Victorian floods: More home at risk as flood threat shifts

Victorian communities remain under threat from floodwaters with more homes expected to be inundated.

The state is poised to remain mostly dry on Wednesday with the flood threat now at Murchison and Shepparton, and later in Echuca.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to visit Victoria to discuss emergency relief as some towns shift focus to recovery.

With six flood rescues on Tuesday, the total since the emergency began on Sunday stands at 52.

About half of those were triggered by people driving on flooded roads and becoming stuck in their cars, a State Emergency Service spokesperson told AAP.

A watch and act alert is in place along the Goulburn River from Murchison and Shepparton to south of Lake Eildon.

Victoria SES chief officer Tim Wiebusch earlier warned communities along the Goulburn River to expect possible road closures and overland flooding.

The river at the rural village of Murchison was slated to reach a moderate-level peak of 10.5m late on Wednesday morning, while moderate flooding was possible at Shepparton from Thursday morning.

From Kialla to Shepparton, up to 20 properties might be inundated with above-floor flooding and a further 150 properties could have their land or surrounding streets flooded, Mr Wiebusch said.

He urged communities to prepare and have up to three days of supplies in case some areas became isolated.

Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said the community was nervous after the town was severely impacted by floods less than 18 months ago.

“We’re not expecting the levels of October 2022 which is pleasing, but there will still be a significant amount of water around and we’re asking the community to be really vigilant and have that awareness of what’s happening,” Mr Sali told ABC TV.

Minor flooding is expected at Echuca, along the Murray River, later in the week.

The Goulburn River at Seymour peaked at 6.8m on Monday afternoon before a second rise late on Tuesday.

The SES said six homes were flooded in Yea, eight to 10 houses in Seymour had above-floor flooding and a further 140 properties experienced other flooding, with crews set to examine the damage.

More than 1800 requests for assistance have been made to the SES during the emergency, but call numbers dropped over the past day as the response shifts towards recovery in many areas.

Rochester residents can now return to assess any damage to their properties as SES volunteers continue taking stock of the damage.

The owner of an empty kayak seen floating down the Mitchell River near Dargo on Tuesday was later found safe and well in the area.

Mount Dandenong Tourist Road at Ferny Creek in Melbourne’s southeast remains closed after a landslide measuring 70 by 40 metres.