Police have found a body believed to be a missing 63-year-old man who was last seen on a rural property on Lachlan Valley Way in Hillston on Tuesday, October 11 at around midday.
Emergency services received reports that a body had been sighted on a rural property at Wallanthery, about 35km north-east of Hillston.
Look back on Wednesday's updates below.
Key events
- A man's body has been recovered from floodwaters in western NSW
- The danger in Shepparton hasn't passed yet
- Albanese: 'At the worst of times we always see the best of the Australian character'
- Echuca's second flood peak now set to coincide with weekend rain
- Those in Kerang have been told to evacuate immediately
- Barmah to Lower Moira warned to evacuate immediately
- Emergency warning issued for Loddon River, Loddon Weir to Kerang
- Emergency warning issued for Campaspe River Downstream of Rochester
- Major flood level in Shepparton to recede 'significantly' by Saturday
- Murray River to come into play 'in the next 24 hours', SES says
- Forecast rain shouldn't lead to major flooding
- Victorian Premier announces $54 million small business flood relief package
- Breaking: Victorian man dies in floodwater
- Watch: Victorian Premier provides flood update
- Victorian premier to provide flood update
- Where exactly is the levee being built between Echuca and Moama?
- Major flooding to hit Echuca, Moama today as Murray expected to peak later this week
- Hundreds of houses under threat in Moama, mayor says
- NSW SES warns of further evacuations
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Live updates
By Bridget Judd
Where to find emergency assistance and information
We're going to close the live blog here, but you can find emergency assistance and information below.
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For emergency assistance, contact the SES on 132 500
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If your life is at risk, call Triple Zero (000) immediately
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Roads and bridges may be impacted by flash flooding. You can find the latest Victorian evacuation orders here, the latest Tasmanian evacuation orders here and the latest NSW evacuation orders here.
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For the latest weather updates visit the Bureau of Meteorology
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If you're not sure what to do when there's a flood, here's the best way to plan
Listen to ABC Local Radio for regular updates:
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ABC Radio Melbourne on 774am or online
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ABC Radio Sydney on 702am or online
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ABC Radio Hobart on 936am or online
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Search for a different frequency using the ABC Radio Finder
By Sian Johnson
Rise of Murray River at Echuca in two pictures
The ABC's Bridget Rollason is at Echuca where people are still anxiously awaiting the river's peak — expected to happen either late Friday or Saturday.
By Joseph Dunstan
Cows trek for 20 kilometres to escape Victorian floodwater
As floodwater threatens communities across Victoria's north, farmers are going to extraordinary lengths to protect livestock.
For Dave and Yvonne Poole, that meant taking their dairy cows a 20-kilometre walk from their farm near Pyramid Creek to get them to higher ground.
"We had numerous offers of disused dairies so we went and had a look at them, but it was going to be a big job to get them going," Mr Poole says.
"So I've got a good mate at Cohuna and he said we could bring them to his place."
You can read more on this in Angus Verley's story below.
By Sian Johnson
Treasurer says flood effects being factored into budget
Treasurer Jim Chalmers told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing that Australians were getting used to seeing floods result in increased food prices.
He said for the moment, the federal government was focused on the "human consequences" of the floods.
"In times like these Australians are there for each other and the government will be there for them as well," he said.
"But it also does have consequences for our economy, for the cost of living and for the budget too."
He said his team was "trying to capture an up-to-date understanding" of the economic and budget consequences of the flooding.
"Obviously it's premature to understand in a total form all of the costs and consequences but we'll do our best to at least have some kind of consideration of that as we finalise the budget," he said.
Mr Chalmers said it was likely Australians would feel the effects of the flooding in prices on supermarket shelves.
"Flooding is becoming a more and more regular occurrence in this country and we've seen before what it means for fresh produce, what it means for fresh food, what it means for meat and other groceries," he said.
"So we can expect to see that again."
The budget is due to be handed down next week.
By Bridget Judd
A man's body has been recovered from floodwaters in western NSW
It is believed to be that of a missing 63 year old man, who was last seen on a rural property on Lachlan Valley Way in Hillston on Tuesday, October 11 at around midday.
