The Murray River at Echuca Wharf crept past the 1916 figure of 94.79m (AHD - above sea level) at 3pm on Saturday with the likelihood of it reaching 94.95m.
SES chief officer operations Tim Wiebusch said the Murray has not been this high since the flood of 1867 (95.34m AHD).
“At Echuca the Murray River is one of the most challenging hydrological areas to model because of the inflows coming from the Broken (Creek), Goulburn (River) and the Campaspe River, along with the Murray flows out of the dams at Khancoban and Hume,” he said.
In Yarrawonga, river levels below the weir peaked at 7.21 metres on Sunday, October 16 but fortunately have gradually fallen since. On Monday, October 25 the river level was sitting at 5.97 metres.
The level was below other big spring rain events where the river level had crept close to 8 metres. In 1974 the level reached 7.95 metres flooding most of the Yarrawonga Holiday Park. In 1993 the river peaked at 7.88 metres and more recently 7.76 metres in 2016.
Yarrawonga smashed its October rainfall record this week. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Yarrawonga’s total rainfall for October as of Tuesday was sitting at 140.2mm easily surpassing the record set in 2010 of 114.6mm. The town’s monthly rainfall average for October is usually only 37mm.
With more water coming down the river system the north gate at the Yarrawonga Weir was temporarily opened, further flooding river bends and inundating some of the Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort’s golf holes.
Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort’s Rob Alexander said ground staff have been unable to access a large section of the Murray Course.
“There is no way as yet of assessing the damage in the most affected areas,” Rob said.
“The water flow was very fast last week, so it’s expected that we would have lost a lot of bunker sand and potentially have more felled/unsafe gum trees that will need to be removed because of the soft ground.”
River levels have dropped slightly since the north gates were closed but Yarrawonga Mulwala Canoe Club members have left their clubrooms cleared out in anticipation of the river rising again over the coming weeks.
“Our shed is the first to go under should the river rise again,” canoe club member Tim Roadley said.
“We have cleared everything off the floor up to the 1993 flood level which peaked at 7.88 metres. Let’s hope it doesn’t go any higher than that.”
Yarrawonga Holiday Park Owner Michelle Driscoll said she and husband Shaun have done everything they can so far in preparation for possible flooding but unfortunately it was a wait and see scenario.
“The water did come up the boat ramp and the back of the park was flooded but it has receded a lot,” Mrs Driscoll said.
“We moved everyone off the waterfront and have done as much as we can in preparation.”
Tungamah and Wilby residents have experienced some localised flooding, with the Tungamah Recreation Reserve once again succumbing to a swollen Boosey Creek. The Boosey Creek remains high but only at minor flood level.
The Yarrawonga SES Unit have been kept busy assisting residents and vehicles in flood waters. The unit also supplied a sand bagging site on the netball courts at Dunlop Street which has proven popular for residents experiencing minor flooding.
In Bundalong, residents have been keeping an eye on the Ovens River as flows have already peaked and continue to drop. At its peak last week, the river level was lapping at some back yards with some minor flooding around rural properties.
Farmers remain on edge
Murray River Action Group chair Richard Sargood said it was an anxious time for farmers and landholders.
“Everybody is concerned about how they are going to get on their paddocks come harvest time,” Mr Sargood said.
“Generally speaking, the crops are looking pretty good. The problem is, will paddocks have the ability to carry machinery to harvest, be it headers, trucks, and chaser bins? It’s going to be a very big challenge.”
Mr Sargood said if the rainfall continues, the risk of weather damage to crops will increase resulting in a downgrade to exceptional looking crop.
“I’ve never struck these sort of rainfall events, not necessarily big ones, but just one after the other,” he said.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting the weather to become more settled mid-week, although showers and possible storms will continue in Victoria and southern New South Wales on Wednesday and Thursday.
Storages full
The Murray Darling Basin Authority River Management have been managing Murray River flows out of the Hume and Dartmouth Dams to mitigate flooding for months. Dartmouth Dam spilled in September for the first time in 26 years, and Hume Dam, is also effectively full. Since mid-May 2022 the MDBA has released close to 3,400GL (the equivalent to over 110% of Hume Dam), while keeping the river at Albury and Corowa below moderate flood levels. Lake Eildon which feeds into the Goulburn River is also effectively full at 98%.
When viewed together the 30 major dams across the Murray-Darling Basin are currently at 101% capacity and hold an “unprecedented volume of water in storage” according to the authority this week.
