Melbourne streets swamped as flood wave rolls into town

As Melbourne is smashed by the worst floods in 50 years and three states battle major events, BoM reveals when La Nina is likely to finally end.

SES to the rescue in the Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong. Picture: AFP

Homes were swamped, hundreds of people displaced and property including waterlogged cars was destroyed when a galloping river became an inland sea after Australia’s rolling flood crisis spread to inner Melbourne.

It comes as Victorian towns were told to evacuate overnight as swollen rivers threaten communities and floods threaten the state.

The Maribyrnong River – Melbourne’s secondary waterway – spread to nearly 1km wide in places as floodwaters threatened to inundate Flemington Racecourse and infiltrated houses just 9km from the CBD on Friday, also damaging infrastructure at inner-city Footscray.

It was the worst flooding in Maribyrnong in nearly 50 years, with the SES forced to conduct scores of rescues via boat in ­flooded streets.

In NSW, the regional centres of Forbes and Wagga Wagga faced serious threats of flooding while parts of north and northwest Tasmania were smashed this week by up to 350mm of rain, ­affecting a series of towns and potentially hundreds of residents.

Waters spilling from a swollen Maribyrnong River surround Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. Picture: David Caird

It comes as major centres in rural and regional Victoria – ­including Seymour, Shepparton and Benalla – faced ongoing threats, with the Goulburn River rising to dangerous levels and many hundreds of people evacuated. Thousands of homes could be affected in the next week.

Victorian Premier Daniel ­Andrews on Friday surveyed flooded areas in the Goulburn Valley, which is one of the nation’s food bowls, and held talks with Anthony Albanese about possible relief. This could include using the newly built Mickleham Covid quarantine facility as an accommodation relief centre.

As much as 224mm of rain fell on parts of regional Victoria this week – part of an unseasonal ­deluge that has hit southeastern Australia.

Maribyrnong, in Melbourne’s inner northwest, was hit hardest by an upstream deluge, forcing it to break its banks.

More broadly in Melbourne, heavy rain triggered warnings for several other areas, including those surrounding the Werribee and Yarra rivers, which was heavily polluting Port Phillip Bay.

“The real test of this is that everyone is alive,” local MP Bill Shorten said.

In Maribyrnong, the financial cost of the flooding is expected to be high and will only become clear when waters start to recede, properties are assessed and ­vehicles retrieved.

Maribyrnong resident John Bohm, a father of two daughters, never imagined he would be kayaking down his street, but was forced early on Friday afternoon to help the rescue effort.

“It was weird this morning ­because the sun was shining, but the water was just creeping up. So you don’t know if you’re unnecessarily panicking, and what to do and where to stop,” Mr Bohm said. 

The town of Rochester is swamped by a rising Campaspe River. Picture: Jason Edwards

“We weren’t focused on really getting stuff out of the house, but we got the kids out and then I just focused on putting things up higher and higher, but didn’t ­really know how high to go.

“The aftermath for us, we’ve just finished a new renovation after a couple of years of working on that. It’s really going to knock us around. I don’t know how far back we’ve got to go and how much we want to rebuild.”

The Anglers Tavern, an entertainment landmark in northwest Melbourne, was badly damaged, with its former manager saying it was a cruel blow following the pandemic. 

“I worked there for about four years. It did flood before, but nothing like this,” Daniel Dum­esny said. 

“It’s not fun. But it has been around for 100 years … so it’ll bounce back.” 

Skipton in western Victoria was also hammered by floodwaters and was facing an increasing risk late on Friday.

A girl is rescued by members of the SES in the suburb of Maribyrnong. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Mr Andrews said authorities believed about 500 homes had been inundated across Victoria and at least a further 500 had been cut off.

He said the Victorian floods were yet to peak, with helicopters currently conducting assessments of the impact on properties.

“Particularly in relation to the Goulburn Valley, we’re going to see more and more people that fit into that category,” the Premier said.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Diana Eadie said that while the rain in Victoria had largely eased, the flood situation was “still very much evolving”.

Ms Eadie highlighted massive rainfall totals over recent days, including 224mm in Strathbogie North and 212mm at Charnwood, both near Euroa, 170km northeast of Melbourne.

BoM forecasts likely end to La Nina

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Meteorology has revealed when Australia’s third consecutive La Nina season will likely come to an end.

La Nina is continuing in the tropical Pacific and will likely persist into early 2023, increasing the chance of above average rainfall for northern and eastern Australia.

The negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event is also continuing, which means it’s more likely there will be above average spring rainfall for most of the eastern two thirds of the country.

When La Nina and negative IOD conditions combine, this also raises the likelihood of above average rainfall.

While the rain is set to continue for the time being, the BOM has predicted it will decline over spring before transitioning into neutral El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions as summer comes to a close.

Based on current modelling, the BOM believes the phenomenon will be “a relatively short-lived event”.

Dr Agus Santoso of the UNSW Science’s Climate Change Research Centre said current modelling shows La Nina will likely peak sometime in November.

“In general, La Nina or, and also El Nino, tends to peak in summer itself and then starts to decay in autumn,” Dr Santoso told 7 News.

“But this particular La Nina event (will) peak next month, in November, and then, it starts decaying from there on.

“We should expect wetter than normal conditions.

“If we have extreme weather systems coming in, like what we had in March earlier this year, then that would lead to flooding because … dams are already full and the catchments are already saturated.”

In its most recent Climate Driver Update on Tuesday, the Bureau of Meteorology said La Nina, a negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and approaching Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) were all contributing to the country’s torrential conditions this month.

“The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is currently in a positive phase and is likely to remain generally positive throughout spring into early summer,” the BOM said in a statement.

“During the spring and summer months, a positive SAM increases the chance of above average rainfall for parts of eastern NSW, eastern Victoria and southeastern Queensland, and increases the chance of below average rainfall for western Tasmania.

“The MJO is moving into the western Pacific Ocean and is forecast to strengthen further in the coming fortnight as it tracks further east.

“Its influence at this time of the year may lead to above-average rainfall for parts of eastern Australia, and briefly reduce the strength of equatorial trade winds west of the Date Line.”