When he did not return several hours later, police were notified and commenced a search operation at the property but were unable to find him.
At about 8.30am today, emergency services received reports that a body had been sighted on a rural property at Wallanthery, about 35km north-east of Hillston.
By Sian Johnson
Water authority questioned about flood mitigation infrastructure
The ABC's Warwick Long reports that Goulburn-Murray Water is being accused of failing to operate flood mitigation infrastructure north of Shepparton.
Loch Garry protects the lower Goulburn flood plain in a minor or moderate flood and is opened during a major flood to ease the pressure on the river system.
But staff from Goulburn-Murray Water only managed to partly open the gates at the weekend before leaving due to safety concerns.
On Wednesday morning, a 65-year old man was found dead downstream of the loch, on Paynes Road.
Read more below.
By Bridget Judd
Drone footage shows extent of flooding in parts of Horsham
By Sian Johnson
People power getting two towns through
Residents in two Wimmera towns, Charlton and Donald, are breathing a sigh of relief after being able to avert floodwater over the past few days.
In Donald, which has a population of about 1,500 people, the community installed a levee and electronic river gauges to protect the town after 2011 floods.
Chair of the town's progress committee John McConville said the Wimmera River peak on Monday night was a good test of the community's response.
"There's a place in the levee bank that we have to fill in with soil because a street runs through it. All of this happened," he said.
"At this point, we won't beat our chest and we won't get too excited, but it worked extremely well."
In Charlton, a levee built in the town's south helped protect people's homes.
Read the full story from the ABC's Alexander Darling below:
By Sian Johnson
Insurance Council escalates flooding effects to 'catastrophe'
Our business reporter Emilia Terzon tells us the Insurance Council of Australia has escalated its categorisation of the effects of severe weather and flooding in Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales to an insurance catastrophe.
As a result, the insurance industry's response to people affected by the floods are able to be escalated and prioritised.
Earlier today it was revealed 6,350 claims had been submitted to insurers, with more than 87 per cent of those from Victoria.
By Bridget Judd
Moama mayor praises community spirit amid floods
The mayor of Moama has praised the community spirit among residents, as they come forward to help out delivering sandbags.
Chris Bilkey says he's grateful for everyone who's offered assistance.
"[I'm] very, very proud. The impact of the flood has been enormous but the response from the community has been absolutely outstanding."
By Sian Johnson
McIver Highway between Bendigo and Heathcote reopens
As more than 400 roads remain closed across the state, many due to the floods, one badly damaged route has reopened, according to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.
The McIver Highway between Bendigo and Heathcote was back open to traffic this afternoon.
"The team has done temporary repairs to get the road reopened for locals," Mr Andrews says.
"They'll be back to do more work and reseal the road when the weather is drier."
The state faces a massive job fixing up roads over the weeks and months ahead, with tens of thousands of potholes and thousands of roads affected by the floods.
Visit VicTraffic for a map of road closures across the state.
By Joseph Dunstan
These are the faces of the crew that's secured power in Shepparton
As we heard earlier, customers in Shepparton and Mooroopna have all got power.
Powercor says there are no restrictions on energy usage in the area.
By Joseph Dunstan
Communities north of Shepparton told to evacuate
As water makes its way down the Goulburn River, the communities of Bunbartha, Kaarimba, Mundoona and Zeerust are being urged to evacuate.
"Specifically, properties located areas adjacent to the Number 12 Main Channel from McCracken Road in the South to Walshs Bridge Road in the North, and East of Nine Mile Creek to Prentices Road," authorities say.
You can get all the Victorian emergency warnings at Vic Emergency.
By Bridget Judd
IN PICTURES: It's all hands on deck in Rochester
The ABC's Sarah Lawrence is on the ground, where ADF personnel are among those helping with the cleanup.
By Bridget Judd
The danger in Shepparton hasn't passed yet
Authorities are keeping an evacuation notice in place for Shepparton, where flooding peaked earlier this week.
As we heard earlier, authorities are hopeful floodwater will fall back from residential parts of Shepparton by the weekend.
They're still waiting to see if the causeway connecting Shepparton and Mooroopna can be reopened later today.
Authorities are still telling people if they didn't evacuate, they should shelter in the highest location possible.
