Good morning all.
It is Thursday, January 11, and the Goulburn River is expected to peak in Shepparton tonight into tomorrow morning.
Stay with us across the day as we bring you all of the updates as they emerge.
A reminder, the latest news will appear at the top of the story and you can scroll down for earlier updates to see how the situation has progressed.
This story is free to read as it contains urgent or emergent information relevant to public health and safety.
Please consider registering or subscribing to The News to help support important local journalism such as this.
Ensure you stay across alerts on the VicEmergency app, the Victoria SES website or by calling 132 500 if you urgently need assistance. Call 000 in an emergency and remember to never drive through or enter floodwaters.
Some handy tools to use to check how your property will be affected by certain river levels are linked below.
Goulburn Broken Community Flood Intelligence Portal: https://my.floodreport.com.au/gbcma/
SES local flood guides: https://www.ses.vic.gov.au/plan-and-stay-safe/flood-guides
If you need to contact us, please email editor@sheppnews.com.au or call 5820 3221.
UPDATE, 7.20pm, Thursday, January 11: Goodnight
That’s it for our rolling coverage today.
As we sign off, the Goulburn River at Shepparton is sitting at minor flood level at 9.64m as of readings taken at 7.07pm.
UPDATE, 7.06pm, Thursday, January 11: Call out to search of river
At 4.45pm today, emergency services called to a reports of a car in the Goulburn River between Mooroopna and Toolamba.
Shepparton Search and Rescue Commander Gary Lovell said the unit was called to an inland water rescue believed to be a car floating down the Goulburn River.
Search and Rescue launched its boat from the boat ramp at the causeway in Shepparton and searched all the way up the area of the Goulburn River near Pyke Rd, off Toolamba Rd in Mooroopna.
Air ambulance also assisted in the search.
No car was located and as of 6.30pm Search and Rescue ended their search.
Police also confirmed that nothing was located.
UPDATE, 6.15pm, Thursday, January 11: River levels
The Goulburn River is in a state of minor flood at Shepparton, currently at 9.59m.
A note on Seven Creeks, it is currently at 4.43m and rising at Kialla West.
VicEmergency has just flagged that renewed rises in the area may peak within the minor flooding range (4.5m) tonight.
UPDATE, 5.17pm, Thursday, January 11: Afternoon flood footage
News photographer Megan Fisher went out this afternoon and grabbed some footage of what the flooding looks like around Shepparton and Mooroopna.
Check out the video below.
UPDATE, 5.10pm, Thursday, January 11: About to tick over minor flooding level
The Goulburn River at Shepparton is at 9.49m, and is expected to go above the minor flooding level (9.5m) at the next update, which is due in the next few minutes.
Greater Shepparton City Council will again go live on its Facebook page at 6.30pm tonight.
UPDATE 4.25pm, Thursday, January 11: Revised time for peak at Shepparton
The time for the peak for the Goulburn River at Shepparton has again been revised.
It is now not expected to peak until late Friday afternoon or into the night, according the Shepparton ICC incident controller Ray Jasper.
This is quite a bit later than the midnight tonight peak which had earlier today been expected.
At this stage, the Bureau of Meteorology says the peak will be 10.4m.
Mr Jasper said the reason for the later peak prediction now is that the water flowing down the river has “slowed right down”.
“And we’re losing a lot of water,” he said.
“The volume is not there. It has slowed right down because the volume is not pushing it as fast.”
UPDATE 2.50pm, Thursday, January 11: Lower Moira and Barmah
CFA volunteers have doorknocked homes in the Lower Moira area today to give people a heads-up that there may be some isolation of homes and properties as floodwater continues downstream.
No water is expected to enter homes.
Shepparton Incident Control Centre incident controller Ray Jasper said the Goulburn River would be at minor flood level or lower by the time it reaches Bunbartha.
Mr Jasper said there would be no issues of flooding for the Barmah township, including at the caravan park.
UPDATE 2.30pm, Thursday, January 11: Flood to peak at about midnight tonight
Senior journalist Monique Preston chatted with Shepparton Incident Control Centre incident controller Ray Jasper to get some of his takes on where Shepparton and Mooroopna are at with the floods.
The flood peak is now expected to be about midnight tonight.
The peak was downgraded to 10.4m this morning and is expected to be dropped even lower this afternoon.
The 10.4m predicted peak now puts the flood into the minor range.
Mr Jasper said floodwater would still go into streets, but would not be as deep.
He did however, remind people not to drive through floodwater if they could not see the bottom.
“The key message is that it is dropping, but it is still a flood,” Mr Jasper said.
“Don’t be complacent.”
He said snakes and other wildlife including kangaroos would be seen more as the bush would still be flooded.
Mr Jasper said the floodwater would probably only remain at its peak for around nine hours.
He also expected the Goulburn River level at Shepparton to drop below minor flood level late on Saturday, or early Sunday.
UPDATE 1.59pm, Thursday, January 11: Causeway traffic update
The speed limit is set to be reduced on the Peter Ross Edwards Causeway between Shepparton and Mooroopna shortly.
Regional Roads Victoria has announced it is reducing the speed limit on the causeway to 40km/h at 2pm today.
This is due to rising waters in the surrounding area impacting the adjacent walking track and the increased risk of wildlife crossing the road.
UPDATE, 1.19pm, Thursday, January 11: Morning flood footage
News photographer Megan Fisher went out this morning and grabbed some footage of what the flooding looks like around Shepparton and Mooroopna.
Check out the video below.
UPDATE, 1pm, Thursday, January 11: Looking ahead
With the severity of the situation easing, updates in this rolling coverage will likely slow down - but we’ll still touch base across the day as more content, updates, alerts and news emerges.
