Lyn Newton loves Christmas, but this year's will be anything but normal.
Each December, she is excited to decorate her home in Rochester, north of Bendigo, with Christmas lights and tinsel, a resplendent tree pride of place.
But devastating flooding has forced Ms Newton out of that home and into a caravan in a temporary village in Elmore, along with 130 families.
"I lost absolutely everything. I lost my tree, I lost decorations, I lost lights, all those little trinket pieces that you put on the tree," Ms Newton said.
In the makeshift community centre sits a small tree with a few presents at foot.
A Christmas wreath adorns the front of Ms Newton's caravan, a small attempt at Christmas cheer in the face of adversity.
She knows she'll be among the families spending Christmas in the makeshift community.
"I usually look forward to every Christmas," Ms Newton said.
"At the end of the day, I'm OK. It's just taken me a bit to get where I am right now."
Village grows
Before the flood eight weeks ago, the Elmore Field Days site, about 20 kilometres south-west of Rochester, was nothing but bare paddocks.
Ms Newton has watched a village bloom around her in the weeks and days since moving in.
Portable buildings and caravans, toilets and showers were moved in while a kitchen and mess hall were set up.
More people have moved in every day and work is continuing to set up accommodation for those still displaced.
Ms Newton was one of the early ones to move into the village.
She was offered a spot after spending nights sleeping on the floor of a golf club with her dog Jasper.
"It was really quite horrific. It was absolutely heartbreaking," she said.
"I don't believe I've slept really well since it all happened."
Taking each day as it comes
Ms Newton has lived in Rochester for 25 years and was in her current house for eight years before it was destroyed by flooding.
There was almost a metre of water throughout the home and 90 per cent of her possessions were damaged.
She said she was traumatised by the experience and returning home to see the devastation caused.
But community and mental health support has helped her learn to accept her situation and try to make the best of every day.
"Now I'm a little more human," she said.
"I've got to take each day as it's going to come to me. So that's all I can do."
While her biggest wish is to be able to return home, Ms Newton said she was grateful to have the option to live at the Elmore village.
She doesn't know where she would be otherwise.
Home away from home
The village has a kitchen and cooks that supply three meals a day to residents, a shower and toilet block, and support from case managers and financial counsellors.
A pop-up shop offering new clothing free of charge has been set up, and pets are welcome.
Ms Newton has taken time off work from her job as a carer to recover from the traumatic experience.
Other residents living at the village have continued with their jobs, while children have been travelling to school.
Anglicare Victoria is the organisation working with displaced Rochester families and allocating them to accommodation at the Elmore village if required.
North central region director Michael Oerlemans said he was looking at more than doubling the team of workers he had at the site to help those impacted.
"The case management of these families is fairly intensive, and there are still people moving in," Mr Oerlemans said.
"Other families ... are still waiting for units to be modified for their mobility needs."
Mr Oerlemans said staff had quickly gotten to know the families and their needs, all while a small town was built around them.
"It's still a bit of work in progress," he said.
"Although people are getting settled into the accommodation, there's still a lot more to do, particularly around the community facilities as we head into summer and Christmas."
The site is managed by a private company, with housing and health agencies, and family violence practitioners, also available to residents.
