Floods in VIC - everyone ok?

Despite the fact the rains have stopped, it sounds like tomorrow’s going to be the sketchiest for large expanses of inland flooding when the water from yesterday’s downpoor on the Strathbogie ranges spreads into the Northern plains. Fingers crossed the emergency service folk are just being overly cautious in their predictions. :confused:
 
The rain wasn't ridiculous where I live out west, there was just a lot of it. 2 days of solid non stop rain, all the creeks / rivers around here were expected to peak around 6pm this afternoon. There are some pretty crazy photos / video going around of swollen rivers with water where it should'nt be... I'd say anyone with river frontage property along the Maribyrnong River (which drains a lot of the water from the Macedon Ranges into the Bay) would be shitting themselves...
 
One of my work mates was busy moving all his worldly possessions from downstairs to upstairs today. Lives in Maribyrnong, pretty much the entire neighbourhood was evacuated yesterday but he was allowed to stay because of the height of his place apparently. Most of the area was at knee to waist height this morning and still rising, does definitely sound shit.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
 
pretty wild to see those sorts of scenes in vic. im in nw tas and everything in low/mid laying areas still flooded.
 
OK where I am, even though it's reclaimed swamp, so low & flat. The creek near my place runs underground for a few km, but in heavy rain it spouts up through vents in the tunnel & runs above ground. Its channel was well-filled but not overflowing.

Further downstream where it runs in a more natural course, it's about 700mm higher than normal. There's a canoe jetty where I launch to go for a paddle. It's two-level, with about 200-250mm difference between them, and the jetty frame & deck are about 250mm. Normally the water is a bit below the bottom of the lower beams, but when I went for a look after work the upper deck was barely above the water, and a photo I saw from this morning showed it completely under! Some low-lying properties that back onto the creek have water all the way to their back verandahs!


IMG_20221007_175257~2.jpg
Edit: pic taken after last week's intense dumping, with upper jetty deck just breaking the surface. It's about the same level now. Kinda impressive effort for a normally semi-tidal creek!
 
Last edited:
All good out my way. The local creek (that usually looks still and the flow isn't even perceptible) was twice as wide and twice as high. It actually had a set of rapids in a section where there is nothing to create rapids.
 
Mattyp said:
Wow, just saw this, if youve caught the train to/from the city then you know this doesnt look right... maybe a bit more than just river frontage property that needs to be worried.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1580709797866786816
Click to expand...
Wow. I used to go running along there when I lived in Kensington! That’s not all that close to the river I’d have thought!! That whole townhouse estate in there must be under..
 
Due to the predicted rain I worked from home yesterday and was expecting heavy rain got a couple of downpours but nothing severe, was watching the radar whilst I worked and could see the rain divert as it came close, I think when it hits Mt Blackwood it either forces it into us or around us.
Commuting to work wasn’t so bad but the paths along the Yarra on the way home were shagged in sections either completely under water or getting close to be, the Yarra seemed to be following pretty darn fast and wide. Once I got home I could see the Werribee river is the same, swollen and running fast, eldest son works up Woodend way and plenty of paddocks etc flooded. He will be busy over the next couple of weeks as he’s a tree loper and they do all councils work plus emergency call outs etc, so with the soft soil they will be trees falling which is where they get a lot of the work, so even after the water subsides there is other things to watch out for.
 
Thankfully all the rain was spread out over the day. If it hit in one bug dump Mildura would've have been screwed. None of our drainage systems were designed to cope with that.

There's lots of scenes like this.
HEQ4h6Q.jpeg


silentbutdeadly said:
Now all we have to do is get through this time next week. It's shaping up to be 1956 all over again for the Murray -Darling Basin.
Click to expand...
It's getting up there, was about a meter or so from the top of the Lock 11 channel when I went past on Wednesday.
Pfd5RTt.jpeg


Rumours are circulating that there's much more water coming down the river than what the authorities are telling us.
 
R
Cardy George said:
Thankfully all the rain was spread out over the day. If it hit in one bug dump Mildura would've have been screwed. None of our drainage systems were designed to cope with that.

There's lots of scenes like this.
HEQ4h6Q.jpeg



It's getting up there, was about a meter or so from the top of the Lock 11 channel when I went past on Wednesday.
Pfd5RTt.jpeg


Rumours are circulating that there's much more water coming down the river than what the authorities are telling us.
Click to expand...
Rumours are stupid when it comes to water. There's plenty of river gauges...you just have to know what they are telling you. All I can say from not reading the gauges is that you won't be riding at Coomie for months...
 
silentbutdeadly said:
Rumours are stupid when it comes to water. There's plenty of river gauges...you just have to know what they are telling you.
Click to expand...
That's the problem, we can't find anyone who can teach us. I reached out to Dags but he didn't respond. I'll try again a different way.

silentbutdeadly said:
All I can say from not reading the gauges is that you won't be riding at Coomie for months...
Click to expand...
then months after that while the sludge dries and we can rebuild.
 
Poor old Victoria is getting smashed :(

I have a place in Latrobe in NW Tassie and it was really close to flooding this time. We got flooded out in 2016, and this time came within half a meter of my shed.
1665974797528.png


My shed is the maroon roof. The big crane is part of the flood levy construction. Not quite in time unfortunately.
1665974880731.png


My place sandbagged up.
1665975021908.png

1665975050723.png
 
Cardy George said:
That's the problem, we can't find anyone who can teach us. I reached out to Dags but he didn't respond. I'll try again a different way.
Click to expand...
NSW manages the river in your little part of the world but most of the gauges are run by Victoria...major exception is Curlwaa. All the data from the key (remotely accessed) stations along the Murray and the tributaries are loaded in real-time up to the BoM and the data is accessible through there. NSW has its own data website as well that typically includes the conversion table to go from river height to Ml/day (BoM doesn't provide this). Best bet is to try and get in touch with the regional hydrographer on the NSW side via the office at Buronga. If there's a hydrologist they'll be in Albury or even Sydney.

No matter what...the State 'authorities' can't hide river data. The Federal Water Act simply doesn't allow them to do it and neither do their internal systems. The only way they can hide it is to not have it in the first place and there is an awful lot of that happening given how much it costs to establish and operate a river gauging station...

Failing all that...if you have any specific questions then DM me and I'll do what I can to help...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top