Murchison flood peak to hit at 5pm

While low-lying areas were already flooded, those in the town centre thought they would be safe, with the main part of the town protected by a levee bank.

However, the predicted 12m flood will be higher than the levee.

CFA volunteers from several towns were busy door-knocking residents, before an alert to evacuate was issued at 12.58pm on October 14.

Murchison SES unit controller Stephen Addison said he had never seen a flood so high in his 25 years in Murchison.

There were sandbags available from a site in Watson St, with the Australian Defence Force expected to arrive to help fill them early on Friday afternoon.

Part of the River Haven Caravan Park, which is on low-lying land next to the Goulburn River, flooded early Friday morning — with about 30 cabins and caravans with affixed awnings in the firing line.

Other caravans had been moved to higher ground in the park on Thursday night.

Park owner Lesley McLennan said water started to come into the lower side of the park at 7.30am and she ran around raising the alarm to get people out of the cabins and caravans.

She said she had received no notice of the water rising that quickly.

“As soon as it started coming through, it came through real quick,” she said.

By 1pm police had been sent to the park to tell everyone to evacuate, with the entire park expected to be flooded.

It is a heartbreaking loss for Ms McLennan, who has only had the park for a few years.

Tammy Brown, her partner Leo Bruzzese and their children Dominic Bruzzese, 5, and Dwayne Bruzzese, 4, were among those whose van flooded earlier in the day.

By the time they got out about 8.30am or 9am, the water was already ankle deep and they acted quickly to move their car from the floodwater.

Ms Brown said they rushed themselves, the children and their dog Chelsea into the car and moved out of harm’s way.

They only took the essentials, and on Friday morning were looking to move elsewhere until the flood passed.