What you should do if you have not already evacuated:
- Stay where you are and shelter in the highest location possible.
- Be aware that you may be isolated by floodwater for a significant amount of time.
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Check you have enough food, drinking water and medications - if you do not, phone Triple Zero (000) for assistance.
By Bridget Judd
Murray River flows to top 1975 levels
Daily flows in South Australia's section of the Murray River are expected to reach levels not seen in the state in almost 50 years, following the flooding in NSW and Victoria.
State government engineers and flood planners will check levees in the Riverland to make sure they can withstand the predicted flows.
Up to 120 gigalitres per day is expected to flow down the river by early December.
"Levee systems will be potentially tested and we do need to be getting prepared where we can," Premier Peter Malinauskas said.
By Ashleigh Barraclough
'Our whole town is destroyed': Rochester residents devastated by damage
Reporting by Rachel Clayton
Rochester resident Rebecca Pearce says her family had barely a moment's notice before the floodwaters were threatening their home.
"We were told that it was peaking Saturday, then all of a sudden it jumped to Friday and then we were told within an hour we had to get out," Ms Pearce says.
She believes not enough planning was done to prevent the flood damage, and says the decision to not build a levee in 2020 was disastrous for the town.
"Our whole town is destroyed, it's never going to come back from it," she says.
Debbie Harvey's home was among those destroyed.
"I nearly went through the floor of my kitchen today, it's pretty well wrecked," she says.
Due to the rising costs of living, Ms Harvey was forced to cancel her home-and-contents insurance a month before the floods hit as she could no longer afford it.
Like some Rochester residents, Debbie says she feels abandoned by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who has flown over Rochester but is yet to visit the flood-ravaged town.
She has strong words for the Premier.
"Go and get stuffed. You could have been here helping us," she says.
"I wish he was here to help everyone, but he's not doing his job."
By Bridget Judd
Parts of Charlton begin to reopen, but services are still impacted
Reporting by Alexander Darling
Charlton College reopened today, but the principal has advised parents there may be modified learning due to flood-related staff shortages. School buses are unable to run.
The local hospital has begun a “limited recommencement of services”, while the local supermarket is open, as is the pharmacy, which was one of a small number of buildings to have water over its floor in town.
Dozens of other premises, including the showgrounds and bowling club, had their grounds affected.
The Avoca flows to Quambatook after Charlton, and the bureau says major flooding is possible in that town of 200 from tomorrow morning.
In Wycheproof, mail and parcel delivery has been suspended for today after a truck was unable to get over a flooded road into town.
“We are planning for Wycheproof to be isolated, if it doesn’t happen that’s the best case scenario,” said local Mayor Daryl Warren.
“We can’t get any estimations as to when it will arrive, and the same goes for Culgoa.”
By Bridget Judd
Wildlife losses expected to be in the 'thousands' across Victoria
Wildlife Victoria estimates wildlife losses in the thousands across multiple species as floodwaters continue to rise across the state.
“What we’ll expect to see once we can get in [to flood-effected regions] and have a look is literally hundreds, if not thousands, of kangaroos and wombats drowned, and other ground-dwelling species like echidnas," says Lisa Palma, CEO of Wildlife Victoria.
By Ashleigh Barraclough
'It's important to us': Woman to stay in Kerang to protect home
Terri Hastie, 61, is staying in Kerang to protect her house, despite an evacuation warning being issued for the town in Victoria's north.
The bridge out of town has now closed and residents are being warned they could be isolated for more than a week if they do not leave now via Kerang-Murrabit Road.
"We want to stay here and protect our home – my husband built the home 38 years ago," Terri says.
"It's important to us."
Terri and her husband went through the flooding in 2011, when she says three feet of water arrived at her doorstep.
"We had water in our house for two weeks before we could pull the carpets up," she says.
Now, the house is prepared for floods.
She says they're hoping to pump the water out of the house into a drum.
"We've put a lot of work into it – we've been really busy the last week or so," she says.
She says she's been "madly shopping like everyone else" and is prepared to isolate.
But the scariest part is not knowing when the water will come.
"It's a waiting game, not knowing when it's actually going to happen," she says.
