Emergency authorities in Victoria say the next few days will be crucial as communities prepare for flooded rivers to peak.
The Bureau of Meteorology and the state's emergency service have confirmed the Murray River at Echuca is now expected to peak in the early part of next week.
The bureau has predicted it will reach a height of around 94.8 metres above sea level on Sunday, which is just above the level reached in the 1993 floods.
It says the river may rise as high as 95 metres on Tuesday.
A 2.5-kilometre levee has been built in Echuca to protect vulnerable properties, and an emergency warning to evacuate remains in place.
SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said more than 200,000 sandbags have been placed in and around the town.
"It's a very slow creeping rise that's occurring on the Murray, downstream of Barmah and through Echuca," he said.
Mr Wiebusch said it is still not clear how many properties have been damaged in flood-affected areas.
"So far, we've been able to have impact assessment of over 1,000 properties that have seen some level of damage through these floods," he said.
"But we've still got a number of communities and areas that we're unable to access. We're hoping from today and through Friday into Saturday, that areas around Shepparton and Kialla for example, we'll start to see those waters recede to a point where not only can we let community back in, but also get the impact assessment teams back in."
The SES has now received more than 8,000 requests for help during the flood crisis, and has conducted 730 flood rescues across the state.
Meanwhile, the Victorian government said that about 18,000 applications for emergency payments have been received, of which around 6,000 have so far been processed.
The government has announced a $6.5 million public health scheme in flood-affected areas, including mosquito monitoring and free Japanese encephalitis vaccinations.
A further $14 million will be used to send extra hospital staff to flood zones for three months, and 20 working pharmacists will be sent to flood-affected communities.
Students swap schoolbooks for sandbags
Ella McCormick spent the day trying to protect her town of Echuca from floods, on what was meant to be her Year 12 muck-up day.
Instead of attending her school's farewell ceremony for final year students, a group of classmates from St Joseph's College grabbed shovels and pitched in to build flood barriers and sandbag buildings.
"We thought it would be something nice to do as a community, as a cohort, because over the last few years with COVID and now the floods, we haven't got to do much as a group," she said.
"We thought we could band together as a group and help the community while we're at it."
The Victorian government has announced that a derived ATAR score will be used for students impacted by flooding in northern Victoria, which allows students to have their final score calculated based on their earlier results.
But Ella said she feels "very nervous" at the prospect of exams, which are scheduled to start next week.
"We're not sure what's going on. We're all able to get derived exam scores… but we're not sure if we're going to be able to go into school to sit the exams," she said.
"We just have to wait and see how the river goes with our school."
A broader sense of uncertainty hangs over the town, as residents who remained behind after the Campaspe River broke its banks over the weekend prepare for floodwaters to hit again.
Ella said despite the challenging circumstances, the community spirit in Echuca is strong.
"Everyone is really banding together and helping out, so that's good."
Heavy rain poses a 'massive risk'
Ella is one of thousands of residents preparing as the Murray and Goulburn rivers rise.
Thousands of homes along the Victoria-New South Wales border are at risk of being inundated.
But some buildings are outside the 2.5 kilometre levee, leaving them at risk of flooding.
SES chief officer Tim Wiebusch said the levee was built following consultation between emergency service authorities.
"The option that you've now seen on the ground there is the option that was preferred.
"Yes, that will see a small number of properties outside of that levee also potentially be impacted as a result of the Murray River," he said.
A forecast for heavy rain has prompted concerns that even houses on the right side of the levee could be at risk.
At a meeting yesterday, Luke Waterson from Emergency Management Victoria said between 40 to 60 millimetres was expected to hit Echuca between Friday and Sunday.
"That coincides with what the flood planners and flood modellers are saying is the same time as high water is going to reach Echuca in the Murray River," he said.
"What that poses to us is a massive risk of rainwater inside our levee and the risk of us drowning ourselves from the inside."
He said emergency services were developing a plan to manage the rainwater flows, as well as any breaches to the levee's bank.
The SES said the predicted rainfall this weekend could result in the Goulburn River at Shepparton and Mooroopna returning to major flood level.
"But certainly not at the level we've just seen. At most, we might see the upper end of moderate to the lower end of major [flood level]," Mr Wiebusch said.
Too late for Kerang community to leave
The town of Kerang, about halfway between Echuca and Swan Hill, could be isolated for up to two weeks when the nearby Loddon River cuts off roads.
Emergency services said in a warning message that it's too late for residents to leave.
The emergency warning advised people in the town to take shelter, check they have essential items and be aware that they may be isolated "for a significant amount of time."
The main bridge out of the town has closed, and the Murray Valley Highway between Swan Hill and Kerang is also shut due to flood damage.
The SES has advised that it expects some properties outside the flood levee in Kerang to be flooded.
