Floods impact Victorian events and facilities

With flooding in parts of Victoria at their highest levels in more than 50 years, events are being cancelled while facilities are being closed or used as emergency centres.

With waters rising as a result of heavy rains over recent days, Victorian authorities have warned flooded rivers are yet to peak and that the state is preparing for one of the largest evacuation operations in its history.

As of Friday afternoon, the Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre in the Mitchell Shire, adjacent to the Goulburn River, was activated as a relief centre, accommodating over 150 people who required immediate overnight assistance while its car park was filled with caravans and people sleeping in cars.

As Mitchell Shire Leisure Services Coordinator, Carly Ward wrote on social media “the community were being rescued via water vessels and coming to our centre at a consistent pace through the SES.”

Shepparton facility Aquamoves, due to hold an open day tomorrow, has been closed until further notice, with advice on its Facebook page warning residents not to drive in the vicinity of the centre.

It has also posted images of flood waters rising in Aquamoves’ car park.

The City of Great Geelong has also advised that Barwon Valley Activity Centre, Barwon Valley Golf Course, Balyang Par 3 Golf Course, Lara Golf Course, Queens Park Golf Course and Landy Field athletics centre are closed as a result of flooding.

Fears over the rain event saw the organisers of the Grapevine Gathering in the Yarra Valley cancel the festival last weekend as a result of initial rain dump.

Conditions have also seen Strawberry Fields, described as “four days of live music, large-scale art, workshops and wild river swimming”, due to have been held at Tocumwal on the Victoria-NSW border from 28th to 30th October, cancelled as flood levels on the Murray River rose earlier this month.

Organisers made the call to cancel the event at the “11th hour” before construction needed to start.

In metropolitan Melbourne, the inner-city suburb of Maribyrnong has also been impacted by the event with numerous homes flooded.

Sports fields and golf courses have also been inundated as the Maribyrnong River burst its banks.

On the east bank of Maribyrnong River, the Flemington Racecourse has remained untouched, as a result of a levee wall built in the early 2000s by Racing Victoria.

Protection of the historic track means next month’s Spring Racing Carnival will likely be unaffected by the flood waters but has angered many residents who have lost homes, businesses and cars.

This is the third year in a row that La Niña - a weather pattern characterised by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean - has been forecast for eastern Australia.

In 2021 and 2022, La Nina rain patterns led to catastrophic floods across many communities in south east Queensland and NSW - becoming Australia's costliest flood and third-costliest natural disaster.

According to the Insurance Council of Australia, the 2021 and 2022 combined insurance damage bill for the La Nina-generated east coast storm and flooding reached $5.92 billion, with more than 296,000 claims lodged - this figure includes private claims.

Images: Flood waters rise in the car park at Aquamoves Shepparton (top, credit: Aquamoves Shepparton/Facebook) and floods at Geelong's Landy Field (below, credit: City of Greater Geelong/Facebook).