By Callum Ludwig
October appears to be becoming the unofficial flooding season for the Yarra Ranges as heavy rain once again hit the region last week.
Rainfall statistics from the Bureau of Meteorology recorded 52mm of rain in Yarra Junction between 9am Tuesday 3 October and 9am Wednesday 4 October.
On Tuesday afternoon, the roads were the first to be impacted with part of the Warburton Highway at the traffic lights in Woori Yallock giving way, believed to be because of a burst water main underneath.
Deputy Controller of the Upper Yarra SES Unit said they were first paged to it as a landslip.
“VicRoads had a crew on scene that was waiting for other crews to arrive, so we did traffic management with Victoria Police until we could hand the scene back over to Vic Roads for them to get it sorted,” she said.
“When we got there, people were still driving over it, which I guess with the state of the roads out there at the minute, it just looked like a normal pothole so we can’t really discredit people for doing that,”
“It looked just like a little divot, but we had to get people off it before it became a bigger problem.”
VicRoads crews were on the site on Thursday 5 October making progress on the repairs with signage and traffic management out to indicate that the road is down to one lane both ways while works are underway.
Ms Brunton said we also saw the same roads that often flood after heavy rain do so again.
“We have the same spots that flood over and over again; along the highway in Millgrove and Settlement Road out the back of Yarra Junction namely,” she said.
“The one thing that we just say over and over again is that if it’s flooded just don’t drive through it, it’s not worth the risk,”
“You don’t know what’s in there, you don’t know if the road is collapsed beneath the water, you’ve got no idea so it’s better to be safe and just avoid the area.”
The State Control Centre (SCC) upped its flood warning from minor to moderate on Wednesday 4 October for all the townships along the Yarra River from Millgrove down to Coldstream and all the way to Warrandyte.
An SCC spokesperson said their message for the high-risk season is to always be prepared, but not alarmed; based on the current climate outlook.
“Motorists need to be extra vigilant on the roads for debris including fallen trees. As we are also expecting heavy rain in some parts of Victoria, consider your need to travel, and consider where you are travelling, if it is in heavily treed areas of the state, whilst this weather passes given the significant risk of falling trees,” they aid.
“We are asking Victorians to prepare now. The best way to prepare is to know your local risk.”
Victoria Police assistance was required to save a man who needed assistance in floodwaters in Alexandra on 3 October.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said it is believed the man was on a tractor attempting to rescue cattle around 8.35pm when he got into difficulty and was surrounded by water.
“Victoria Police Search and Rescue Squad – Swift Water Rescue Team were able to successfully rescue a man,” they said.
“The 43-year-old Alexandra man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”
Substantial inundation is to be expected, including disruption to traffic. In particular, the Melba Highway at Yarra Glen was impacted by floodwaters while Settlement Road and Corduroy Road in Yarra Junction were already closed on Wednesday 4 October.
