There are fears up to 10,000 homes in the Shepparton region of Victoria could be flooded, with other towns around the state warned to be on high alert for several days.
About 1,000 homes in Echuca are also expected to be surrounded or inundated with water from the Murray River, which could reach peak levels on Monday or Tuesday.
State Emergency Service chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said the state's flood crisis was "far from over", with several rivers yet to reach their peak levels.
The Goulburn River at Shepparton and Mooroopna in Victoria's north-east could reach a maximum peak of 12.2 metres early on Monday morning, Mr Wiebusch said.
Mr Wiebusch said he expected 7,300 homes in the area to be surrounded or inundated by flood waters, with the possibility of the water level going even higher.
"We are alerting Shepparton residents, Mooroopna residents, Kialla Lakes and the like to be alert to their conditions in case [the water level] continues to rise," Mr Wiebusch said.
"If it goes up just 0.1 metre to 12.3 metres, we could see a further 1,600 homes come under threat of that major flooding."
The small town of Bunbartha, north of Shepparton, was issued with an alert to evacuate immediately on Sunday night.
Up to 80 houses are also at risk of flooding in Charlton, where the Avoca River is expected to peak overnight and reach levels similar to floods in 2010.
People have been warned to move to higher ground in communities along the Campaspe River downstream of Rochester, and along the Loddon River between Loddon Weir and Kerang.
More disaster payments announced
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said more than 100 ADF personnel would be on the ground in Victoria by Sunday night, providing support with evacuations and sandbagging and said the ADF would "continue to respond positively to further requests" for assistance.
Mr Albanese announced a one-off, non-means tested Australian government disaster recovery payment — $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child — for people in the worst-hit Victorian council areas of Campaspe, Greater Shepparton, Maribyrnong, Mitchell and Strathbogie.
Financial support also will be made available to other flood-affected Australians on a geographic basis, with disaster recovery allowance payments available residents in 23 local government areas in Victoria.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said 9,290 residents had already applied for financial assistance.
Residents in a further 38 council areas in NSW and Tasmania that have been impacted by flooding will also be eligible for the federal government grants.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese credited the strength of the Australian spirit for keeping communities together during the floods.
"I pay tribute to the volunteers and the people in these communities who are showing such resilience, once again, in the face of enormous pressure that they are under," he said.
The former COVID-19 quarantine facility in Mickleham, in Melbourne's north, will provide 250 beds for people who've had to evacuate their homes.
Echuca residents told to leave
Alongside major flooding in Shepparton, attention is now turning to Echuca where an evacuation order is in place due to a rising Campaspe River.
Emergency authorities urged Echuca residents near the Campaspe River to evacuate as river levels continue to rise.
More than 1,000 properties are expected to be inundated or surrounded by flood waters.
A massive levy bank out the front of Ray Byron's house wasn't enough to save the property — the water snuck around the back.
"Me motorbike's under, me pool room's under," he said.
"We've all had our little cries but the house is injured for floods. So bad luck, we just start again."
Echuca will also be affected by flooding from the the Murray River, which is expected to peak Monday into Tuesday, above the major flood level at around 95 metres.
The SES said properties will be likely under threat for three to four days.
Shepparton transformed into 'one big lake'
Earlier, Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said residents woke to some confronting and devastating scenes.
"Standing at the corner of Wyndham and Sobraon streets looking south, I mean, it looks like one big lake," Cr Sali said.
Graeme Macartney's house in Mooroopna on Shepparton's outskirts was protected by six rows of sandbags which, he hoped, would save it from flooding.
But he said a neighbour down the street had to be evacuated after his property was inundated.
"He got a boat to get out, so he's going to shack with me for a few days," he said.
"That's just the Mooroopna community. It's special."
Mr Macartney said he'd visit his local bottle shop for supplies as he prepared to wait out the floods.
Some locals in Mooroopna have improvised to get around town, including Beth Organ and her father, who took to the streets in a kayak.
"There's a lot of stuff in the water, a hot water system, couple of cardboard boxes, wood everywhere," Beth said.
"My grandfather was here in the 1974 floods and this is different to what we expected.
"We did not think it was going to get this high and close to the house, but it's close."
A one to two-hour wait for sandbags was being reported at the Shepparton Showgrounds, where Nicky Pummeroy was helping to fill sandbags.
She lives in Kialla Central, in Shepparton's south-east, and said water had flooded paddocks around her house
"We've lived in Kialla Central for 22 years and this is the highest we've ever seen the water. It's disconcerting," she said.
"My sister and her family are stuck up the north end of Shepparton and they can't get out, so it's a little bit of a worry how much higher this river's going to get."
Power, sewerage services at risk
Floodwaters inundated an electricity substation in Mooroopna, prompting Powercor to shut down the site, cutting supply to homes in Tatura, Murchison and some surrounding towns.
Nearly 6,000 homes are without power as a result, with Powercor warning the substation may be offline for days.
Powercor spokesperson Emma Tyner said it could be some time before electricity is restored.
"There will be lengthy delays in restoring power. We will continue monitoring conditions but we can't re-energise that site until those waters have subsided and it's safe to do so."
Meanwhile, authorities are monitoring water quality after the power outage stopped the sewerage pumps operating in Murchison.
Resident Brandon Riley said locals constructed a sand bag levy they've dubbed "the Great Wall of Murchison", which is protecting businesses.
"The new problem we've got is the power is obviously out there so the Mooroopna substation has obviously gone, that's caused a new issue in town with the sewerage system starting to rise because they can't pump the water out," he said.
Goulburn Valley Water service delivery manager Daniel Flanagan said the Shepparton water treatment plant has been shored up against potential flooding.
He said water was still safe to drink, with the treatment plant holding up "quite well" in the conditions.
"So at the moment, all things being equal, those assets should remain protected."
Where to find emergency assistance and information
- For emergency assistance, contact the SES on 132 500
- If your life is at risk, call triple-O (000) immediately
- You can find the latest Victorian evacuation orders here
- For the latest weather updates visit the Bureau of Meteorology.
Listen to ABC Local Radio for regular updates:
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ABC Melbourne on 774am or online
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Search for a different frequency using the ABC Radio Finder.
