.
By the time they reached the 91-year-old’s car, it was half full with water, with him still sitting in the driver’s seat, Anthony said.
The rescuers managed to get the man from the car and into their boat, and ferried him safely to dry land.
Anthony said the bizarre thing was, the road was flooded in Longstaff St, but where the man was living had been a dry area.
On Tuesday night, the brothers pushed the car out of the water and drained the water from it.
On Wednesday, they continued their good deeds and changed the oil for the man several times to see if they could get the car running.
Rochester again devastated by floods
Rochester residents are beginning the painstaking clean-up after the Campaspe River tore through the town on Friday.
The SES performed 160 rescues in Rochester as the floodwater from the Campaspe River rose.
SES Rochester controller Tim Williams said the whole town was inundated.
“Every single house in town will have water,” he said.
The flood surpassed the devastating levels of 2011 and sadly turned deadly, with 71-year-old Kevin Wills being found dead in his flooded backyard on Saturday morning.
Resident Eliza Watson described the flood as a “swirling, rushing monster”.
“Last time it didn’t get close to the front door,” she said.
“There are no words to describe the monstrosity or destruction of that flood, it was unfathomable.
“And we know there is a heck of a lot of work ahead of us as we ride the rollercoaster that will be the clean up.”
She said she had faith the town would once again pull together in the face of disaster.
“The generosity of the Rochy community lifts you up when you feel like you cannot move.
“But this was a big traumatic experience for many and I think it’s going to take a lot of talking, a lot of hands-on helping and a lot of time to recover.”
Senior Journalist