Northern Victoria’s vulnerable river crossings have come under the spotlight with the latest flood holding up the food bowl’s production and distribution.
Bridges at Rochester over the Campaspe River — and over the Goulburn River on the causeway at Shepparton, at McCoys Bridge and Murchison — were closed at various times.
Although the bridges were not necessarily under water the approaches were.
This was the case with the new $300 million Echuca bridge across the Murray River.
The closures prevented staff from getting to work at Bega’s Tatura factory, Fonterra’s Stanhope factory and at Noumi’s Shepparton factory, forcing a reduction in production.
Workers could also not get to their jobs on farms, fuel supplies were disrupted and fodder could not be delivered to stock.
Murray Dairy, the regional dairy development body, negotiated with emergency controllers to get milk tankers across the Shepparton-Mooroopna Causeway.
Murray Dairy chair Andrew Tyler said it had been very frustrating from the perspective of getting feed in and milk out.
“It’s a major problem that needs to be looked at,” Mr Tyler said.
“If 80 per cent of the community believe in climate change, then let’s match that with infrastructure so we can mange extreme events.”
Mr Tyler said there had also been an issue with VicRoads traffic advice not being updated, and transport companies refusing to send trucks when roads had actually opened.
State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed said the floods were another reason for the construction of the Shepparton bypass, which would include a second crossing of the Goulburn River.
“The bypass will be a major point for advocacy in the future for me,” Ms Sheed said.
She said the highways played a major role in moving food in and out of the region.
“With climate change forecasts it is likely to happen more regularly.”
Fruit Growers Victoria grower services manager Michael Crisera said one of Goulburn Valley growers’ main concerns was getting their produce to markets.
“Freight has been an issue with many roads closed for more than a week now,” Mr Crisera said.
“It’s been good for the packing sheds to now start getting through to the markets in Melbourne, Sydney and elsewhere.”