UPDATE, noon, Thursday, January 11: Council messaging
“There’s been some really great news for Greater Shepparton overnight...the situation is continuing to ease,” Greater Shepparton City Council director of community and municipal emergency management officer Louise Mitchell said in a video update on council’s Facebook page this morning.
“The Goulburn’s predicted to peak at around 10.4m overnight on Friday night and into Saturday. This is a minor flood level and that’s absolutely great news for our community.
“As always that situation is being monitored very closely by the authorities and warnings are updated as required.
“We’ll be watching of course as the water heads downstream into communities in Undera and Bunbartha.
“Once again the risk to properties is more one of isolation than inundation.”
UPDATE, 11.50am, Thursday, January 11: Modelling confirmed
It’s good news for Greater Shepparton, with it confirmed via Greater Shepparton City Council that the expected peak at Shepparton is now 10.4m - which is less than the moderate flooding level of 10.7m.
I’ll have some quotes for you shortly.
UPDATE, 11.42am, Thursday, January 11: Watch out for bugs
Health officials are warning of the dangers of being around floodwater, including the inevitable large number of mosquitoes.
Those in areas impacted by flooding are advised never to enter, swim or allow children to swim or play in floodwater.
Floodwater can be contaminated by overflowing sewerage or septic systems, farm or industrial waste and other chemicals.
For more info, click here: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/mosquito-surge-predicted-as-flooding-hits-large-swathes-of-victoria-2/
UPDATE, 11.30am, Thursday, January 11: Support available
Jointly funded disaster assistance by the state and federal government has been activated for communities impacted by the Victorian floods and storms that commenced on Christmas Eve, 2023.
The assistance is available for communities and councils within 17 registered local government areas, including Benalla Rural City, Campaspe Shire and Mitchell Shire.
Further councils may be added in the coming days.
For more details, click here: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/financial-support-available-for-flood-and-disaster-assistance/
UPDATE, 11.10am, Thursday, January 11: Another revision?
The latest VicEmergency alert for Shepparton has again revised the severity of the flooding in the Goulburn River.
Minor flooding in Shepparton (9.5m) is likely to hit this afternoon, but the alert is now stating that the peak - which is expected sometime Friday - may only reach 10.4m, which is below the moderate level of 10.7m.
We’ll confirm that detail with local officials for you shortly.
UPDATE, 11am, Thursday, January 11: Alerts
A watch and act for moderate flooding is now in place for the Goulburn River downstream of Shepparton.
Moderate flooding is possible at McCoys Bridge over the weekend and into next week.
The main flood peak is now past Murchison, where moderate flooding is slowly easing, and approaching Shepparton.
UPDATE, 10.40am, Thursday, January 11: Lake Eildon
Not flood-related, but there’s been some chatter about an incident at Lake Eildon last night.
A CFA spokesperson said two Eildon CFA units responded to a boat fire on Jerusalem Creek Rd, Eildon, at around 6.14pm on Wednesday.
“Eildon CFA responded with their fire boat to assist,” the spokesperson said.
“Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria were on scene.
“(The) incident (was) deemed safe at 6:45pm.”
Ambulance Victoria Media confirmed to The News that five patients were assessed by paramedics on scene.
UPDATE, 10am, Thursday, January 11: Forecasted rain
With the chance of rain forecast on Saturday and Sunday, journalist Monique Preston chatted to Shepparton Incident Control Centre incident controller Ray Jasper about whether this would cause any further problems for Shepparton and Mooroopna in terms of river flooding.
In Shepparton, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a mostly sunny day with the slight chance of a shower on Friday, with the chance of a thunderstorm in the later afternoon or evening.
Saturday for Shepparton is forecast for a partly cloudy day with the slight chance of a shower, and the chance of a thunderstorm.
Heavier rain is forecast for the north-east, East Gippsland and southern NSW, but Mr Jasper said it was not expected to affect any flooding in the Shepparton area.
“Rain here has not been factored into equations because we don’t think it will do anything,” he said.
Mr Jasper said rain in the Upper Murray area should be absorbed by the Hume Weir.
UPDATE, 9.30am, Thursday, January 11: Outlook
News senior photographer Megan Fisher is out and about this morning.
The Goulburn River is visibly higher, but still only at 9.28m at Shepparton - which remains below the minor flood level.
UPDATE, 7am, Thursday, January 11: Good morning
Hi all,
As we continue to play the waiting and watching game with the heights of the Goulburn River in Shepparton, I just wanted to remind you of the key updates from yesterday.
The river level is now expected to peak below major flooding in Shepparton, and that is most likely to happen tomorrow morning.
Some roads and streets will still get water in them, but the key message remains that we are not looking at inundation risks.
Watt Rd, between Riverview Dve, Kialla and McLennan St, Mooroopna, is among the roads that are closed.
The Goulburn is currently at 9.23m in Shepparton, approaching the minor flood level of 9.5m.
Check in with today’s paper for a wrap of yesterday’s information, or see the links below.
Wednesday’s rolling coverage: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/rolling-coverage-wednesday-january-10/
Wednesday wrap: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/wednesday-flood-wrap/
Infrastructure assessment: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/update-on-local-infrastructure/
Through the lens: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/galleries/gallery-photos-of-the-goulburn-and-broken-rivers-as-well-as-seven-creeks-wednesday-january-10/
Footage from the day: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/videos/watch-wednesday-january-10-flood-videos/
Road closures: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/road-closure-updates-stay-up-to-date-on-road-closures-due-to-floods/
Facility closures: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/business-and-facility-closures-around-shepparton/